George Washington guard Brendan Adams was unconscious throughout the game, finishing with a career high 32 points on 7-of-12 from deep, one three pointer shy of tying the program's all-time record. Adams also posted four rebounds and 3 assists to lead the Colonials to a 92-91 victory over a feisty Hawks team in overtime. James Bishop added 22 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds while Max Edwards contributed a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
St Joseph guard Lynn Greer III was nearly Adams equal in offensive production, leading the Hawks with 31 points,11 rebounds and 3 assists on 13-22 shooting from the field, Nearly snatching a win away from the Colonials himself. Local product Erik Reynolds II added 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists before fouling out and forward Kacper Klaczek had 16 points,7 rebounds and 5 assists for the Hawks.
GW improves to 11-9 and will next go on the road to face Fordham, Saturday at 2 p.m.
Takeaways:
Brendan Adams: put on a SPECIAL special performance and truthfully carried the scoring load for the Colonials for the majority of the game. Adams scored 18 of GW’s 41 points in the first half on 6-10 shooting from the field and 4-6 shooting from 3-point range. The rest of the Colonials that saw action in the first half, shot a combined 8-18 from the field and 1-5 from deep. He continued his scoring output, adding 14 points in the second half and overtime on 5-12 shooting from the field and 3-6 from 3-point range. George Washington needed every bit of his scoring as A-10 Player of the Year Candidate James Bishop and standout Redshirt Freshman Max Edward struggled shooting the ball throughout the game, shooting a combined 8-27 from the field and 3-10 from deep, although they made up for it by getting to the line and converting free throws with Bishop going 11-14 and Edwards shooting 4-6. Adams has been very consistent throughout the season and it all came together for him in GW’s win over St Joseph’s. Bishop usually gets the top headlines, rightfully so, however, Adams is in many ways, just as valuable for the Colonials as they look to continue their winning ways.
Lynn Greer III:
was UNSTOPPABLE in the second half and overtime with his scoring and gritty play and it nearly resulted in a win for the Hawks. After posting 10 points on 4-8 shooting in the first half, Greer III came out in the second half ultra aggressive. He dissected GW’s defense utilizing screens well and in transition, where his quick first step allowed him to get to the basket for lay-up after lay-up. No one had success keeping Greer III in front of them all game. He’s a huge reason why St Joseph’s out-scored the Colonials 46-28 in the paint, with two of their top two scorers Erik Reynolds II and Cameron Brown, being plagued by foul trouble. Also, when Greer III wasn’t scoring, he was setting up scoring opportunities for Reynolds II and Kacper Klaczek. Greer III posted 21 points and 8 rebounds on 9-14 shooting in the second half and overtime, putting the Hawks in great position to pull off the comeback win on the road. Hell of a performance from the quickly improving sophomore.
Kacper Klaczek:
is the player who along with Greer III, helped cut down St Joseph’s deficit early in the second half. Klaczek shot 3-3 from three point range, in a 2:13 second span, between the 18:08 mark to the 15:55 mark, leading the St Joseph’s run that would cut a one time sixteen point GW lead down to three. His shooting opened the floor up tremendously and made it hard for Ricky Lindo Jr and Hunter Dean to leave him and help protect the paint. That’s what led to the relentless driving to the basket from Greer III and Reynolds II. To make matters worse, once GW focused on him defensively to keep him contained, he started to make timely plays with his passing, dishing out a team high 5 assists, three of which came in the second half. He was most certainly an x-factor in the game and made the Colonials have to adjust in ways they weren’t expecting coming in to the game.
Free Throw Shooting:
ended up being the key factor in the game. St Joseph’s shot better from the field (46%- 42%) than GW. Scored more in the paint (46-28) and had a slight edge in second chance points (14-12). However, GW, led by James Bishop not allowing his uncharacteristic bad shooting night to thwart his aggression offensively, tripled St Joseph’s free throw makes by knocking down 27-35 from the charity stripe. The Hawks, shot 9-17 from the free throw line. Bishop shot 11-14, Edwards and Adams combined to go 7-9 from from the line while Dean and Lindo Jr each shot 4-4 and 3-4 from the line respectively. The free throw line is what won the game for the Colonials and they needed every single make. The Hawks play a physical pressing brand of defense and the Colonials used their physicality to their advantage and it paid off with a win.
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