Colonials point guard Jared Sina running the offense finished with 13 points on 3 of 6 shooting from deep
Colonials came into today's contest against Penn State eager to right the ship after dropping the previous two contest. The task was made even more daunting with the absence of small forward Yuta Watanabe, who was sitting out with a calf injury. The Nittany Lions made for some rude guest as they handed the Colonials their third straight loss, 74-68, at the Smith Center.
In the first half, GW was carried by the play of their young bench. Sophomore guard Jordan Roland (11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assist) and freshman center Collin Smith (11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks) both posted seven points to push GW to a 32-23 halftime lead at the half. In the second half things changed drastically. Penn State went on a 13-2 run to start the second half and the onslaught was on. As GW went cold from the field, Penn State executed and scored at will led by freshman forwards Lamar Stevens (18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assist, 2 blocks) and Mike Watkins (20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks) who combined to score 31 of the Nittany Lion's 51 points in the second half to finish off the Colonials.
"We have to work towards putting 40 minutes of basketball together," said head coach Maurice Joseph. "It's a marathon and we have to be able to sustain energy throughout the course of the game. We have to be able to stay locked in, knock down shots and take care of the ball."
GW forward Tyler Cavanaugh posted a team high 15 points after a scoreless first half while point guard Jared Sina added 13 points and 2 steals. Penn State point guard Tony Carr finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assist while back court mate Shep Davis added 10 points.
The Colonials will travel to take on Harvard Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Freshman Collin Smith was a force on both ends finishing with 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting and 4 blocks
Penn State explosive freshman forward Lamar Stevens dominated in the second half with his efficient scoring
Redshirt freshman Mike Watkins was the difference in the game finishing with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks