Sophomore guard Jordan Roland was on fire all game finishing with a career high 27 points on 9 of 13 shooting
It's been going on all season, one player stepping up to carry the load to ensure victory for the Colonials and last night, it was Jordan Roland's turn. Roland poured in a career high 27 points to lead George Washington (8-4) to a 74-59 win over the University of Central Florida (7-3) . Roland's 27 points is also the high point total of the season so far for GW.
Playing without star wing Yuta Watanabe for the seventh straight game, the Colonials used a balanced offensive attack to take a 30-22 halftime lead, with freshman forward Arnaldo Toro leading the way with 7 points as well as limiting UCF's 7'6 sophomore center Tacko Fall (16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks) impact on the game. Despite the lead, the Knights still limited the Colonials to 34 percent shooting in the half to stay within striking distance. In the second half, Roland began his one man assault on the Knights. The sophomore guard scored 22 of his game high 27 points on 7 of 8 shooting from the field and 4 of 5 shooting from 3-point range in the second half alone. UCF wouldn't recover as GW earned their eighth win of the season.
"Once a couple of shots go in you get more confident," Roland said in regards to his shooting performance. "As the game went on, my teammates were finding me, they realized I was hot so I owe everything to them."
Forward Tyler Cavanaugh posted 19 points and 6 rebounds while freshman forward Arnaldo Toro added 9 points and 6 rebounds. GW shot 54 percent from the field and 46 percent from deep in the second half behind the efficient shooting of Roland and Cavanaugh, however it was the defense of the Colonials young front court of Toro and Kevin Marfo on Fall that caught Cavanaugh's attention. "He's (Fall) huge," said Cavanaugh. "Credit to him he's gotten a lot better since last year and he's a force, around the hoop I felt Kevin Marfo and Arnaldo Toro did a great job of battling inside our 2-3 zone. He's going to get those dunks because he's so tall but I feel we took a step forward as a team."
Point guard Jaren Sina contributed 8 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assist for GW while guard Matt Williams was the only player besides Fall to score in double figures, finishing with 11 points and 6 rebounds.
The Colonials will hit the road next to take on Miami December 22nd at 7 p.m.
7'6 Tacko Fall is an imposing presence in the paint and made an impact with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks
Tyler Cavanaugh continued his consistent play with 19 points and 6 rebounds on 6 of 13 shooting
UCF leading scorer Matt Williams struggled shooting the ball (4-15 FG) finishing with 11 points in a losing effort