With eight minutes remaining in the game on Thursday, Feb. 13, George Washington University Men’s Basketball Coach Karl Hobbes benched himself in exasperation and had his assistant coach take over.
Perhaps his frustration was because the Colonials scored 38 points, that they shot 27 percent from the field, or that Saint Louis University hit a season-high 14 3-pointers.
Senior center Bryce Husak carried the Billikens early by scoring the first seven points and finished with a game-high 15 points. Following him was senior guard Dwayne Polk, who made four of five from 3-point land for a total of 12 points on the game.
“I’m confident [with long-range shots], and I’m going to take them every time they’re available, without a doubt,” Husak said. “I was feeling pretty good tonight; I was ready to shoot.”
With six different SLU players contributing 3-pointers, it looked as though the Bills were putting on a 3-point shooting clinic. The 14 treys that SLU hit equaled GWU’s total number of field goals for the night.
In addition to a solid offensive showing, the Bills delivered defensively as well, keeping the Colonials without a basket for nearly 10 minutes in the first half. This drought allowed SLU to go on a 17-0 run.
For Men’s Basketball Coach Rick Majerus, success on the court starts with a good effort in practice.
“What’s satisfying about the win tonight is that the guys are really trying hard,” Majerus said. “As a team, I really respect [the players’] effort as long as they sustain it and learn and get better.”
The Colonials got as close as 13 points in the second half and were down 35-21 four minutes in before the Bills took control. Husak drained consecutive 3-pointers, followed by a lay-up by senior Danny Brown to extend the lead.
Midway through the second half, GWU trimmed the lead to fewer than 20 points at 49-30, but the Bills responded by heating up from long range again. Juniors Kevin Lisch and Tommie Liddell III each drained 3-pointers within the last 10 minutes, as the Billikens cruised to an even 5-5 record in the Atlantic 10 Conference and 14-10 overall.
“We hit some shots tonight, but we took better care of the ball,” Majerus said. “Our enemy is not having enough time-[the players] need a day off. But tonight was a good win for us.”
