Dukes go cold in 73-55 loss to George Washington

George Washington’s offense was firing on all cylinders right out of the gate, with the Colonials nailing their first three field goals to build a quick 7-0 lead. George Washington continued to attack Duquesne’s two-three zone, and with a 3-pointer from junior guard Joe McDonald, the Colonials pushed their lead to 22-11 with 10:41 remaining in the half.

Duquesne clawed back into the game after Derrick Colter and Jeremiah Jones both hit 3-pointers to chip away the lead to 22-17 with 9:22 left. But George Washington kept attacking from three, and with five minutes to go, the Colonials were 7-of-9 from downtown, extending the lead to 33-19. Five Colonials hit 3-pointers in the half and the team went 8-for-12, giving George Washington a comfortable 40-27 lead at the midpoint.

Duquesne’s Mason was unable to get going in the first half, making only one of his four 3-point attempts for five points total. Jones carried the Dukes early, scoring nine points and adding four rebounds and assists. Freshman forward Yuta Wantanabe, who had 10, dealt the most damage for George Washington.

Mason went off at the start of the second half, scoring eight of his team’s first 10 points to make it a 46-37 game with 15 minutes and change to go. Duquesne’s defense started to slow down George Washington’s attack, holding them to a stretch of only one field goal in nine attempts. Mason continued to cut the lead after a 3-pointer from the corner pulled the Dukes to within seven, and then a 25-footer made the score 50-46 George Washington with 10:33 to go.

But Duquesne was unable to take the lead, and four different Colonials scored during an 11-0 run to negate the progress the Dukes had made. Duquesne’s offense was unable to get the ball to Mason,and the rest of the shooters were unable to produce, especially the usually reliable Colter, who only shot 3-of-13 from the field.

With its biggest threat neutralized, the Colonials hit their foul shots late and coasted to the win.

Mason went 5-for-5 from behind the arc in the second half. Duquesne forward Dominique McKoy ended with 10 boards and nine points, while Jones failed to score in the later half.

Duquesne ends the year 12-19 and 7-13 in the Atlantic 10. McKoy is the only graduating senior.