Box Score How It Happened
George Washington's Joe McDonald sank a jumper with nine seconds left to lift the Colonials to a 66-65 win over Rhode Island in a back-and-forth contest Wednesday.
Rhode Island (6-11, 1-3 Atlantic 10) had chance to win, but a 3-point shot by junior Xavier Munford rolled in and out.
In a tight contest featuring 20 lead changes and 19 ties, neither team ever led by more than five points. The Rams held a 61-56 lead with 5:01 remaining, but George Washington (9-9, 3-2 A-10) responded with a 7-0 run to go back up 63-61. Rhody's Mike Powell tied it with a layup with 1:37 to go. McDonald hit a free throw to put the Colonials up one, but Munford responded with a layup to give Rhody a 65-64 lead with 37 seconds to go before McDonald's winning basket.
Inside the Box Score
* Senior Andre Malone carried the Rams offensively in the second half, making his first five shots from the floor. He finished 7-for-11 and scored 14 points. Malone also had three steals.
* Despite playing with foul trouble, junior Xavier Munford finished with 20 points, besting his season average of 17.8 points per game. The leading scorer in the A-10 has scored in double digits 14 times, and has 20 or more eight times this year. Munford added five assists and four rebounds.
* Senior Nikola Malesevic gave Rhody offense for the second straight game, finishing with 16 points. Last time out against Saint Louis, he had 14 points.
* Sophomore T.J. Buchanan provided his typical high-energy, dirty work performance. He had five points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 22 minutes.
* Freshman Jordan Hare had three blocked shots and two steals. His lone basket of the night came on an alley-oop pass from Munford. It was Hare's team-leading 23rd dunk of the season.
* Rhode Island had uncharacteristic trouble handling the ball early, committing four turnovers in the first seven minutes. Rhody had just nine more tunovers the rest of the way. The Rams entered the game averaging just 11.9 turnovers per game, which had tied them for 44th in the country.
* All 10 players who saw action for George Washington scored. Isaiah Armwood led the way with 13 points, Joe McDonald had 12 and Kevin Larsen finished with 10 points.
* Rhode Island shot 50 percent from the floor for the second straight game, connecting on 24-of-48 shots. Last time out against Saint Louis, the Rams made 55.1 percent as a team. However, the Rams struggled from the free throw line, hitting just 11-of-18 (61.1 percent).
* George Washington gave the Rams trouble down low, outscoring Rhody 32-20 in the paint. The Colonials enjoyed a 34-25 edge on the boards.
What's Next:
The Rams travel to Fordham Saturday, Jan. 26 for a 1 p.m. start.
Steve McDonald and Don Kaull return to bring you the call on the Beltone Hearing Aid Centers Rams Radio Network (B101 101.5 FM). This - and all Rhody games on radio - can be heard on the Internet or your smartphone device through iheart.com or the iHeartRadio app.
