Another second half surge against George Mason propelled the Bonnies to a fairly comfortable win for Homecoming. It would have been another double-digit win over the Pats, but the refs UNJUSTLY waved off an Ale Vasquez 3 just because it "hit the shot clock." Uh, last time I checked, it's called a shot clock, not a miss clock, folks. I'd argue it should be worth 4 points, but I'm still proud of the Brown and White for overcoming that egregious call.
Before the Bonnies play a... rivalry? game at Duquesne on Saturday, Bona's plays George Washington for the second time this season at the Reilly Center. It's very fitting that on a day when some say the democracy of the United States will be destroyed, a school named after the nation's first President will also be destroyed. The Bonnies have beaten GW four out of the last five games and the last time in the RC was a very comfy 18-point win in 2018.
There are actually some signs of life out of the Colonials ever since our trip to Foggy Bottom. They've gone 4-4 and yes, they lost the game of Kings that is getting beat by Fordham, but they knocked off Davidson in 4 OTs and almost defeated St. Louis on the road. For a team that was supposed to be a lock as a Wednesday Night Pillow Fighter, they don't seem like they want to join that sleepover, folks.
GW's best player recently is Armel Potter, but for once, the Bonnies actually may not be the team missing their #1 guy. He missed the Richmond game Saturday, and there's no word if he'll play at Bona's. We beat them with him anyways, but maybe we can finally catch a break for once. That nerd KenPom actually has the nerve to say we are the 72nd luckiest team in the country... I know a certain man wearing the number 21 that would beg to differ. I believe Mr. Pomeroy must have also given the Shadow voting app 5 stars in the Apple Store.
Of course, being in Washington D.C., G-Dub is not immune to getting sucked into the typical political fighting that's now American as apple pie or smoking legal weed at a legal sports book (in Oregon, Nevada and soon in Michigan/Illinois). Last year, a group of students were pushing to have GW no longer be nicknamed the Colonials. This drew the ire of Fox News, but fuck them, we aren't linking to that website. Some say it's racist because they have this weird idea that colonizing other countries and killing people was a terrible thing in human history (weird, right?). Others say it's just a reference to the people who fought in the Revolutionary War.
One replacement name considered is the "Hippos," already an unofficial campus mascot. Yeah, it doesn't sound intimidating at first. "Oh wow, all they do is eat marbles and sleep in the water." NO. Hippos are considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. I've seen estimates that say between 500 and 3,000 people are killed every year by them. They can charge at you at least 20 miles per hour. They'll attack for no reason. They can grow 20-inch tusks. That sounds scarier than some 5'4" guy with smallpox coming at me with an inaccurate musket that takes like a minute to reload a single shot.
I don't know if George Washington should be the Hippos, but someone definitely should use the name.
We actually have a GW fan! I know, I thought they went into hiding after AD Nero destroyed the athletic department. Unlike our other guests, Ryan Puleo has no A10 projects to plug or what you would call "expertise" in anything but one thing: GW's mayhem. He tweets about it all the time (@RyanPuleo3). Anyways, here he is, like the only G-Dub fan on Twitter.
First off, despite the med school rivalry I explored last time, RP3 doesn't really hate Bonaventure.
GW fans don't really have a problem with St. Bonaventure yet. They haven't done anything to make us mad and gave us a good game last time.
I mentioned he also likes George Washington's "Mayhem," which I had assumed was just their Mountain Lightning knock-off version of VCU's "Havoc." So I had to ask him to define mayhem...
Mayhem is pretty much just shooting a bunch of 3s and getting stops on defense. It is more than that though. It's also an entire culture around GW basketball. When teams play GW, they know they have to deal with grit from top to bottom. Every player, fan, coach, manager, and athletic trainer is fully prepared to give the other team the longest 40 minutes of their life.
So basically I was right.
Still, when I was conducting a thorough investigation into if Ryan had a quality Twitter account, what won me over was his steadfast commitment to trolling St. Louis. Now, I mainly don't like Travis Ford, their Big Ten-ass style of offense and I'm still bitter about the A10 final last year, but RP3 and I are on the same page about one thing: that STUPID Billiken.
I don't like St. Louis because I think their mascot is the worst in the conference and I have more Tinder matches than they have made free throws this season.
Congrats on all four of your matches, Ryan! At least we know he won't bringing that special someone to Olean.
I probably won't go cause it is kinda far and I hate spending money, but I would love to bring my mayhem to the arena.
RP3's also willing to talk that shit, even when his team is flailing around #200 in the NET rankings.
Jamion Christian in the best coach in the history of the A10 and GW is winning the A10 within three years. Jameer and Battle are also insane.
Is he crazy to guarantee a G-Dub A10 title in the Osun/Lofton/Welch era? Crazy like a hippo!
Seven Steps to Victory
Have Charlie Day wander out on the court with his dirty shirt and laundry basket as GW shoots free throws.
Osun has DOMINATED the Colonials both times we played them, so yeah, he's important. There's some in-depth analysis for you...
No matter the score, declare victory after 62% of the game is over, which will be at the 15:12 mark in the second half.
Andrew Nicholson is coming back for this game! I'm not saying he'd be a perfect stretch 4 in our offense that could also give us a massive height advantage down low, but if we still got a #44 jersey lying around... 🤔
Slowing down Jamison could be a crucial Battle, folks...
We'll move into 6th place with a win because Duquesne and SLU are the only other game of the night.
If we win, it would be our 7th A10 win, the same amount Fordham has had since January 4, 2018.
BonaCommenter's Score on #a102k20: Bonnies 121, GW 117 (3OT)
Unrealistic 2k Stat of the Game: Where do I even begin? First off, Ted Wells has concluded that it was more probable than not that I was under the influence playing this game. This was even more high scoring than the Davidson 3OT game we won a few years ago. Osun had 26 points, 24 boards. Langarica (who's likely out for the season for GW) had 19 points and 25 boards. Lofton had 22 points and 12 assists, playing 50 minutes. Vasquez was 5/10 from 3. The quarters were almost perfectly even. 21-21, 23-22, 24-24, 23-24, and 30-26 in the 3 OTs.
But for this one, we'll pick Dom Welch, who I didn't play well with at all. 5 points, 3 boards, 2 assists in 20 minutes. He fouled out early in the third quarter. As I shared with you all before, Dom rightfully dragged me on Twitter and I apologized.
Bonnies A10Talk.com Forum Quote of the Day: "Dr. "G" is really a good analyst. I feel bad for the shots I took at him when he was coaching La Salle. And, who can't love a guy, an outsider no less, who gives a shout-out to the "State-King" during the broadcast."
George Washington Message Board Quote of the Day: "One last note - St. Bonaventure made the Smith Center feel like Western New York tonight. I hope that fans start turning out and wake up during the games. I know a better product would help but it’d be a shame if GW has to play in what feels like a road game in Foggy Bottom. Thats on us."
If they thought the game at the Smith Center was a road game, just wait until they hear us in the RC...