George Washington is a heavy favorite in its first-round game against St. Joseph's in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, which makes this first-round score all the more concerning. The No. 5-seeded Colonials trail No. 12 seed St. Joseph's 31-20 at halftime at the Smith Center in Washington D.C.
The Colonials started off slowly and have yet to recover. They are shooting just 33 percent from the field, and are allowing St. Joseph's to shoot 52 percent from the floor themselves. St. Joseph's has maintained a solid lead throughout the contest, taking their biggest lead of the half when Daryus Quarles nailed a three-point jumper from the left corner at the buzzer. Idris Hilliard leads St. Joseph's with eight points, while no GW player has more than five points in the half.
A loss would be particularly damaging due to the way the Colonials finished the season. St. Joseph's is just 9-21 overall on the season, and are dressing just 10 players in this game. The Colonials worked hard to finish with four wins in their last five after a disappointing start to the season, so to not even make the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals would be a big disappointment.