George Washington University

Jan. 7, 2012

Box Score | Box Score

GW Coach Lonergan Post-Game at Saint Louis (1/7/12)

ST. LOUIS - Junior David Pellom scored a team-high 15 points and senior Tony Taylor added 13, but Saint Louis surged past George Washington in the second half and dealt the Colonials a 78-56 loss in Atlantic 10 play at Chaifetz Arena on Saturday night.

GW (5-10, 0-2 A-10), which has had a difficult time in the opening 20 minutes during its 1-9 slide in the last 10 games, battled Saint Louis through 12 lead changes in the first half and trailed just 42-35 at halftime.

The Billikens, though, proved why they possess the fifth-best scoring defense in the country, limiting the Colonials to just 24 points over the final 25 minutes en route to their ninth win in as many tries at home this season.

Dwayne Evans had 14 points and five rebounds at halftime en route to a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double to lead four double-digit scorers for Saint Louis (13-3, 1-1 A-10). Kwamaim Mitchell scored 15 points, Rob Loe had 11 and Jordair Jett netted 10 off the bench to make up for leading scorer Brian Conklin's 1-of-9 shooting.

Pellom, the A-10's leader in field goal percentage, had three dunks - highlighted by an acrobatic around-the-back dribble and slam in transition in the first half - and made 6-of-7 shots en route to his 15 points. The rest of the team shot just 14-of-40 from the field to finish at 42.6 percent, while SLU made 30-of-60 attempts, including 7-of-15 triples.

Saint Louis enjoyed a 42-25 edge in points in the paint and 38-24 rebounding advantage - including 21-10 in the second half - which translated into a 17-2 margin in second-chance points.

Taylor and sophomore Nemanja Mikic hit back-to-back three-pointers during an 8-0 swing that gave GW a brief 32-31 lead with 5:07 left, but SLU closed the half on an 11-3 run behind six points from Evans for the seven-point margin at the break.

Junior Lasan Kromah made the first basket of the second half to close to 42-37, but the Colonials would make just one field goal over the next 9:33 as the Billikens surged to a 59-42 advantage.

Kromah picked off a pass and was fouled on a transition dunk to send GW to the under eight media timeout trailing 61-48. However, he missed the ensuing foul shot out of the stoppage and Mitchell buried a three-pointer and scored in transition on consecutive plays to halt any momentum for the Colonials.

GW will look for its first Atlantic 10 victory on Wednesday when it returns to Charles E. Smith Center to face Rhode Island at 7:00 p.m. The game will be televised regionally by CBS Sports Network and air in the D.C. market on NBC Washington Nonstop. The contest can also be viewed and listened to live on GW All-Access, as well as FederalNewsRadio.com and 1050 AM.