At the Charles E. Smith Center in DC on Monday night, the George Washington Revolutionaries used a 27-8 run over the final 13:24 of the second half to pull away from Maine 67-47 in a men’s basketball season opener for both teams.
The game would feature the debut of freshman and Newport native Ace Flagg, who would come off the bench for the Black Bears. Maine had one lead on the night at 5-2 on a three-pointer by Logan Carey just over three minutes into the first half. George Washington started to take over at about the 12 minute mark, as they turned a one point lead into an 11-point bulge by going on a 14-4 run in the next eight minutes. The guests finished the opening half strong by going on a 9-2 spurt over the final four minutes to get within 29-25 at the break. Flagg had six points, two rebounds, and a steal in 16 minutes of play in that opening 20 minutes.
The Revolutionaries started the second half on a 6-0 run to push the lead back to 10, but the Black Bears showed resilientcy with a run of their own of 10-0 to tie it 35-35 on a Flagg layup. After George Washington pushed back into the lead, Flagg knocked down two free throws with 13:24 left to play to cut it to 40-39. The hosts took over from there, outscoring Maine 27-8 to end the game in picking up the season opening victory. The Bears shot just 30% from the floor in the second half (2-12 three-pointers), and just 31.4% on field goals in the game.
George Washington, out of the Atlantic 10, had three players in double figures in the win. Luke Hunger led the way with 15 points and seven rebounds, Christian Jones had 14 points and four rebounds, while Tyrone Marshall recorded a double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The Revolutionaries shot 45.8% from the field. TJ Biel led Maine in the defeat with 13 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots. Flagg in his first regular season college game finished with 10 points on 4-8 shooting (0-2 three-pointers, 2-2 free throws), while adding four steals, three rebounds, and one assist in 29 minutes. Mekhi Gray contibuted eight points. The Black Bears will look to pick up their first win on the road at Stony Brook on Saturday when they face the Seawolves for a 5 p.m. tip time.
