Colonials Wear Down Dukes

Mensah-Bonsu's Career Night Helps GW Outlast Undermanned but Scrappy Foe: George Washington 94, Duquesne 78

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 25 -- The Atlantic 10's top offense faced the Atlantic 10's worst defense Wednesday night. This was irresistible force against movable object, and so it was no surprise that No. 14 George Washington scored virtually at will in a 94-78 victory over Duquesne.

The surprise was that an overmatched Duquesne team, off to its worst start since the 1989-90 season, spent 30 minutes answering every George Washington scoring burst. The Colonials (15-1, 5-0 Atlantic 10) led by two points midway through the second half before finally pulling away.

"I don't think it's anything new to us," said GW forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who had a career-high 29 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. "Every night we're going to get a team's 'A' game, regardless of who we play and regardless of their record. Last year when we first got ranked, we weren't used to that. I thought coming into this game we were, but it was evident today that we were kind of complacent."

Complacent or not, the Colonials' speed and depth eventually proved overwhelming against a Duquesne team that had just seven available players by the end. GW shot 61 percent in the second half and finished with its best offensive performance in a league game in nearly two years. The Dukes (2-15, 0-6), on the other hand, scored just seven points in the last 6 minutes 57 seconds.

"The last eight minutes, nine minutes we got tired; there's no question about that," Duquesne Coach Danny Nee said. "They've just got a good, strong basketball team."

There was hardly a soul in the stands to support Duquesne's plucky upset bid. With snow falling outside, an announced crowd of 1,288 watched as George Washington's landmark season rolled on. The Colonials are 15-1 for the second time in school history and the first time since 1953-54. They have won seven straight games, and are off to a 5-0 start in the Atlantic 10 for the first time since joining the league 30 years ago.

Duquesne stayed close with its best offensive performance in more than a month, but its defense managed to be slightly more ineffectual than George Washington's. Post players DeVario Hudson and Keith Gayden were plagued by foul trouble all night; both eventually fouled out.

As Nee struggled to find replacements from his depleted bench, Mensah-Bonsu roamed free. He had four of GW's eight dunks, including an impressive one-handed slam on an alley-oop from Maureece Rice early in the second half.

"He's the real deal," Nee said. "He's a man-child. He's an NBA basketball player, that's for sure."

It was easily Mensah-Bonsu's most dominant performance since returning for his senior season; his previous high-scoring game this year was 18 points.

"I thought he did all the things he needed to do for us to win, and we needed him to play this kind of game for us to win tonight," GW Coach Karl Hobbs said. "We needed every rebound, we needed every basket."

Despite the final score, that assessment was hardly hyperbole, an especially shocking development considering the opponent. Duquesne now has lost nine straight and has been decimated by losses both on and off the court. Kieron Achara, last year's Atlantic 10 most improved player, is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Ryan Lambert, who started three of Duquesne's first seven games, was dismissed from the team last month. Jack Higgins, the Dukes' third-leading scorer the past two seasons, left the team after the fall semester to concentrate on academics.

Duquesne dressed nine players Wednesday night; once, the Dukes emptied their bench and were still unable to substitute en masse. Two starters -- Hudson and Gayden -- had three fouls in the first 14 minutes. Gayden played just 16 minutes but finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

"I'm just thankful that we went inside early and got Gayden in foul trouble," Hobbs said. "Him being in foul trouble was the difference."

Bryant McAllister, second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, led Duquesne with 23 points. Mike Hall and Danilo Pinnock both had 13 for GW.