Men’s basketball (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season Sunday night, falling 92-86 to McNeese State University (4-1) as 24 turnovers derailed a potential late comeback. The Revolutionaries trailed by as many as 18 points midway through the second half but rallied to cut the deficit to just three points in the final minutes. The game marked the first of three in GW’s multi-team event, the Cayman Islands Classic, with matchups against Middle Tennessee State University and Murray State University set for Monday and Tuesday. GW opened the game with a quick 7-0 lead before the Cowboys responded with a 15-4 run, giving them a lead six minutes into the game. Turnover troubles started early for the Revs, who coughed up the ball 13 times before halftime. The Cowboys’ aggressiveness paid off on the offensive glass, with McNeese sophomore Peitok Machar bringing down nine offensive rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench. Heading into the game, he was averaging just 1. 3 offensive rebounds per game. Redshirt junior forward Garrett Johnson came off the bench to provide a good chunk of the Revs’ offense throughout the half, scoring 12 points off the bench. He finished as the game’s leader in points scored with 26, his season-high. The team also managed many trips to the free-throw line against McNeese’s aggressive defense, shooting 13 of 16 in the frame. Two turnovers from graduate student guard Tre Dinkins handed the Cowboys an 8 point halftime lead, the first time the Revs have trailed at half this season. McNeese extended their lead in the start of the second half, ahead by 13 points just four minutes in after senior guard Javhon Garcia sank two 3-pointers. Johnson responded with a 3-pointer of his own to stifle McNeese’s momentum and cut their lead back down to 10. Seven minutes into the half, a stagnant GW offense and porous defense helped McNeese build an 18-point lead after Machar was successful on a putback. A nearly five-minute scoring drought from the Cowboys helped GW chip away at their scoring deficit, as 3-pointers from Johnson and Dinkins cut the lead to 9 points. After making just four 3-pointers in the first half, the Revs doubled their output in the second, primarily behind Johnson and Dinkins, who finished the night 5/8 and 4/8, respectively. Dinkins answered two Cowboy free throws with 5 straight points, cutting McNeese’s lead to just 4 points with four minutes left. Following two more McNeese free throws, Dinkins sank another 3-pointer to bring the Revs within 3 points. After a blocked shot from junior guard Bubu Benjamin, the Revs had a chance to even the score, but an errant pass from Benjamin fell into McNeese’s hands for a layup, padding their lead back to 5 points. With two minutes left, the teams traded buckets on their next possessions as the Revs failed to make crunch-time stops. Eight free throws from the Cowboys in the final minute cemented GW’s first loss of the season. Following the loss, the team dropped to 62 on Kenpom rankings after entering the game ranked 52nd. The Cowboys, who are currently ranked at 89, likely are a Quadrant 2 loss for the Revs, who look to contend for a bid to the NCAA Tournament following this season. GW picked up a likely-Quad 2 win earlier this season when they took down the University of South Florida 99-95 in Connecticut. The Revs will face off against Middle Tennessee on Monday at 5 p. m. in George Town, Cayman Islands, aired on FloHoops.
https://gwhatchet.com/2025/11/23/mens-basketball-picks-up-seasons-first-loss-hampered-by-turnovers-in-92-86-defeat-to-mcneese/
Men’s basketball picks up season’s first loss, hampered by turnovers in 92–86 defeat to McNeese
