WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senior Isaiah Miles poured in a game-high 21 points and added nine rebounds as Saint Joseph's pulled away in the second half for an 84-66 win over George Washington (18-6; 7-4) at the Smith Center on Wednesday night.
The win extends Saint Joseph's road record to a nation's best 9-0. Now at 20-4 overall, and 9-2 in the Atlantic 10, the Hawks have recorded their ninth 20-win season under head coach Phil Martelli.
Junior DeAndre' Bembry added 14 points, while sophomores James Demery and Shavar Newkirk reached double-figures with 10 points apiece. Freshman Pierfrancesco Oliva had nine points on 3-for-4 three-point shooting.
Saint Joseph's shot a blistering 64 percent from the field in the second half as they weathered a GW run early in the half.
After George Washington trimmed a double-digit Saint Joseph's lead to 46-43, the Hawks scored on their next 12 possessions, to take a 72-55 lead on a jumper by Bembry with 6:49 to play. Miles had eight points in that stretch that spanned almost nine minutes.
Saint Joseph's led 39-32 at the half and came out with six straight points to take a 45-32 lead. GW answered with an 11-1 run to come within their smallest deficit of the game, 46-43.
The Hawks jumped out quickly at the start, going up 11-4 on three by Brown and a pair of three-pointers by Oliva.
SJU took a 19-10 lead with 12 minutes to go on a steal by Newkirk and layup by Demery. After GW closed to 21-16, Miles hit his first three of the game to give SJU a 24-16 cushion and then took their biggest lead of the half, 29-18, on a three by Papa Ndao.
GW came within four points on two occasions, including 31-27 at 4:33, but SJU answered with an 8-2 run, which included a three-point play from Bembry, to increase its lead to 36-27 on a layup by Demery.
"We have tremendous leadership and it starts with DeAndre'. That makes us a tough out on the road," said Martelli. "I'm really pleased for the players. We got 40 minutes of effort from every guy that played."
SJU made 9-of-21 from behind the arc and shot 57 percent from the field in the game, while commiting just five turnovers.
GW had five players in double figures led by Tyler Cavanaugh with 17 points.
Saint Joseph's returns home to host La Salle on Saturday night in an Atlantic 10 and Big 5 game at Hagan Arena at 8 p.m.
