I don't think it's really worth breaking down in detail what went wrong in the second half of the game because it comes down to depth which this team sadly has none. The team was so clearly gassed that they started leaving shots short. Even the midrange shots we usually make were rimming out. Defense ties into this as well. The effort on perimeter D is lacking allowing the opposition to get deep into the paint, but I can't blame any of the guards for that with the number of minutes they are playing every night at this point.

Seemed like the refs decided to call things significantly closer after halftime. By the time we picked up our ninth team foul for the half I was left wondering whether we would be able to field a full team of scholarship players on the floor. It definitely seemed like things were being called one way and Richmond got a couple of favorable calls. The one in particular that was really tough was the one call on Hunter when it appeared Quinn had traveled going for a reverse layup. Quinn ended up missing both FTs, but it was damaging because it was Hunter's fourth foul just before the under 8 media timeout. Things were already starting to slip away by then but that was pretty much the dagger.

Richmond packed the paint making it hard to get the easy twos after halftime (in addition to wisely making JB go to his right). To CC's credit he seems like the first coach we've had in a while that understands how to break a zone without a team settling for threes. Unfortunately, that requires a forward that is an adept passer at the top of the key to find cutters which is Hunter's role. The offense just operates significantly better when Dean is in the game and he has been just fantastic finishing near the basket this year. That's why that fourth foul was killer. We had to start forcing things when he went out and the flow was missing.

I know court time has to be earned, but when depth is so limited on this team I think there was a role for Keegan to play a few minutes tonight even in a bad matchup. Not because of his three point shooting (although that may have been a bonus) but to use the fouls available from him. We need to do our best to ensure Hunter only has at most 3 fouls going into the final two media timeouts of the game.

Ricky had another solid game. Nice to see the threes start to fall for him lately. Seems like we're going to have to brace for an injury scare with him in every game for the rest of the season. We should all say a collective prayer every time he completes a game without getting hurt because this team will lose whatever sizable floor it has to compete the rest of the way. Max's rebounding efforts are noticed and very much appreciated. Happy for Qwanzi that he was able to play some good minutes for the first time in a while on both sides of the ball. Amir is usually good for a swipe poking the ball from behind once a game.

We are down to nine scholarship players. The EJ and Daniel season-ending injuries are unfortunate (I guess Jabari also falls into that category), but did we really have to leave the last scholarship open? Sign a guy with a year left from any level. It really doesn't matter. I cannot remember the last time we used that last scholarship or the last time it has helped the team pocketing it. It certainly feels like there have been fewer midyear guys who have transferred thus far. Really hoping next year we have 13 players on scholarship. The injury bug has made this a bigger issue.

Overall, I have been impressed with Caputo from a coaching standpoint (this team will 100% end up over-performing as long as there aren't additional injuries) but every time our lack of depth is exposed or players are gassed it goes back to us not doing enough last offseason. We could have chosen to either give the seniors a bit of support to let them go out on a high note or start the rebuild and we really chose neither of those options. We ended up bringing everyone back and patch a couple holes which doesn't really help short-term or long-term. This does not have anything to do with the Max/EJ additions because I think they have been a net positive but rather anything beyond that.

GW0509 wrote:

Agree with FQ.  The 3's were left wide open tonight, we just couldn't hit them, especially late everything was short.  Also have to remember we've basically been on the road for a month.  I think the team is ready for some home cooking and cheering on by George's Army.

We are best in transition but that comes with exerting a lot of energy.  The more we try to slow things down on offense, the worse we get because we're not a very good passing team.  Not sure the best way to remedy this issue.

Looks like we may actually have a good shot to win vs. SLU at home since it will be a whole week of rest between our next game vs. UMass.  But these back-to-back road games don't help with our depleted bench.

Pretty much agree with all of this, especially with the conundrum in the second paragraph.
 

Just the numbers on our 3 pt shooting problems.
We rank (all games, not just conference games)14th in 3 pt shooting percentage in the A-10.
We have taken the second-most 3 pt shots, behind Duquesne, which leads the A-10 in percentage.
--- And despite our poor 3pt shooting, we lead the A-10 in field goal percentage.
 

Not sure why anyone is shocked that we did not shoot well. The are two basic metaphysical laws that almost always apply to GW:

1. We don't shoot well at Richmond
2. What goes up must come down. When we put up 97 against Loyola (and shot 3s better by approximately 2x) it was a given we were going to struggle on the offensive end vs. Richmond.

Given this, I was virtually certain we would score in the low 60s if we were lucky which we did. It's why I posted what I did before the game.

I do expect a better shooting performance Saturday. We are neither a 59% shooting team or a 19% shooting team from three. The real question will be can GW win games while shooting in low 30s from 3. That will depend on our rebounding and defensive efforts along with minimizing turnovers.

We still need to figure out, as GWMayhem enumerates with examples (including the breakaway 3-point
attempt from a very cold shooter), how to win if the 3-pointers are not dropping.
One solution is to give Keegan a heat check (and if he continues at least an attempt to rebound/defend down low a bit). Or even Qanzi. Obviously, we have limited options,but we need to try and use what we have. 
   But it would also seem clear that if something isn't working, and it is clear it isn't working, the solution may not be to continue having more 3-point misses.
    2 points are better than none.
  

I saw the game last night and thought we played well in the 1st half.  But it seemed to me that we got tired in the 2nd which wasn't a surprise because of the hard minutes our starters were playing. So many of our shots were short and we didn't defend well.  I know EJ and Daniel are lost for the season but why not give Keegan some minutes?  Keegan probably wouldn't have shot much worse from 3 than the rest of the team did and he could have given a break to some of our big minute players.  I think it might have been worth a try.  And because Ricky seems to almost get seriously injured in most games because he always gives 110%, I think he, in particular could use a some more breaks during the game.