St. Joe’s earns battle-tested victory over George Washington

St. Joseph coach Steve Donahue saw his team’s resilience tested in the Hawks’ 76-73 win over George Washington on Wednesday night.

“We talk about, ‘A to B,’ and that’s all good and all,” Donahue said. “But when you get punched in the face, you’re up 14 in the first half and down five in the second half, it really tests you.”

It’s true. St. Joe’s (15-8, 7-3 Atlantic 10) saw its double-digit first-half lead dwindle. However, the Hawks fought back to retake the lead — and extend their winning streak to four games — as George Washington (13-10, 4-6) went cold down the stretch.

» READ MORE: Steve Donahue has St. Joe’s ‘blending’ together at the right time

Guard Jaiden Glover-Toscano led St. Joe’s with 23 points and guard Derek Simpson had 17 points and five assists. Guard Dasear Haskins added 14 points, shooting 49.1% from the field. They also got an assist from guard Austin Williford, who tacked on eight points, seven rebounds, and had a key steal at the end of the game.

More importantly, St. Joe’s limited George Washington’s offense, who averages 84.4 points per game, to shot 35.8% from the field.

The opening minutes had the markings of a blowout written all over it.

The Hawks embarked on an 8-0 run that gave them a 19-10 lead, which they eventually turned into a 14-point advantage. Glover-Toscano made back-to-back three-pointers, while the the offense scored most of its points in the paint.

Then came a George Washington surge. Playing without leading scorer and rebounder Rafael Castro didn’t seem to matter to the Revolutionaries, as they cut their lead to 35-30 at halftime and eventually took a five-point edge in the second half.

Then the old St. Joe’s returned.

Simpson found his rhythm and Glover-Toscano poured in points, which sparked a 15-3 run in the second. Momentum swung right back to St. Joe’s as Hagan Arena erupted, and the Hawks never let up.

“I feel like I had an A to B game today,” Glover-Toscano said. “First half, I was struggling. I was playing sloppy basketball early on, and then I kind of picked it up.”

Despite pushing the lead to nine, George Washington still inched back in the waning moments. Suddenly, the Revolutionaries were in striking distance, trailing by one when Simpson missed a jumper and guard Jean Aranguren grabbed the rebound.

However, there was one problem — his foot was out of bounds.

The Hawks got the ball back again. This time Simpson attempted a three-pointer and missed, but was fouled. He knocked down all three foul shots, pushing the lead to four with 20 seconds left, effectively ending the hope of a comeback.

The Hawks visit George Mason (20-3, 8-2) at EagleBank Arena on Saturday(4 p.m., ESPN+).