Recap: Massachusetts vs. George Washington

Amherst, MA (Sports Network) - Joe McDonald scored 16 points and dished out 10 assists, as the George Washington Colonials earned a 79-76 win over the Massachusetts Minutemen in an Atlantic 10 Conference matchup at the Mullins Center.

Reserves Dwayne Smith and Lasan Kromah scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, while Patricio Garino finished with 12 points and four steals for the Colonials (8-9, 2-2 A-10).

Chaz Williams tallied a team-high 18 points and six assists for the Minutemen (12-5, 2-2), who entered the game with wins in nine of their previous 10 outings. Cady Lalanne was next in line with 15 points, followed by Raphiael Putney with 14, and Freddie Riley with 12.

GW took its first lead on a layup by John Kopriva at the 9:13 mark of the opening frame. Leading 33-31 with just under three minutes to play until halftime, the Colonials put together a 7-0 spurt and took a 40-33 lead into the break.

The Colonials opened the second stanza with a 12-3 run to go up by 16 with less than 15 minutes remaining. UMass rallied to cut the deficit to 61-58 with 6:20 remaining, and it was a one-point game with 14 seconds to play. However, GW went 4-of-4 at the foul line in the waning moments, and Smith sealed the outcome with a steal on the Minutemen's final possession.

GW shot 49.1 percent as a team and held a key 35-20 advantage in bench points for the game.