While Navy may not have exactly missed Jordan Sugars during its previous three games — winning twice during that stretch while the junior guard sat out with a hand injury — it couldn’t argue with how important it was to get him back. Sugars provided much-needed firepower and an equally important dose of energy in a game starved for offense, scoring 20 points — including four 3-pointers — and pulling down seven rebounds as the Midshipmen beat George Washington 64-57 on Sunday in the BB&T Classic at Verizon Center.
“I knew we were in a good groove,” Sugars said. “The thing is, I just wanted to come out and get everything in the flow of the game. The biggest thing was the energy and the passion because at times, we’re on the court and we need a pick-up.”
Wearing a bandage on his nonshooting left hand — where he had suffered a cut in practice between the webbing of his fingers that required 11 stitches to close — Sugars made an immediate impact off the bench, hitting his first two shots from beyond the arc in the first half after Navy had missed three of its first four shots.
The Midshipmen (4-6) eventually got 3-pointers from seven different players, but Sugars’ were the most crucial. His second pair of buckets from long distance came in the second half, helping stretch the Navy lead into double figures. He also was a key presence on the glass down the stretch.
“He’s brought us a level of toughness that we definitely needed,” Midshipmen coach Billy Lange said.
The Colonials (2-6) made a late charge but were undone by the familiar refrain of poor shooting (3-for-22 in the second half). Point guard Tony Taylor and swingman Nemanja Mikic were a combined 0-for-10 from 3-point range. David Pellom was George Washington’s only bright spot, registering his first career double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds).
After trailing 31-23 late in the first half, the Colonials scored a pair of quick buckets just before halftime, then pulled within two points at 31-29 just after the break. But despite limiting Navy to just five points in the first eight minutes of the second half, George Washington never found enough offense to tie or reclaim the lead.
“I’m a little mystified myself, to be quite honest with you,” said Colonials coach Karl Hobbs, whose team lost its fourth straight game. “We gotta find a way to capitalize on that when there’s opportunities like that.”
