On their way to a 19-1 record, George Washington has shown flashes of brilliance, but also a disturbing tendency to turn their intensity on and off. Both those charateristics were on display in Philadelphia Saturday against St. Joseph’s. The Colonials sleepwalked through most of the game, but found just enough effort to pull out a 64-62 win.

After St. Joe’s came back to take a one-point lead, Pops Mensah-Bonsu scored the last of his 21 points with a layup with 23 seconds left. He was fouled on the shot and missed the ensuing free throw, but St. Joe’s Abdulai Jalloh missed badly on the next St. Joe’s possession. After Carl Elliott hit one of two from the charity stripe, St. Joe’s had a chance to win or force overtime, but Rob Ferguson’s three-pointer bounced harmlessly off the rim as time expired.

The Colonials managed only a two-point victory despite going on a 20-0 run to start the second half, a spurt that suggested they were ready to put the game away after a sluggish first 20 minutes. They lost concentration, however, and were fortunate that the Hawks — shooting 36 percent from three-point land coming into the game — missed an astounding 20 of 21 triples on Saturday. St Joe’s was 24-for-34 (71 percent) on two-point field goals, a statistic that indicates a poor defensive effort from the Colonials.

The good news for GW is that they’ve now dodged the most dangerous obstacle on their road to an undefeated conference season. Their three remaining away contests come against Richmond, Fordham, and St. Bonaventure, who have a combined record of 10-18 in Atlantic Ten play. Their home dates are a bit more daunting, with second-place Charlotte coming to town in the season finale on March 4, but the Colonials handled the 49ers 83-69 in Charlotte last month.

(AP Photo by Rusty Kennedy via GW Sports)