Pops Mensah-Bonsu likely done for the year
WASHINGTON -- George Washington will have to complete its bid for an undefeated Atlantic 10 season without Pops Mensah-Bonsu.
The center for the sixth-ranked Colonials has a slight tear in the cartilage of his left knee and will miss the rest of the regular season and possibly the conference tournament.
"We hope to have him back in a couple of weeks," coach Karl Hobbs said Thursday.
Mensah-Bonsu, the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder, did not return after twisting his knee in the first half of Wednesday night's 77-65 victory over La Salle.
The Colonials, whose 15-game winning streak is the longest in the nation, are 23-1 overall and 13-0 in the Atlantic 10. They have three games remaining in the regular season: Saturday at Fordham, March 1 at St. Bonaventure and March 4 at home against Charlotte.
The conference tournament is March 8-11 in Cincinnati, although the Colonials will have a first-round bye and will not play until the quarterfinals on March 9.
Mensah-Bonsu is averaging 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds and is shooting a team-high 57.2 percent from the field.
Regis Koundjia, a transfer from LSU who became eligible in December, is a leading candidate to replace Mensah-Bonsu in the lineup. Koundjia provided a lift in Mensah-Bonsu's absence Wednesday night and finished with 13 points.
The center for the sixth-ranked Colonials has a slight tear in the cartilage of his left knee and will miss the rest of the regular season and possibly the conference tournament.
"We hope to have him back in a couple of weeks," coach Karl Hobbs said Thursday.
Mensah-Bonsu, the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder, did not return after twisting his knee in the first half of Wednesday night's 77-65 victory over La Salle.
The Colonials, whose 15-game winning streak is the longest in the nation, are 23-1 overall and 13-0 in the Atlantic 10. They have three games remaining in the regular season: Saturday at Fordham, March 1 at St. Bonaventure and March 4 at home against Charlotte.
The conference tournament is March 8-11 in Cincinnati, although the Colonials will have a first-round bye and will not play until the quarterfinals on March 9.
Mensah-Bonsu is averaging 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds and is shooting a team-high 57.2 percent from the field.
Regis Koundjia, a transfer from LSU who became eligible in December, is a leading candidate to replace Mensah-Bonsu in the lineup. Koundjia provided a lift in Mensah-Bonsu's absence Wednesday night and finished with 13 points.
