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After a 2-2 week that featured home wins over Raptors 905 and the College Park Skyhawks, the Capital City Go-Go (12-14) now sit in a tie for ninth in the G League’s Eastern Conference standings, 2.5 games back of the sixth-place Lakeland Magic. Capital City’s week was highlighted by a trio of 20-point performances in the team’s win over the Raptors 905 and a victory over College Park that saw eight Go-Go players score in double figures.
SEASON LEADERS
As of January 21, by per game average
TWO-WAY WIZARDS // ASSIGNMENT PLAYERS
Garrison Mathews // Guard // Two-Way
Last week: 0 GP / 0.0 PPG / 0.0 RPG / 0.0 APG
Mathews has not played for the Wizards or Go-Go since suffering an ankle sprain on January 6 against the Boston Celtics.
Johnathan Williams // Center // Two-Way
Last week: 2 GP / 8.0 PPG / 8.0 RPG / 0.5 APG
Williams spent the weekend playing with the Go-Go, appearing in both Friday’s game against the College Park and Sunday’s game against Westchester, starting both games. On Friday, Williams played 30 minutes in Capital City’s win, scoring 10 points on 5-8 (.625) shooting to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. Williams again led the team in rebounds on Sunday against Westchester, grabbing nine boards.
Admiral Schofield // Guard-Forward // On Assignment
Last week: 4 GP / 13.0 PPG / 5.5 RPG / 3.3 APG
Schofield had a busy week with the Go-Go, appearing in all four of the team’s games, highlighted by a 24-point, seven-rebound game against Fort Wayne last Monday. Schofield started hot against the Mad Ants, scoring 10 of those 24 points in the first quarter. Schofield scored just five points in the following game, but recorded a season-high eight assists in the win over the Raptors 905. Against College Park on Friday, Schofield scored 15 points on 5-11 (.454) from the field and 3-6 (.500) from 3-point range, his seventh game this season with three-plus made 3-pointers. Schofield went cold Sunday against Westchester, scoring just eight points and snapping a streak of nine consecutive games with a made three.
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS
Capital City Go-Go vs. Fort Wayne Mad Ants // January 13 // Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
The Go-Go (10-13) were defeated 113-105 by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (10-14) on Monday night at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Wizards assignee Admiral Schofield led five Go-Go players scoring in double figures, totaling 24 points on 8-16 (.500) from the field in 35 minutes.
After a low-scoring first quarter that featured just 36 combined points, both offenses found their groove in the second. The teams combined for 59 points in the second quarter and both shot over 50.0% from the field in the third. Jerian Grant owned the third quarter, scoring 11 of his 15 points on 3-4 (.750) from the field and 2-2 (1.000) from 3-point range. In the fourth, the Mad Ants pulled away, led by 12 points from Walt Lemon Jr., and secured the 113-105 win.
Capital City Go-Go vs. Raptors 905 // January 15 // Entertainment and Sports Arena
The Go-Go (11-13) used a late run to defeat the Raptors 905 (9-14) 126-123 on Wednesday night at the Entertainment and Sports Arena. Neither team was able to gain a double-digit advantage through two quarters before the Go-Go were able to stretch out to a 69-58 lead early in the third. The 905 responded to take a one-point lead later in the quarter, but the Go-Go were eventually able to carry a two-point lead into the fourth.
Capital City once again stretched out to an 11-point advantage in the fourth, before the 905 embarked on a 16-0 run to take a 109-104 lead with 4:38 remaining. Raptors 905 held a 119-113 lead with 2:12 left, but a quick five-point flurry was able to cut the advantage to one. Phil Booth’s four-point play with 1:12 left regained the lead for the Go-Go, who were able to win the free throw battle down the stretch. Capital City converted all 23 of its free throw attempts on the night, the most makes without a miss in the NBA G League since 2017. Jerian Grant’s two free throws after a Tyler Ennis missed reverse layup with 0.8 seconds left were able to seal the win for the Go-Go once Paul Watson’s heave at the buzzer missed the mark.
Phil Booth led all scorers with 29 points, four rebounds and four assists – his third game with over 20 points since joining the starting lineup on January 3. Jerian Grant added a season-high 28 points on 7-8 shooting from the field, 3-3 shooting from three while also converting all seven of his free throw attempts. Ike Iroegbu also tallied a season-high with 20 points and six rebounds off the bench. Jalen Jones had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Stefan Jankovic scored 15 points in his Go-Go debut. The Go-Go dished 25 assists on 39 made baskets on the night and shot 13-32 (.406) from deep for a season-high-tying 126 points.
Capital City Go-Go vs. College Park Skyhawks // January 17 // Entertainment and Sports Arena
The Go-Go (12-13) took down the College Park Skyhawks (15-12), 125-117, on Friday night in the Nation’s Capital. College Park led for most of the first half, getting out to as much as a 13-point lead in the second quarter. The Skyhawks led 56-44 with 4:28 to go in the second, but the Go-Go were able to use a 19-0 run to close the half and take a 63-56 advantage into the break. During the run, Capital City’s defense was able to force six consecutive missed shots and three turnovers, while the offense received a boost from Phil Booth’s eight points. The run allowed the Go-Go to control the lead for the final 25 minutes of the game, leading by as many as 13 in the fourth.
Eight of nine Go-Go players scored in double-figures in the game, including all five starters. Ike Iroegbu led the way with a season-high 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a game-high plus-16 rating – his second-straight game with 20-plus points. Jalen Jones added 20 points and three rebounds, his 12th game of the season with 20-or-more points. Phil Booth continued his hot streak with 19 points, and Wizards’ assignee Admiral Schofield had 15 points on 3-6 shooting from three and six rebounds. In his first Go-Go action of the season, two-way forward Johnathan Williams had 10 points and seven rebounds, while Jerian Grant (14 points), Jalen Hudson (14 points) and Stefan Jankovic (12 points) all added solid scoring efforts.
"[Williams] played hard, rebounded for us, ran the floor, did the same thing he does the same way,” Go-Go head coach Ryan Richman said. “He plays with the Wizards, really, [so] it's great to have him. He's a great young man. He's a hard worker. It's great to have him in our locker room. He just came today, so he's gonna get better every game. He just had shootaround with us, but he's a quick learner, he's smart, and it'll be great to have him."
Capital City nearly topped its highest field goal percentage of the season with a 44-80 (.550) effort from the field. The Go-Go also finished 14-31 (.452) from behind the arc, its second-highest three-point percentage of the season. Seven different players recorded an assist as the Go-Go finished with 22 on the evening. 10 of the Go-Go’s 14 three-point makes on the night came off an assist. Capital City forced College Park into 19 turnovers leading to 30 points – its sixth game this season scoring 30-plus points off of turnovers.
Capital City Go-Go vs. Westchester Knicks // January 19 // Westchester County Center
The Go-Go (12-14) closed the week with a 112-96 loss to the Westchester Knicks (13-13) Sunday afternoon at Westchester County Center. Phil Booth scored a game-high 24 points on 9-18 (.500) from the field and 6-12 (.500) from 3-point range, including a 14-point second quarter.
As a team, Capital City struggled to get their offense in rhythm, hitting just 32-80 (.400) from the field and 11-32 (.344) from 3-point range. The Knicks were led by a 22-point performance off the bench from Lamar Peters, who hit 6-10 (.600) from deep and dished out seven assists.
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Go-Go face another busy week, beginning with a pair of home games on Tuesday and Thursday at Entertainment and Sports Arena. Capital City hosts the Westchester Knicks at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday and the Windy City Bulls at 7:00 P.M. on Thursday. After the midweek home stretch, the Go-Go hit the road for a matchup with the Canton Charge on Saturday at 7:00 P.M. at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.