George Washington University
5-3
USF
4-3
Smith's Game-Winner Lifts Men's Basketball Over USF
12/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON -- Freshman center Collin Smith banked in a three-pointer from the top of the key with 3.5 seconds left to lift the GW men's basketball team to a 68-67, come-from-behind win over the USF Bulls on Saturday afternoon at the Charles E. Smith Center.
With GW trailing 67-65 and after a scramble for the ball on the Colonials' final possession ended up in Smith's hands, he knocked down what proved to be the game-winner as the Bulls turned it over on their ensuing possession.
"When [USF] went to go double on Matt [Hart] I got the ball back and I was like, `well, here we go,' and so I shot it, which was my instinct," said Smith. "I tried not to hesitate and it went in."
Smith finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-2 from three-point range, to go along with eight rebounds and four steals. The Colonials improved to 4-0 this season in games decided by five points or less.
GW got down early and faced a 19-9 deficit at the under 12:00 minute timeout in the first half, and after the Colonials clawed back to within three at 21-18, USF extended back to a game high 13-point cushion at 35-22 with just under 4:00 to play in the opening stanza. From there the Colonials rallied again, ending the half on a 10-0 run, capped by a 35-footer from freshman Jair Bolden at the intermission buzzer to send the Colonials into halftime within a possession of the lead. Notably, the Colonials ended both halves with a three from a freshman in the one-point win.
"Our young guys are really doing a great job," said interim head coach Maurice Joseph. "I give them credit. Jair came in to have six points, three assists, and no turnovers playing the point in crucial second half minutes - he grew up today. So did Collin Smith, the way he played with 36 minutes. I give these guys credit. I've been on them, I've been working them, I've been forcing them to grow up faster than is fair to expect, but it's the hand we were dealt. So I' m proud of us, proud of our guys, proud of how we've been fighting back in some of these close games."
What has been commonplace for GW enabled the Colonials to win again, as the team met its goal of making more free throws than the opposition attempted. Despite leaving 10 points at the line by shooting 17-of-27 from the charity stripe, nevertheless they limited South Florida to just 2-of-4 from the stripe.
Tyler Cavanaugh gave GW 16 points in the winning effort - as he's still never been held below 10 in his GW career - while freshman Arnaldo Toro chipped in eight points and a team-high nine rebounds in 25 minutes of play, four of which came on the offensive end. While GW took the rebounding battle by just one, 33-32, 13 of the Colonials' caroms collected came off the offensive glass, as opposed to five for USF, which GW translated into a 10-6 edge in second-chance points.
Along with Smith, three other Colonials canned two three-pointers in the contest, as Cavanaugh, Jordan Roland (2-of-2) and Bolden also showed off some range. Bolden also contributed three assists against zero turnovers in his 15 minutes of action. In the absence of Yuta Watanabe and Patrick Steeves, GW got 84 critical minutes from freshmen in the contest, paced by Smith's game high 36.
South Florida was led by Jahmal McMurray's 16 points in a reserve role, as the Bulls' bench accounted for 30 of USF's 67 points. Starters Troy Holston (14) and Ruben Guerrero (10) also scored in double-figures for USF.
GW gets right back at it against another Florida school tomorrow when the Colonials meet the Seminoles of Florida State in the BB&T Classic two miles away at the Verizon Center. Tip time is set for 4 p.m. and the game can be seen nationally on CBSSN.
