George Washington University
12-12, 4-7 A-10
VCU
19-5, 9-2 A-10
Men's Basketball Stunned by VCU, 54-53
2/9/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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WASHINGTON -- Yuta Watanabe and GW men's basketball were denied what would have been a game-winning three-pointer with .4 seconds on the clock after a foul was called on the ensuing inbounds play to send VCU's JeQuan Lewis to the free throw line. Lewis sunk the freebies on the other end after the foul was called on the opposite baseline, to steal a win at the rowdy Smith Center.
With GW trailing 52-50 with :12 seconds left after Jair Bolden hit one of two free throws, the Colonials saw Lewis miss a foul shot to set the stage for the final flurry. With the seconds waning, off an assist from Jaren Sina, Watanabe buried a three from the right hand corner that put GW atop 53-52. After an official review, .4 seconds were put back on the clock that showed 0.0. With VCU inbounding, a collision on the baseline was whistled as a foul on GW, to send Lewis to the line.
In gut-punching fashion, GW fell to 12-12 on the season while the Rams improved to 19-5.
"It was a horrible way to lose a game," said interim head coach Maurice Joseph. "I just feel awful for our guys. Yuta hit a tremendous shot... I just feel bad for our guys. Credit to them, they drew up a great play and they baited us into it."
Prior to the thrilling finish, the teams battled through seven ties and 10 lead changes, with neither side ever leading by more than five. The Colonials turned VCU's trademark Havoc pressure into little more than a nuisance and broke the press with relative ease as Bolden and Sina tag teamed to advance over half court. The freshman Bolden was stellar on offense in a 5-of-9 performance that netted 13 points, with two assists against a single turnover. Tyler Cavanaugh also gutted out 13 points and a whopping, game-high 17 rebounds, exchanging body blow after body blow with the VCU bigs. GW parlayed their ball handling prowess and interior intensity into a 10-3 edge in points off turnovers, with 12 turnovers forced, while holding a 9-4 cushion in second chance points after controlling the boards, 43-39 (18-13 on the offensive end).
Justin Tillman's 11-point, 11-rebound night paced VCU, while Samir Doughty registered 10 as the two Rams in double figures.
The game was knotted at 46-46 at the under 4:00 media timeout, before VCU netted the first four points out of the break to force the final GW rally. Ultimately though, the game will be remembered for the would-be Watanabe dagger and the ensuing whistle that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory for GW. The Colonials look to rebound next time out on Saturday vs. Saint Bonaventure on Homecoming Weekend at GW. Tip-off time is 4:30pm on NBCSN.
