>> George Washington moved into sole possession of first place in the West Division of at A10 with an improbable 30 foot buzzer beater by Carl Elliott. “I knew it had the right arc, but I couldn’t tell if it was going to go in or not,” George Washington Coach Karl Hobbs told the Post. “I looked at the clock and I knew he had gotten it off in plenty of time. I told the officials, ‘It’s not even close.’ “
Elliott had just one steal in the game but he made it count. He swiped a pass from Dayton’s Monty Scott with under five seconds left and took off to the opposite hoop. “I was just trying to get it up to the rim in time,” Elliott said. “I had no idea if it was going to go in or not, but I’m glad it did. We really had to have this win.”
Mike Hall led GW with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Fan favorite Pops Mensah-Bonsu battled foul trouble most of the afternoon and finished with just nine points and six rebounds.
But none of that matters. The story is Elliott’s answered halfcourt prayer. Dayton Coach Brian Gregory put it best: “I’ve seen shots like that before on TV, but I’ve never seen it firsthand, and I’m not real happy to have seen it today.”
>> The troublesome Terps were not as lucky in College Park. Maryland overcame a sluggish first half and battled back from 11 point deficit in the second half only to fall to UNC at the buzzer 85-83. Tar Heels point guard Raymond Felton gave UNC the lead with 18 seconds left after a wide open lay up. On the ensuing possession, Sean May blocked Mike Jonses’s game tying attempt in the game’s final seconds. Jones had hit four three pointers in the second half, and Maryland rode his hot hand to a late one point lead with 90 seconds remaining.
Unfortunately for the Terps and their post season chances, that lead did not last. The Terps conference record now stands at 7-8 with one game versus Virginia Tech left. “Everyone in the locker room understands the importance of the last game,” John Gilchrist told the Post. “Either you are in or you are out. It can’t get any more real than that.” Only three teams with an 8-8 conference record in the ACC have failed to make the NCAA Tournament since 1992.
