Prior to yesterday's game against Massachusetts, George Washington Coach Karl Hobbs warned his players that if they allowed the Minutemen guards to penetrate the lane, bad things would surely follow.
So when U-Mass. guard Anthony Anderson sliced into the lane with one second remaining in overtime and the score tied at 74, Hobbs knew the result wouldn't be good for his 21st-ranked Colonials.
He was right. Just when it appeared that Anthony would have to attempt a tough pull-up jumper from about 10 feet, he flipped a pass to forward Rashaun Freeman near the basket. Rather than come down with the ball, Freeman redirected it off the glass and through the net to give U-Mass. a 76-74 overtime victory before 4,310 at Smith Center.
Freeman finished with a game-high 27 points for the Minutemen (8-6, 2-2 Atlantic 10). George Washington (11-3, 3-1) suffered its first home loss of the season.
"I wasn't sure what [Anthony] was going to do, but I knew nothing good was going to happen," Hobbs said. "That was how the flow of the game was going, and the ball was in their best player's hands. When the ball is in your best player's hands, good things happen."
The final sequence wasn't the only time Hobbs's worst fears were realized yesterday. Entering the game, Hobbs knew all about Freeman, calling the sophomore lefty "the best big man in the Atlantic 10 Conference." Hobbs also knew that U-Mass. Coach Steve Lappas would employ all sorts of zone defenses to slow down his team.
What the Colonials really needed, Hobbs figured, was to get off to a good start, knock down open jump shots and force the Minutemen to play at their tempo rather than the other way around.
None of that happened.
The Colonials managed only three points over the game's first eight minutes, trailed 39-29 at the half and trailed by 18 points with 13 minutes 31 seconds remaining before ripping off a frantic 22-2 run that got them back into the game.
The Colonials shot 41 percent in the first half and made only 5 of 18 three-point attempts for the game, while U-Mass. shot 48 percent for the game and hit 8 of 17 three-point attempts.
The Minutemen overcame 25 turnovers, 9 missed free throws and 1 long run by George Washington because they stuck to their game plan and didn't panic.
"We knew that this was a good team and that every time we slipped and turned it over they were going to get dunks and score," Freeman said. "We knew that if we made mistakes they would blow us out of the gym. Any time we face a team like that, we respond."
U-Mass. used its zone defense to swarm George Washington forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who picked up his third foul with 16:26 left but finished with 12 points, and the U-Mass. guards did an excellent job of extending to reach point guard T.J. Thompson, who was held to seven points on 3-of-11 shooting (1 of 6 on three-point attempts).
However, Thompson's only three-pointer came at the perfect time. With 18 seconds remaining and the Colonials trailing 70-67, Thompson hit a long three from in front of the George Washington bench. U-Mass. guard Chris Chadwick then missed a shot as time expired, and the game went to overtime.
Neither team scored until almost three minutes had elapsed in overtime, but George Washington appeared to be in good shape when a dunk by Mensah-Bonsu gave the Colonials a 74-71 lead with just more than a minute remaining.
However, U-Mass. forward Maurice Maxwell swished a three-pointer from the corner to tie the score and George Washington guard J.R. Pinnock, an 88 percent free throw shooter entering the game, missed the front end of a one-and-one situation, setting the stage for Anderson's drive and Freeman's finish.
"The bottom line is that we didn't hit shots," Hobbs said. "We're a good shooting team, but we didn't make them today. It was nice to make a run and get back into the game, but it was frustrating that we allowed the lead to happen."
