FAIRBANKS, ALASKA — With 2.8 seconds on the clock, the University of Houston’s Marcus Oliver drained a free throw to secure a 93-92 win and send the GW men’s basketball team (1-2) to its worst three-game start since the 1988-’89 season.

The hardwood at the Carlson Center rumbled with the sound of two teams running and gunning their way to rediscovering their offenses. Both teams had lost the night before in the Top of the World Classic by being shut down offensively.

Hours after the University of Oklahoma won the championship game of this season-opening tournament, a sparse crowd watched the Cougars (2-1), coached by Clyde Drexler and led by the scoring of Gee Gervin, overcome 31 point from Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week SirValiant Brown. The freshman guard broke the four-year-old tournament’s cumulative scoring record by dropping in 68 over three days. He could not match the game record of 33 that TCU’s Marquis Gainous set earlier in the day.

GW improved in many offensive areas from the previous two nights, as the team shot 44.1 percent and 75 percent from the line. Bernard Barrow, who was posted up and committed the crucial foul on Oliver, reined in his shooting, taking only 11 shots but hit only 2. He did add five assists and helped GW to discover its frontcourt, which contributed 30 points.

The final Houston possession came after freshman Chris Monroe was stripped of the ball with 15 seconds left after trying to turn and drive at the top of the paint.

GW had one last shot after Oliver’s second free throw missed and went out of bounds off a Houston player, but Brown could not handle the halfcourt pass.

For much of the game, GW’s Mike King (14 points) and Houston’s Gervin sat with foul trouble, but Gervin still led Houston with 18 points.

By virtue of the loss, GW took fourth in the tournament.