9:30 p.m. Dayton takes it 63-61 after quite the hectic finish. The Colonials got the ball back trailing 63-61 after the Flyers missed the second of two free throws, then passed it around several times before Taylor air-balled a three-pointer over the basket and Diggs missed the put-back. The strong Dayton contingent erupted as the buzzer sounded and GW’s fans appear let down by the result.
9:27 p.m. Andrew Alberg has confirmed that the call was indeed six players on the court. It will be Dayton’s ball.
9:26 p.m. After Hollis gives GW the lead by hitting one of two free throws, the Colonials are whistled for having too many players on the court and Dayton heads to the line, where they hit both shots and now hold a 62-61 lead with 21.9 seconds to go. It will be the Flyers’ ball after this timeout, or at least I think so. There is a lot of confusion in the Smith Center right now and nothing has really been explained.
9:21 p.m. Witherspoon loses control of the ball and possession with it, but Dayton’s Chris Johnson misses a three at the other end and Hollis collects the rebound. GW calls timeout after King brings it past midcourt and it will be the Colonials’ ball with 35.2 seconds to play and 25 on the shot clock.
9:20 p.m. Chris Wright ties it up again with a traditional three-point play. 60-all with 1:23 to go.
9:15 p.m. Travis King earns the jump-ball call while scrapping for a rebound and GW gets possession going into an official timeout, leading 59-54 with 2:47 remaining. All five starters are on the court for the Colonials, looking to preserve this lead and pick up their first conference win of the year.
9:08 p.m. And Damian Hollis is back. He had been scoreless in tonight’s return from last week’s concussion, but just scored after collecting an offensive rebound and then hit a three the next time down the court. GW leads 55-49 with 4:18 to go.
9:01 p.m. Well the Colonials have turned things around a bit now, taking a 50-44 lead with the last points coming on a patented Witherspoon mid-range jumper. After dominating in the first half, Witherspoon had gone cold, only scoring one point in the second period prior to that shot. The Flyers called a timeout after the basket and Witherspoon appears to be being treated for some cramps. There’s 7:19 left to go.
8:52 p.m. The Flyers have taken control over the last few minutes, now leading 43-39 with 10:45 to play. They’ve outscored GW 17-7 since halftime and the Colonials have had a few noticeable defensive lapses.
8:43 p.m. Dayton’s Chris Wright ties the game in a most emphatic fashion, surging toward the basket along the baseline to connect on an alley-oop behind a seemingly unaware Tony Taylor. GW called timeout with 14:08 to play and the game tied at 37.
Interesting note: the teams have combined to make just four of 25 attempted three-pointers. Their overall shooting percentages (41.2% for Dayton, 45.7% for GW) aren’t bad at all.
8:36 p.m. The second half is underway but not much has happened yet. The teams have traded baskets and the Colonials lead 36-30 with 16:20 to play.
8:17 p.m. And GW goes into the break with the momentum in their pocket, the fans up and cheering, and a 32-26 lead after a burst of offense down the stretch. The Colonials are looking good right now, with Witherspoon really asserting himself and others like King and Aaron Ware showing flashes of brilliance as well. This is shaping up to be another good game between these two teams.
8:12 p.m. Wynton Witherspoon earns a standing ovation from fans and teammates alike after going up and under a defender to put GW ahead 27-26 with a little over 90 seconds to go before the break. He’s had an incredible half, with 14 points to lead all scorers.
And just after I write that, the fans are back on their feet after a big dunk by Hermann Opoku. GW leads 29-26.
8:03 p.m. Timeout GW amid a swell of Dayton cheers as the Flyers take a 22-21 lead at the 4:40 mark. The pace has slowed down for the most part, but Dayton has been able to take their choice of shot. A lot of them were rimming out to start, but they’re starting to fall and the Colonials may be in trouble if they can’t do more to stop them.
7:54 p.m. GW on a small run of sorts, enjoying a 17-11 lead with 9:15 remaining before the break after Aaron Ware drives and hits a mid-range floater. He has four points thus far, with Witherspoon leading the way with eight.
7:50 p.m. Witherspoon beats the buzzer against the Flyers again, but this time it’s just the shot clock. His jumper from the corner gives the Colonials a 13-11 advantage.
7:46 p.m. GW still up one with a 10-9 lead with 12:25 to go in the half. Dayton is really trying to keep the tempo up and GW countered with a press to no avail. The Colonials are also having some trouble keeping up with perimeter passing, evoking memories of the Maryland loss and Vazquez’s public scouting report. It’s not anything near that bad right now, but when the Flyers haven’t been able to score while running, they’ve been too fast for GW with the passing at times. Still, a close game nonetheless.
7:39 p.m. No score change over the last 30 seconds of play, but there’s a fan in the back of section 112 with a bag over his head and a frown drawn on the front. His mood seemed to improve when he was up and dancing for the Domino’s giveaway, but alas did not receive a pizza. So back to frowning it is.
7:37 p.m. The teams are off and running so far, with GW ahead 7-6 at the 16:21 mark. It’s been a very fast pace so far, with Dayton barely setting up a half-court offense.
7:32 p.m. Tonight’s officiating crew of Mike Kitts, Timothy Higgins, and Jim Burr is apparently highly regarded, having some Final Four experience on their resumes.
Your starting Colonials: Tony Taylor, Travis King, Rob Diggs, Wynton Witherspoon, and Damian Hollis.
Also, a very impressive national anthem tonight.
7:26 p.m. No bowing again for Hobbs, although he did get some applause. There is a strong showing of Dayton fans, as has come to be expected when the Flyers visit the capital. Attendance is pretty low, but people are still filing in.
7:19 p.m. George, the mascot, just came out to absolute ambivalence from the crowd. Not quite Obama’s smile and salute from Tuesday’s parade.
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Good evening and welcome to tonight’s live blogging of the men’s basketball team’s home contest with Dayton. The last meeting between the two teams was probably the highlight of GW’s otherwise forgettable season, with Wynton Witherspoon hitting a last-second three for the win and Rob Diggs earning Sportscenter’s top play of the evening on a wild off-the-backboard alley-oop from Maureece Rice. Diggs was able to dominate inside the last time around, but Flyers big man Chris Wright was out with an injury at the time. That should be a matchup to watch tonight.
Junior forward Damian Hollis is active tonight after missing Saturday’s loss at Saint Louis while recovering from a concussion suffered against Duquesne.
