With the score tied and just over a minute left in overtime tonight against East Carolina, senior Damian Hollis was fouled, went to the free-throw line, and hit both shots.
When the Pirates failed to score on the other end and tried to force another possession, Hollis was again fouled, and Hollis again went to the free-throw line, and Hollis again hit both shots.
And after the Pirates scored two more points to cut GW’s lead to two, the Colonials again made sure the ball found Hollis’ hands. Once again, East Carolina fouled him, and, with nine seconds left, Hollis once again hit two free throws, this final pair sealing what became an 84-80 overtime victory shortly thereafter.
The score was tight throughout most of the game, with the team’s trading runs near the end of the first half and neither side leading by more than six after halftime. The Colonials (8-2) and Pirates traded the lead throughout the final two minutes of regulation, with sophomore Tony Taylor’s jumper putting GW ahead by one with 27 seconds left. East Carolina’s Jamar Abrams knocked down a three on the other end to give the Pirates a two-point edge, prompting Hobbs to call a timeout with 13.5 seconds on the clock.
After Hollis missed a shot with five seconds left in regulation, senior Hermann Opoku missed the put-back. But freshman Dwayne Smith got control of the rebound and put it back toward the hoop as the buzzer sounded, tying the game and sending it to overtime.
The play was just one more highlight in the game for Smith, who also surged through the lane for an emphatic put-back dunk late in the second half and earlier hit a key three-pointer when East Carolina seemed to be gaining momentum. The freshman from Toronto set new career highs with 11 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes of action.
Though Hollis – the Atlantic 10’s top free-throw shooter last season – mostly struggled from the field, making just five of 17 field goal attempts, his perfect free-throw shooting on nine attempts helped him lead all scorers in the game with 21 points. He also added three blocks.
Freshman Lasan Kromah, who entered the game second on the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game, was held without a basket in the contest, though he did register four assists and four steals. Smith helped pick up some of the scoring slack, as did sophomore Aaron Ware, who scored all 10 of his points in the first half, and classmate Tony Taylor, who scored a career-high 20 points.
Taylor also tallied six rebounds, four steals and four assists while turning the ball over just once. Ware’s seven rebounds tied with Smith for second-most for GW, with Opoku’s eight leading the team.
The Colonials will have a six-day layoff before heading to Massachusetts for a two-game swing against Holy Cross Dec. 28 and Harvard Dec. 30. The Holy Cross game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
Notes: Freshman Tim Johnson, who entered tonight’s action averaging 7.6 points per game, was reported to have left the game with a sprained ankle after playing just two minutes… This was the fourth time in the last five games that Hollis has led GW in scoring after not doing so at all through the team’s first five games… The Colonials are now two wins away from equaling last season’s total.
