9:16 p.m. Kromah makes one of two shots, then Smith gets a rebound after a UMass miss and throws it up court for an Opoku dunk. GW wins 66-60. Thanks for reading and check back later and in tomorrow’s issue for full coverage.
9:14 p.m. Sampson Carter, not to be confused with teammate Sean, fouls Taylor shortly after the ball is inbounded. Taylor goes to the line for two shots and makes the first but misses the second, then gets a hand on the offensive rebound and tosses it in to Kromah as he falls out of bounds. Wow. Kromah is fouled and will shoot two shots with 16.5 seconds left and a three-point lead.
9:13 p.m. Harris hits a three and GW’s lead is now just two points with 21.2 seconds remaining. The Colonials will have the ball following a timeout.
9:12 p.m. Harris fouls Bynes less than two seconds after the Colonials inbound the ball, sending Bynes to the line for two shots. He hits the first and misses the second. GW leads by five inside the game’s final 30 seconds.
9:11 p.m. Vinson is whistled for a foul when he nails Taylor setting a moving screen and GW gets the ball back with 32.2 seconds remaining.
9:10 p.m. Taylor goes to the line and misses the first but hits the second. GW calls a timeout after his make and the Colonials lead UMass 61-57 with 34.2 seconds to play.
9:08 p.m. Katuka comes up with a big offensive rebound after a Kromah miss, giving GW the ball inside of the final minute. Taylor kicks it out to Smith for a three, but he misses – and surprise, surprise, Kromah grabs an offensive rebound. This is some inspiring rebounding from the Colonials. Taylor is fouled and will get two shots.
9:07 p.m. Carter heads to the line for two shots for UMass and clanks the first off the back iron and hits the second. GW leads by three.
9:05 p.m. A Bynes jumper pushes GW’s lead back to four. Katuka picks up his fourth personal foul going for a rebound on the other end, sending the game into an official timeout with 1:42 to play.
9:04 p.m. UMass uses most of the shot clock before Gurley hits a three from the corner, cutting GW’s lead to two as the game nears the two-minute mark.
9:02 p.m. After grabbing a defensive rebound, Katuka posts up and scores to put GW ahead by five with 3:06 to go. UMass has called a timeout. Katuka now has 12 points and 10 rebounds and GW is out-rebounding UMass 51-30. The Minutemen entered the game as the A-10’s best rebounding team.
9:01 p.m. Kromah scores by putting back a Smith miss and GW leads by three with four minutes to go.
9:00 p.m. Smith is called for a charge, his fourth personal foul, and he stays in the game. There have been 46 fouls so far this game. GW leads by one with less than five minutes left.
8:59 p.m. Harris gets called for a foul on Kromah, sending the freshman to the line for two. Kromah’s first shot rims out and his second swishes to give GW a three-point lead, but Harris finds Carter for an alley-oop on the other end. GW leads 54-53.
8:58 p.m. Vinson goes to the line and makes both shots for UMass. GW leads by two with 5;35 left.
8:57 p.m. Hollis is called for his fifth personal foul away from the ball on defense and GW’s leading scorer this season is done for the day. A “Hollis” chant breaks out in the Colonial Army. He finishes with nine points and two rebounds, with five of those points being GW’s first of the game.
8:56 p.m. Kromah misses a transition three, but Taylor grabs the long rebound to restart the possession. Ware has an attempted three blocked, but he grabs the ball and eventually it finds its way to Hollis for a mid-range jumper. GW leads 53-49 with 5:48 left.
8:55 p.m. Taylor heads to the line and makes one of two shots to give GW a two-point lead.
8:54 p.m. Hollis and his four fouls are back on the floor after the timeout. Bailey then fouls out of the game when he bumps a driving Taylor to earn his fifth personal.
8:53 p.m. Pellom grabs a defensive rebound, but has the ball stolen from behind by Correia, who kicks it back to Gurley for an NBA-range three-pointer that cuts GW’s lead to one point with 7:04 left. Hobbs calls timeout to talk things over.
8:52 p.m. Opoku is called for goaltending when he swats a shot off the backboard and the ball goes into the hoop anyway. Smith then turns it over with an errant pass. GW leads 50-46 with 7:23 to go.
8:49 p.m. Taylor draws a charge on Harris in transition, sending the game into an official timeout with GW leading by six and 7:59 left in the game.
8:48 p.m. Kromah responds in kind with a three of his own, then Gurley hits another one on the other end. GW leads 50-44 with 8:22 left.
8:47 p.m. Gurley hits the Minutement’s first three of the second half and cuts GW’s lead to six with nine minutes to go.
8:46 p.m. Bailey collides with Kromah as the latter skies for a defensive rebound and is called for a foul, giving Kromah two free throws. He misses the first but makes the second and GW leads 47-38.
8:45 p.m. Smith secures an offensive rebound off a Katuka miss and kicks it out to Kromah in the corner, who hits a three to put GW ahead by eight with 10 minutes left. The Colonials are really getting after it on the boards tonight.
8:44 p.m. Vinson takes two shots and makes both. GW leads 43-38.
8:42 p.m. Johnson picks up his third personal foul while boxing out during a UMass miss, which will give the Minutemen two free throws on the other end of an official timeout with 10:59 left. GW still leads 43-36. With the way this game is being played and called, there are going to be a lot of free throws the rest of the way.
8:41 p.m. Smith makes first, misses second, then grabs his own offensive rebound to start a new possession. Johnson misses a three and Katuka grabs the offensive rebound. The possession ends with a Kromah three to put GW ahead 43-36 with 11:20 to go.
8:38 p.m. Kromah inbounds it to Taylor, who is called for over-and-back as he tries to get on one side of the halfcourt line. Johnson is then quickly called for a block on the floor, sending Correia to the line for two shots and drawing boos for the officials. Correia makes the first and misses the second, then Smith is fouled by Vinson going for the defensive rebound. Smith will shoot two shots. This game is slowing down big time with all these fouls and free throws.
8:36 p.m. After Katuka alters a shot and forces a miss from Correia, GW calls a timeout with 12:09 to play and a 39-35 lead.
8:35 p.m. Bynes drives to the hoop and takes to the air, but is called for a charging foul as he draws contact.
8:34 p.m. Bynes hits a three and GW leads 39-35 with 13:10 left in the game.
8:32 p.m. Smith misses a three from the corner, but Pellom grabs the offensive rebound. Johnson has a shot blocked, but comes up with the loose abll to extend the possession. Smith then drives and collides with Vinson and Matt Hill, leaving them both on the floor, and Hill is called for the foul. Smith goes to the line and misses the frotn end of a one-and-one.
8:30 p.m. Hollis is called for a block near midcourt, his fourth personal foul, and Hobbs doesn’t seem pleased with the call. Harris goes to the line on the other end and misses the front end of a one-and-one, then redshirt sophomore Jabari Edwards gets fouled and misses the front end of his on the other end.
8:29 p.m. After a defensive stop, Taylor throws up a lob to Hollis, who can’t secure it for a dunk and loses the ball out of bounds.
8:28 p.m. Katuka gets his third personal foul while battling Bailey for a rebound, sending the big man to the line on the other end. He misses the front end of a one-and-one and Katuka grabs the rebound, starting a possession that ends with a short Taylor jumper to put GW ahead by one.
8:27 p.m. Harris leaves his first shot short but hits the second to put the Minutemen up by one.
8:26 p.m. A note during the timeout: both teams will be shooting shots after fouls the rest of the way. UMass has seven team fouls this half and GW has six.
8:24 p.m. Johnson guards Harris very tightly and is whistled for a foul when Harris shoots and misses. Harris will shoot two shots on the other end of an official timeout with 15:52 to play.
8:23 p.m. Taylor drives and draws contact from Carter while attempting a shot, sending him to the line for two shots. Carter now has four fouls. Taylor misses the first shot but hits the second to tie the game at 34 with 16:15 left.
8:22 p.m. Hollis pins a shot off the glass on defense.
8:21 p.m. Katuka is whistled for a foul on the floor while positioning himself for an offensive rebound. It’s his second foul and he’s replaced by Opoku. GW now has three players on the floor – Hollis, Opoku, and Smith – with three fouls.
8:21 p.m. There’s a late whistle on Kromah after Harris misses a jumper and Harris heads to the line for two shots. He makes both to give UMass a one-point lead.
8:19 p.m. UMass’s Javorn Farrell receives a technical foul after the official review for “fighting” and is ejected from the game. Ware takes GW’s shots and makes one of two, giving the Colonials a 33-32 lead with 17:45 to play.
8:17 p.m. The officials finish reviewing the tape and call both coaches to a conference and now Hobbs and Kellogg are exchanging some words as the officials separate them. The fans start egging them on, but it doesn’t appear to be as heated as it seemed since they shake hands before returning to their respective huddles.
8:15 p.m. Hollis picks up his third foul defending the ball after UMass grabbed a defensive rebound and heads to the bench as Smith takes his place. The officials are reviewing the game tape now for some reason. Smith also has three fouls already.
8:14 p.m. Taylor bounces a back-door pass to Hollis as he charges along the baseline, but Hollis misses the dunk off the back of the rim.
8:13 p.m. A spot jumper from Kromah ties the game at 32 with about 18:30 to play.
8:11 p.m. Taylor gets bumped by Carter while shooting on the other end, sending the sophomore to the line for two shots of his own. He makes the first, then Opoku is called for a foul going for the rebound after the second. It’s Opoku’s third foul and he’s replaced by Katuka. UMass leads 32-30.
8:10 p.m. On the opening possession of the second half, Opoku is called for his second personal foul while blocking Carter’s dunk attempt from behind. Carter gets two shots from the line and makes one.
8:01 p.m. This game is as close as it seemed it would be, with both teams playing with the intensity fitting a mid-February game between two teams fighting to climb the conference ladder. The Colonials have surprisingly out-rebounded UMass 22-18 so far, thanks largely to the efforts of Pellom (five rebounds) and Katuka and Ware (four apiece). Katuka’s scoring acumen has helped keep GW in the game while Hollis and Smith were plagued by foul trouble and Taylor failed to make a shot (though Taylor does have a game-high five assists so far).
For the Colonials to win this game, they are going to need to limit the Minutemen’s outside shooting – UMass is 6-for-13 from threes so far – and continue to hit the glass hard. Katuka and Opoku’s strong inside play will likely need to continue as well and any scoring bursts Hollis, Kromah, Taylor, or Smith can muster will likely be crucial as well. This game looks like it will remain just as close as it has been so far, so there is obviously a lot to be determined over the next 20 minutes of basketball. We’ll be back with updates when the game gets back underway.
7:53 p.m. Katuka can’t handle a pass from Taylor and GW turns it over, giving UMass the last shot of the half. The Minutemen can’t score and take a 31-29 lead over the Colonials into halftime.
7:52 p.m. An offensive rebound bounces around until Pellom grabs it and kicks it out to Taylor, who dishes it to Kromah for a three. UMass responds with a Gary Correia three and now holds a 31-29 lead with 34.8 seconds left in the half.
7:51 p.m. Riley’s fourth three-pointer gives UMass a two-point lead, then a jump ball is called when Bailey holds Ware’s shot on the other end. GW keeps the ball.
7:48 p.m. Smith rushes Vinson a bit too hard after Vinson pump-fakes and is called for his third personal foul. Vinson goes to the line for a one-and-one and makes the first but misses the second. The rebound ends up on the floor and UMass secures it and calls a timeout with 2:04 left in the half. GW leads 26-25.
7:47 p.m. GW turns it over when Taylor rushes a pass to Opoku, who doesn’t see it and it hits him in the head. UMass works the ball up the other way to Riley, who dunks it while Smith fouls him from behind. Riley knocks down the free throw to cut GW’s lead to two.
7:45 p.m. Pellom misses both shots.
7:43 p.m. Smith skips a pass to a charging Pellom, who goes to throw down a dunk but has the ball knocked loose by a fouling Anthony Gurley during the attempt. Pellom will shoot two shots on the other end of an official timeout with 3:48 remaining in the first half.
7:41 p.m. Taylor and Katuka work a pick-and-roll that earns Katuka a trip to the line for two shots as he’s fouled during the shot. He misses the first but hits the second, giving the Colonials a 26-21 lead and Katuka 10 points.
7:38 p.m. With his back to the basket, Hollis rolls toward the hoop to his right after head-faking left and draws a foul while missing the shot. He heads to the line and hits both shots, putting GW ahead 25-21 with 5:23 left in the first.
7:34 p.m. Opoku draws some contact trying to bring in a lob pass in transition, but he can’t hold on to it. The ball goes to the floor and hits a UMass player’s leg before going out of bounds, sending the game into an official timeout. GW still leads 23-21 with 6:34 on the clock. Katuka and Opoku have combined for 13 points and six rebounds from the five-spot so far.
7:33 p.m. The ball works its way around to an open Kromah, who hits a three to give the Colonials a 23-21 advantage with about seven minutes left in the half.
7:32 p.m. Taylor misses a jumper, but Opoku slams down the rebound. Riley hits his third three on the other end and UMass leads 21-20.
7:30 p.m. Opoku gets fouled and heads to the line, where he makes both shots to tie the game at 18 with 9:47 to play in the half.
7:27 p.m. Harris pulls up and scores in the lane to give the Minutemen a two-point lead, then the game enters an official timeout after Katuka draws a defensive foul going for a rebound. There’s 10:09 left in the first half and UMass is up 18-16. Katuka has nine of GW’s points and four rebounds.
7:26 p.m. Another Riley three and another Katuka score ties the game at 16 with under 11 minutes to play in the first.
7:25 p.m. Riley hits a three for UMass and Katuka scores on a put-back on the other end, giving GW a 14-13 lead with 11:20 left in the half.
7:24 p.m. Smith takes a hard fall to the floor when he’s hit by two defenders while taking off toward the rim, but no call is made as the ball falls out of his hands and goes out of bounds. He’s replaced by Hollis, though he didn’t seem too shaken up.
7:22 p.m. Katuka makes a nice move in the post, splitting two defenders to score on a layup on a possession in which the Minutemen had guarded the Colonials very well. Katuka is fouled on the shot and goes to the line, where he hits the shot. GW leads 12-10 with a little under 13 minutes left in the half.
7:21 p.m. Freshman David Pellom replaces Kromah, so the frosh count stays at four.
7:20 p.m. GW comes out of the timeout with four freshmen on the floor: Bryan Bynes, Johnson, Kromah, and Smith. The fifth player is Katuka.
7:19 p.m. GW quickly reclaims the lead when Taylor finds Katuka under the basket for a layup, but Gurley scores easily on the other end to put UMass back up one and GW head coach Karl Hobbs calls a timeout to talk things over with 14:27 remaining in the half.
7:18 p.m. Bailey gets the rebound after Johnson misses a three and starts a possession going the other way that ends with Harris scoring on a layup to give UMass a one-point lead.
7:17 p.m. WRGW’s Greg Shapiro just barely missed his second halfcourt shot in the Jet Blue Airways Halfcourt Shootout or whatever it’s called. Hit right rim.
7:15 p.m. Smith makes an immediate impact, burying a long two to give GW a 7-6 lead. Vinson is whistled for an offensive foul on the other end and the game goes into its first official timeout with 15:32 left in the first half.
7:14 p.m. The monstrous Bailey enters the game and Hollis picks up his second foul of the game while blocking one of his shots. Bailey misses both free throws. Hollis is replaced by freshman Dwayne Smith and freshman Tim Johnson relieves Ware. UMass gets the rebound after Bailey’s miss and Vinson hits a three to give the Minutemen a 6-5 lead.
7:12 p.m. Carter is fouled by Katuka and heads to the line, where he makes one of two shots. GW leads 5-3 with 17 minutes left in the first half.
7:11 p.m. Also a note for clarification: Katuka was originally listed as the starter prior to the game, but Opoku actually started. It is the senior’s fourth straight start.
7:10 p.m. Kromah gets called for a foul in the backcourt as he defends the ballhandler, then collects a block from behind on a shot in traffic. Ware takes to the floor to fight for a rebound and it ends up a jump ball, with the arrow giving GW possession.
7:09 p.m. Taylor kicks it out to Hollis on the perimeter and Hollis fakes the shot before stepping in and pulling up to bury a mid-range jumper. GW leads 5-2 at the 18:20 mark.
7:08 p.m. Hollis rattles in a three on his second try of the game and GW takes a 3-2 lead.
7:08 p.m. After Opoku tips the ball too far back and out of bounds, Vinson opens the game with a short lay-in to give Umass a 2-0 lead.
6:57 p.m. GW’s starting lineup: sophomore Tony Taylor and freshman Lasan Kromah at guard, sophomore Aaron Ware and senior Damian Hollis at forward, and junior Joseph Katuka at center. Katuka returns to the starting lineup after being replaced by senior Hermann Opoku for the last two games.
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Good evening and welcome to the live blog for tonight’s men’s basketball game against the Minutemen of UMass, who come into this game one win ahead of GW in the Atlantic 10 standings and tied for eighth place. The Minutemen (10-15, 4-7 A-10) are riding a two-game winning streak after beating Duquesne by four in overtime on the road and knocking off Saint Joseph’s at home. The Colonials (13-10, 3-7 A-10) blew out last-place Fordham Saturday after having the previous week off.
UMass is led by senior guard Ricky Harris, who averages 19.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game and has scored in double figures for 35 straight games. He is second in the conference in scoring this season, trailing Xavier’s Jordan Crawford by only one point. Aside from Harris, the Minutemen are a pretty young team, starting a redshirt sophomore and three freshmen. First-year starters Terrell Vinson and Freddie Riley average 9.4 points per game and redshirt sophomore Anthony Gurley – a Wake Forest transfer – averages 14.6 points off the bench. Redshirt sophomore Sean Carter leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game, while Vinson averages 5.5 boards. Gurley hauls in 4.7 himself and 6-foot-10, 275-pound redshirt junior Hashim Bailey averages 4.9 rebounds.
The Minutemen are the top rebounding team in the A-10 with 41.4 total rebounds per game, with a conference-best 15.4 of those coming on the offensive glass. GW has had some rebounding woes this season, so it might need to hit the boards hard in order to stave off its visitors. This game is pivotal as both teams try to position themselves to qualify for (and for seeding in) the A-10 tournament.
With about a dozen minutes to go until tip-off, the stands are relatively empty and still filling in. There are two attendees of note though: former GW superfan Chase Carpenter and 2009 team alumnus Wynton Witherspoon. We’ll be back with starting lineups when they’re available and updates throughout the game.
