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UD men’s basketball team loses to VCU in double OT
UD's Rulon Washington, who sent the game into the second overtime with a late three-point basket, tied the game at 69-69 with another three-pointer with nine seconds left to play. Virginia Commonwealth then raced the length of the court, with Derrick Reid launching a three-point shot from the left corner. The ball bounced off the front of the rim, but George was there to tip the ball in just before the final buzzer sounded. The officials reviewed the replay on a courtside monitor for several minutes before declaring the basket good, setting off a celebration by the Rams, who remain tied with Drexel University for the CAA lead at 13-4. With the loss, UD fell to 15-11 overall and 9-8 in conference play. The Fightin’ Blue Hens, who are trying to stay out of the CAA tournament play-in game, will close the regular season at home against Drexel on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. at The Bob. The CAA tournament will be played March 5-8 at the Richmond (Va.) Coliseum. The top six teams jump directly to the quarterfinals while the bottom four must play their way into that round. At 9-8, UD is in sixth place and on the cusp. The Hens trail fifth place Hofstra by one game and stand one game ahead of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, which is in seventh place ahead of William & Mary, James Madison and Towson. The basket by George capped a wild game in which the Hens rallied from a seven-point deficit with nine minutes left in regulation to take the lead only to see the game sent into overtime on a basket by VCU guard Domonic Jones, who scored a team-high 21 points, with six seconds left. The Hens had a chance to win the game in regulation but Washington missed two three-pointers in the final four seconds, leaving the score knotted at 55-55. VCU’s Troy Godwin scored 17 points and had nine rebounds while George finished with 15 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. UD point guard Mike Slattery, who gave Delaware a 55-53 lead in the closing seconds of the second half with two free throws, finished with a career-high 24 points and dished out nine assists. The Hen’s Harding Nana had 14 points and a team-high 12 rebounds, and Washington came off the bench to score 12 points. "It was a bittersweet game," said UD Head Coach David Henderson, whose team has had 10 games decided by three points or less this season, said. "I am proud of the way we played tonight. We put ourselves in position and a couple of mistakes down the stretch cost us, like the (missed) block out on the last play of the game. We missed a lot of shots that I'd like to have back." VCU led most of the first overtime session and went up 63-57 on a free throw by Godwin with 2:42 remaining. Nana followed with a lay-up to cut the lead to four and Washington followed with a three-pointer with 1:24 remaining to pull the Hens to within 63-62. Jones followed with a jumper to put VCU up 65-62 but Washington struck again from long range just 17 seconds later with a three-pointer that tied the game at 65-65. The Rams led the entire second overtime period as they sandwiched baskets by Godwin and Jones around a single free throw by UD’s Robin Wentt to go up 69-66 with 1:47 remaining. The Hens got the ball back. Washington missed a three-point attempt but Nana grabbed the rebound and fed him again for another three-point shot, and this one was good, knotting the score at 69-69 with nine seconds left. VCU then answered loudly with George's game-winner. UD played without freshman forward Herb Courtney, who is out for the season with an injured knee. To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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