2011 George Washington Colonials Basketball: George Washington @ Charlotte

In what should have been seen as a big game in regards to qualifying for the 12-team Atlantic 10 Tournament, Alan Major's Charlotte 49ers failed to recognize the urgency of the moment. Charlotte (10-13, 2-7) fell behind by as many as 15 in the second half and was whipped in points in the paint by a margin of 40-20, falling by just six points (73-67) thanks to the shooting of guard Derrio Green. Green scored 15 of his 22 points over the final 2:01 but it wasn't enough as the 49ers lost for the fifth time in the last six games.

Tony Taylor was outstanding for George Washington (12-11, 5-4), finishing with a game-high 25 points to go along with nine assists and four rebounds. Joseph Katuka added 13 and six rebounds for the Colonials, who also scored 15 points off of 14 Charlotte turnovers and received 21 points from their bench (Charlotte had just three bench points). George Washington got off to a hot start, running out to a 14-5 lead less than seven minutes into the game with Katuka and Taylor combining for eight points. Charlotte would eventually pull even at 20 on an An'Juan Wilderness layup with 5:58 left in the half, but the Colonials were able to do enough to go into the intermission up 31-28.

A Jamar Briscoe three-pointer with 16:46 remaining in the half gave Charlotte a 36-35 lead but two minutes later a David Pellom dunk would give GW a 41-39 lead. That would give the Colonials the lead for good, as they would take a 52-43 lead into the under-8 media timeout. George Washington would continue to take advantage of the interior, scoring multiple layups/dunks in expanding their lead to 62-47 with 2:51 remaining. In the second half the Colonials outscored Charlotte 18-4 in the paint, a startling margin given the presence of players such as Wilderness and Chris Braswell.

But the 2:01 mark was when the fun began, as Green sparked his hot streak with a three to cut the GW lead to 62-52. Green would knock down four three-pointers in the final 2:01, getting fouled on the fourth with the ensuing free throw cutting the GW lead to 72-67. But the Colonials got the job done from the foul line, making six of eight in a 30-second span to hang on. Next up for George Washington is a home game against Richmond, and Charlotte will next visit Rhode Island.

Atlantic 10 Conference Basketball Fans

Colonials Win at Charlotte