Jan. 12, 2005
Box Score
NEWARK, Del. - Junior guard Rulon Washington nailed a three-pointer from the corner with one second left in overtime as Delaware pulled out an 81-78 victory over George Mason in a Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball thriller Wednesday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.
George Mason (7-6, 2-2 CAA), which trailed by eight points, 69-61, with 2:22 remaining in the game, fought back to tie the contest after freshman guard John Vaughan (Lanham, Md.) capped an 8-0 scoring run with a three-point play to make it 69-69 with 1:13 left in regulation.
Robin Wentt's dunk gave Delaware (6-9, 3-1 CAA) a 71-69 lead with 51 seconds left, but Patriot junior guard Tony Skinn (Takoma Park, Md.) fed junior forward Jai Lewis (Aberdeen, Md.) for a lay up with 37 seconds remaining to knot the score at 71-71.
Mason, which forced Delaware into a shot clock violation on its final possession, took control with a chance to win with four seconds remaining in the game. After in bounding the ball, Skinn drove the length of the court, but his running lay up missed the mark at the end of regulation.
In the overtime, Harding Nana, who led all scorers with 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, gave the Blue Hens a 76-73 advantage early before Mason came back to take the lead. Skinn hit a free throw, and Lewis followed with two free throws and later scored a lay up with 1:35 left for a 78-76 Mason lead.
A Patriot foul put Nana on the line. He made two free throws with 44 seconds left to tie the score again at 78-78, setting up the thrilling final. Lewis missed a shot inside with 28 seconds on the clock, leading to Washington's game-winner. Patriot junior guard Lamar Butler (Oxon Hill, Md.) launched a 3-point shot from near mid-court that missed as the buzzer sounded.
Butler led George Mason with 19 points. Lewis finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and two steals. Skinn added 14 points, while sophomore guard Gabe Norwood (State College, Pa.) totaled eight points and a team- and career-best nine rebounds.
Nana led all five Blue Hens' starters in double figures. Washington had 14 points and Andrew Washington recorded 16. Guard Mike Slattery tallied 15 points and a game-high eight assists with four steals. Wentt posted 12 points and 10 boards.
George Mason led for most of the first half and took a 34-33 lead into halftime, and a hard-fought second half featured six ties and seven lead changes before the extra session.
Both teams shot well from the floor with the Patriots holding at 48 percent and the Blue Hens at 46 percent. Mason out rebounding Delaware, 40-34.
George Mason visits league-leading Old Dominion Saturday at 2 p.m. in the SunTrust CAA Game of the Week.
Box Score
George Mason (7-6, 2-2 CAA) 34-37-7=78
Delaware (6-9, 3-1 CAA) 33-38-10=81
