Posted Thursday, Feb. 2, 9:10 p.m.
Updated 11:19 p.m.
CINCINNATI – With 16 seconds left in Thursday night’s contest, Xavier coach Sean Miller put the ball in the hands of the hot-shooting guard that killed the GW men’s basketball team last year at the Smith Center.
Sophomore Stanley Burrell burrowed his way thorough a plethora of defenders and launched a three-pointer, nearly identical to last year’s game-winning shot in Washington that would have sunk the No. 10 Colonials for a sixth straight time to Xavier at the Cintas Center.
Not this team and not this time.
A three-pointer with 36 seconds remaining by sophomore Maureece Rice and four free throws in the last 11 seconds by junior Carl Elliott erased a 10-point halftime deficit to top Xavier 89-85 at the Cintas Center in front of 10,250 boisterous fans.
GW coach Karl Hobbs’ first recruiting class, including Mike Hall, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Omar Williams, have never won on Xavier’s home floor before Thursday’s game, and he said that this was a statistic his squad intended to eradicate.
“That was one of our goals this year,” Hobbs said of beating Xavier. “We didn’t want to have Mike, Pops and Omar to leave without a win here.”
Due largely to the up-tempo play of Hall (18 points and five three-pointers), the Colonials climbed out of a 17-point first half hole to get a key road win and extend their winning streak to eight games and bolster their top-10 ranking on national television.
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The much-lauded GW backcourt was integral in the victory, only turning the ball over three times. Rice matched a career-high 21 points, including three three-pointers. Elliott dropped 15 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.
Junior Danilo (J.R) Pinnocked dished out a career-high six assists and scored seven points.
Xavier got 21 points from Brian Thornton, who went out of the game in the closing minutes with a leg cramp. Justin Doellman registered 17 points and nine rebounds while Justin Cage had 11 in 24 minutes. Burrell dropped 12 points on three three-pointers as Josh Duncan put in 10.
In the second half, the Colonials (17-1, 7-0 A-10) played a more aggressive style, which trumped a clearly worn-out Xavier (13-5, 4-3 A-10) team.
“In the second half, it turned into a half-court game and they pushed their defense out to half court,” Burrell said. “The pressure they were bringing on the ball, denying us the passing lanes. Every single loose ball, they were getting it.”
The Colonials converted 22 Xavier turnovers for 29 points, a feat that highlighted the fatigue of the home team.
“What we try to do and what we instill in our players is that right around the seven or eight minute mark the other team should be getting tired,” Hobbs said. “That’s when our pressure defense takes over.”
And took over it did.
GW stole the ball 12 times, compared to Xavier’s three, which was a credit to the Colonials’ full court pressure.
Hall, echoing Hobbs’ sentiment, gave credit to Elliott for sparking the attack.
“With our depth as a team we can go all out,” Hall said. “Carl Elliott set the tone diving on the floor for loose balls.”
The defensive pressure was not effective in the first half, as the Musketeers opened up a 43-26 lead with 4:52 remaining in the half. The fast style of play that GW champions was matched by Xavier.
Hobbs said his team needed halftime, and a stern speech, to get back to its style of play.
“I told the guys to settle down,” Hobbs said of his halftime speech. “Let’s focus on our game plan. Let’s have some poise. Let’s have some patience.”
After intermission, the squad opened up a 10-0 run that cut Xavier’s lead to two points with 17:46 remaining. The score seesawed and Xavier sparked its own 12-2 run that tied the game at 72 with 5:49 remaining.
GW was able to contain hot hands such as Burrell and Thornton down the stretch to get the victory.
The tough road win bolsters GW’s first top-10 ranking in 50 years after facing what many believe to be a relatively easy out-of-conference schedule.
Hall acknowledged that the win, broadcast live on ESPN2, was important to the team.
“It was good for us to finally pull one out in the national spotlight,” Hall said.
The Colonials look to extend their winning streak to nine games on Sunday when they face Richmond at noon in Foggy Bottom.
