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| Kevin Larsen led GW with 22 points & 11 rebounds |
From our friends at GW Athletics...
GW Men's Hoops Outlasts Richmond in Double Overtime, 73-70
Four Colonials hit double figures, led by Larsen's double-double
GW men's basketball's Core Four juniors combined for 58 points and 31 rebounds, led by Kevin Larsen's 22-point, 11-rebound double-double, to outlast Atlantic 10 rival Richmond in double overtime, 73-70, at the Charles E. Smith Center on Thursday night.
The victory keeps GW (13-4, 3-1 A-10) a perfect 7-0 this season at the Smith Center, where it has also won nine consecutive games dating back to 2013-14 and 22 of its last 23 contests.
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| Head coach Mike Lonergan's Colonials improve to 7-0 at home |
Larsen matched his career-high with 22 points, including six in the second overtime, on the strength of 7-of-12 from the field and 8-of-9 at the foul line. He also provided a team-high three assists and two blocks along with his eighth career double-double in 46 minutes of action. Joe McDonald added 13 points, including the clutch go-ahead three-pointer with 1:16 left in the second extra session, and five rebounds. Larsen (eight) and McDonald (seven) teamed to score 15 of the Colonials' 23 overtime points.
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| Kethan Savage added 13 points & 8 rebounds |
Kethan Savage made 9-of-10 free throws to finish with 13 points and eight rebounds. Patricio Garino played 49 minutes and totaled 10 points, seven rebounds and one critical steal after McDonald's decisive triple. Freshman Yuta Watanabe chipped in nine points and three boards in 23 minutes off the bench.
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| Yuta Watanabe scored 9 points off the bench |
The Buff-clad home crowd saw GW hold the lead for more than 34 minutes of regulation until Richmond (9-7, 2-2 A-10) leading scorer Kendall Anthony drew a foul shooting a three-pointer with 3.7 seconds left and the Colonials ahead 50-47. Anthony made all three shots to force the first overtime game in Smith Center since GW's dramatic 81-80 victory over Dayton in March 2013, the initial win in the Colonials' current 22-of-23 stretch at home.
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| Kendall Anthony (20 PTS) forced OT with 3 FTs |
The Spiders grabbed their first lead since Anthony's opening three-pointer 2:42 into the contest at 52-50 and led by a basket thrice more in the first overtime, but the Colonials battled back to tie it each time, the last on a pair of pressure-packed free throws from Savage with 10.5 seconds to play, for their first double-overtime outing in six seasons.
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| John Kopriva (#34) scored 2 points with 3 rebounds |
UR again seized control at the start of the second extra session, equaling its largest lead at 62-59 with 2:31 left. GW responded with nine unanswered points - a Larsen put-back at 2:07, McDonald's clutch three at 1:16 and four free throws from Savage and Larsen - for a 68-62 cushion with 36 seconds remaining. The Spiders made it a one-possession game three times, but Larsen and Garino went 4-of-4 at the stripe over the final 16 seconds to clinch the victory.
GW held a +19 edge in rebounds (43-24), including turning 13 offensive caroms into a 19-0 advantage in second-chance points, and converted a season-high 82.8 percent (24-29) at the charity stripe to offset Richmond's nine 3-pointers.
Anthony paced UR with 20 points, including 17 after halftime. T.J. Cline hit four 3-pointers en route to 16 points, Terry Allen pitched in 14 and ShawnDre' Jones hit three triples for 11 points.
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| Spiders' head coach Chris Mooney |
GW puts its nine-game home win streak back on the line on Saturday against Revolutionary Rival George Mason. The 4:30 p.m. contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network and NBC Sports Live Extra.
Click here for last night's box score.
