Derek Gordon hit the game-winning layup with eight seconds remaining as No. 16 UMass rallied in the final minute to take an 88-87 victory over George Mason on Wednesday night in Fairfax, Va.
Chaz Williams finished with 26 points (11-of-17 shooting), eight assists and five steals to lead the Minutemen (15-1, 3-0 Atlantic-10). Following a George Mason turnover on an inbounds pass, Williams hit a driving layup with 18 seconds left to get UMass within a point at 87-86. Williams then came up with a steal and missed a layup. Maxie Esho‘s follow bounced to Gordon, standing alone next to the hoop, and he laid in the rebound for the go-ahead basket.
On George Mason’s ensuing possession, Esho poked the ball away from Bryon Allen, and UMass took possession on a tie-up. With a second remaining, the Minutemen inbounded the ball and ran out the clock.
UMass trailed by eight points near the midpoint of the second half and had to complete its comeback without two starters who fouled out: Cady Lalanne (19 points, nine rebounds) and Raphiael Putney (12 points).
Sherrod Wright scored 26 points for George Mason (7-10, 0-3), although he committed both of his team’s turnovers in the deciding stretch.
– In Boston, Maurice Watson had 20 points and six assists as Boston University posted a 66-58 victory over Colgate.
Dom Morris added 15 points for the Terriers (12-6, 5-0 Patriot).
BU opened the second half with a 9-4 run to erase a two-point deficit. Colgate (6-10, 0-5) was within two points with 2:42 left after a 3-pointer by Murphy Burnatowski (27 points), but that marked the Raiders’ final points of the night. Watson clinched it with a jumper and two free throws.
BU star D.J. Irving missed the game with an injury.
– Malcolm Miller scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds as Holy Cross rallied from a 14-point deficit midway through the second half for a 78-75 victory over Army at West Point, N.Y.
Also for the Crusaders (8-9, 2-3 Patriot), Malachi Alexander scored 16 points, Dave Dudzinski netted 14, Anthony Thompson scored 13, and Eric Green had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Holy Cross trailed 63-49 with 9:30 remaining before embarking on a 13-2 run that ended with two free throws by Thompson with just over five minutes left, making it a 65-62 game. The Crusaders took their first lead of the half with just over three minutes remaining on a layup by Green that made it 70-69. The teams traded baskets in the next 30 seconds, with Miller putting HC ahead to stay on a layup with 2:40 left.
Tanner Plomb scored 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting and hauled in 10 rebounds to lead Army (8-8, 4-1).
– In Lowell, Akeem Williams had 20 points and eight assists — including a helper on an Antonio Bivins layup with one second remaining in regulation that forced overtime — to lead UMass-Lowell to a 70-66 overtime victory over Albany.
In the OT, Kerry Weldon scored five points and the River Hawks (4-11, 3-1 America East) took a five-point lead at 68-63 following a Williams free throw with 23 seconds left. Albany’s D.J. Evans hit a 3-pointer eight seconds later and the Great Danes (8-9, 2-2) got a steal, but a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with six seconds left was off the mark.
Williams hit two free throws with four seconds left for the final count.