GAME OF THE NIGHT: George Washington 65, Dayton 64 (OT)
Joe McDonald crashed the offensive glass, uncontested, collecting a block shot and banking the second-chance bucket in at the buzzer to lift the Colonials over Dayton, 65-64, in overtime. Kethan Savage beat his man off the dribble, drawing several other Flyers, which left McDonald open for the game-winner.
Seconds earlier, Kyle Davis sunk a go-ahead 3-pointer, giving Dayton a 64-63 lead, erasing a six-point deficit in overtime.
This was an important win for George Washington, currently on the bubble for a second straight trip to the NCAA tournament. The Colonials are coming off a 24-point loss to No. 18 VCU and another road loss to second-place Rhode Island.
IMPORTANT OUTCOME
Harvard 76, Brown 74
The Crimson have won the last three Ivy League titles outright. That streak is in jeopardy, as Yale currently holds a one-game lead over Harvard. The Bulldogs host the Crimson on Saturday, meaning the Crimson could not afford a loss at Brown on Friday night. It looked that way for much of the night, but Wesley Saunders led the charge to force overtime. Saunders and the Crimson went on to steal a victory from the Bears, setting up a huge clash on Saturday night against Yale.
Coastal Carolina 65, High Point 60
The Chanticleers erased an eight-point halftime deficit, to knock off High Point, 65-60, at home on Friday night. Why is a Big South matchup in early February important? Well, since Radford lost to Charleston Southern earlier in the night, this is what the conference standings currently look like:
Coastal Carolina 8-4
High Point 8-4
Radford 8-4
Gardner-Webb 8-4
Charleston Southern 8-4
Winthrop 8-4
UNC Asheville 8-4
A seven-way tie for first place!
STARRED
Saah Nimley, Charleston Southern: The diminutive guard logged all 40 minutes, dropping 39 points and recording eight assists in the Buccaneers’ 79-71 win over Radford.
Wesley Saunders, Harvard: Arguably the top player in the Ivy League scored 33 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished three assists and recorded three steals, as Harvard avoided a road loss to Brown.
John Brown, High Point: For this dunk, and this dunk only.
STRUGGLED
Canisius: The Jaspers made it tough for the Golden Griffins, who shot a collective 31 percent from the field, committing more turnvoers (20) than made field goals (19).
Niagara: The Purple Knights will have nightmares about Marist guard Khalid Hart. For the second time in eight days, Hart has taken away a win from Niagara with clutch shooting down the stretch. Sorry Chris Casey, Hart’s only a sophomore.
RESULTS
- Marist 63, Niagara 61
- Iona 87, Siena 83
- Manhattan 68, Canisius 69
- North Florida 77, Jacksonville 50
- Gardner-Webb 73, Campbell 65 (OT)
- Charleston Southern 79, Radford 71
- Presbyterian 69, Liberty 61
- UNC Asheville 71, Longwood 56
- George Washington 65, Dayton 64 (OT)
- Harvard 76, Brown 74
- Princeton 74, Columbia 62
- Yale 81, Dartmouth 66
- Penn 71, Cornell 69
- Coastal Carolina 65, High Point 60