Trojans nipped by GWU
Published 12:08 am Wednesday, December 17, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC — Troy came up short in their upset bid of George Washington, falling 63-61 on the road at the Charles E. Smith Arena.
Kylie Morrissy paced the Trojan effort with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and 6-of-8 shooting from the free throw line. Sarah McAppion came off the bench to add 12, while Alyce Shearing added 11 points and six rebounds.
Tara Booker led GW (5-3) with 18 points, while Jessica Adair added 15 off the bench and her twin sister Jazmine Adair 10 in the Colonials victory.
“I am really proud of the way we played tonight,” Troy coach Michael Murphy said. “This was a terrific team that we played tonight. You look up at the banners hanging from the roof here, and you realize that they are the standard-bearer for the Atlantic-10 for years.”
Troy (3-5) and GW were locked in a battle with three minutes to play in the contest, after McAppion drove to the basket with 3:16 remaining to trim the Colonials’ lead to 57-55.
Morrissy connected on a 12-foot baseline jumper to tie the game at 57-all. The Trojans took their first lead with 2:03 remaining when McAppion took a pass from Donette McNair, after a McNair steal, for a 59-57 lead.
GW tied the game at 59-all on a lay-up from Jessica Adair, before Morrissy connected on a pair of free throws to take a 61-59 lead with 46.7 seconds remaining.
After GW’s Jessica Adair tied the game at 61-all with just 36 seconds remaining, the Trojans turned the ball over with just 14.4 seconds remaining, forcing a timeout.
After the timeout, Larelle Roper fouled Rivera who connected on both free throws with 11.2 seconds remaining to give the Colonials a two-point lead at 63-61. The Trojans had a chance, but the size inside of GW paid off in the final seconds, preserving the victory for the home team.