George Mason sophomore hits buzzer-beating three-pointer
With a 25-foot three-pointer at the buzzer George Mason sophomore Sherrod Wright put a shocking finish on a game the Patriots appeared destined to lose to Virginia Commonwealth, Tuesday night at the Patriot Center.
After VCU freshman Briante Weber hit one of two free throws with 3.8 seconds left, GMU’s Ryan Pearson inbounded to Wright who dribbled across midcourt, rose, and swished his jump shot with VCU sophomore Rob Brandenberg in his face.
After fans stormed the court, an officials’ review of the play confirmed that the shot was good and GMU had a stunning, 62-61, instant-classic victory over its NCAA Cinderella twin and CAA arch-rival.
“Everybody thinks about hitting the winning shot,” Wright said. “My dream came true today.”
On a night when the Rams’ defense gave the Patriots fits, forcing 16 turnovers and 40.7 percent shooting, GMU turned to Wright (11 points), senior forward Pearson (24 points, 11 rebounds) and sophomore guard Vertrail Vaughns (14 points) for late heroics. Each hit a key three-pointer in the final 30 seconds as the Patriots overcame a 56-51 deficit.
“That’s the best Valentine’s I’ve had in a long time, whoa,” GMU coach Paul Hewitt said.
Love was not the theme in a game between increasingly bitter rivals. It was the first of two contests in a span of 12 days featuring GMU (22-6, 14-2) and VCU (22-6, 13-3). The Patriots travel to Richmond for the season finale on Feb. 25. The teams could meet again the following week in the CAA tournament, also in Richmond.
It was a frantic, physical game that was low on aesthetics, but high on intensity. It also was a contest built for Pearson, a 6-foot-6 throwback who prefers to bang in the low post.
“I can’t say enough about Ryan Pearson. He’s a warrior,” VCU coach Shaka Smart said. “Our guys didn’t back down, but he had his way.”
After VCU went up 42-34 on back-to-back three-pointers from junior Troy Daniels (13 points, eight rebounds), Pearson went to work inside, scoring five points to trigger a 10-0 Mason run and set the scene for a back-and-forth finish.
VCU got a five-point edge late as senior Bradford Burgess (13 points) hit a pair of three-pointers in the final four minutes. But Mason extended the game by fouling and making clutch shots. In the final 30 seconds, the Patriots scored 14 points.
“We just stuck around and made some big shots down the stretch,” Pearson said. “They missed one free throw that gave us an opportunity.”
A three-pointer by Vaughns with four seconds left gave GMU hope. More hope came when Weber missed the first of his two free throws. Out of timeouts, Hewitt relayed a play to the Patriots. The ball was supposed to go to sophomore point guard Bryon Allen (five points, five rebounds, five assists), who was to take three dribbles and shoot.
“Sherrod was going to set the screen,” Hewitt said. “They over-played [Allen]. He set the screen and came to the ball.”
When Weber made the second free throw, it actually benefited Mason, giving the Patriots time to set up the play and time for Pearson to throw the ball inbounds unchallenged.
“I’m sure we could watch the tape and nitpick and say we should have pressured the ball a little bit or we should have contested a little more,” Smart said. “But the reality is, Sherrod Wright made a phenomenal shot.”
VCU did almost everything right in the frantic closing minutes. The Rams scored 10 points on their final five possessions. Before his free-throw miss, Weber had made four straight in the previous 40 seconds.
“I was a little nervous with 3.8 seconds. I kept looking at the clock and thinking it’s a little too much,” Smart said. “I wish it was 2.8 or 1.8, because a good player can go the length of the floor and get a good shot off.
“Actually, I would take that shot again. I don’t know how far out it was, 30 feet or so. Ryan Brandenberg did a pretty good job contesting it. But Sherrod Wright did a better job making it. That’s college basketball.”
The shot came from a player who was demoted a month ago in favor of senior Ryan Cornelius. Since becoming an instant-offense reserve, Wright has been George Mason’s top backcourt scorer and shooter, averaging 11 points per game and hitting 55.7 percent of his shots.
“He did all the things you could ask from him as a coach,” Hewitt said with a smile. “Then he did more.”
