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BOX SCORE
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – George Evans saw the rebound carom to North
Carolina-Wilmington's Ed Williams as the clock raced to zero.
He saw Williams bank it in off the glass, and then he went off by himself.
"When the ball bounced off and he caught it, I knew it wasn't
good," Evans, the three-time Colonial Athletic Association player of the
year, said after George Mason's 35-33 victory in the tournament
championship game.
"I prayed that things would go our way."
It was only fitting that on a night when the CAA's two best
teams combined to produce the second-lowest scoring game in NCAA
history since the shot clock was implemented in 1986, the last one
didn't count.
And now Evans, the 30-year-old veteran of the Gulf War, is
headed back to the NCAA tournament, the only thing he really wanted
this year.
"I told my teammates, 'You all can have every one of these
awards that I've won in the course of my career if you all can get
me to the tournament,' and I meant that," Evans said, the net
around his neck.
They did it in a most unusual game, one where each team had a
scoring drought that lasted more than seven minutes, and where the
last field goal of the night was Erik Herring's go-ahead 3-pointer
with 3:27 left.
"It seems like every time we play those guys, it's nip and
tuck," Evans said. "We knew it was going to be close. We knew what
they do, they knew what we do and it was all about execution and
who wants it more."
The Patriots (18-11) held the top-seeded Seahawks scoreless for
three long stretches, including the final 3:46. They managed only
four points themselves in that stretch, and it was all the run they
needed to win.
The game was within one point of matching the NCAA record for
fewest points, set in SMU's 36-31 victory against Texas-Arlington
in 1989.
"A lot of possessions, we just gave away," Wilmington's Craig
Callahan said. "We were right in it. We just couldn't bring it
home."
Callahan was the decided offensive star, hitting all five of his
shots, including three 3-pointers. The rest of the Seahawks players
were 6-for-33, and the Patriots were just 14-for-48 overall,
including 1-for-14 on 3s.
Wilmington also was uncharacteristically sloppy, turning the
ball over a season-high 23 times. Their previous high was 17, and
they'd committed just six giveaways in the semifinals against Old
Dominion.
"That's not how we've played," coach Jerry Wainwright said.
The defending champion Seahawks (19-10), making their fourth
appearance in the title game in six years, had survived scoreless
droughts of 6:18 in the first half and 7:53 in the second, but
couldn't break through against the Patriots' tight defense in the
final minutes.
"The game came down to moments, split seconds," George Mason
coach Jim Larranaga said after ending a four-game losing streak to
Wilmington.
Herring's 3-pointer from the left side gave George Mason a 34-33
lead with 3:27 to go, setting the stage for one final offensive
fizz-out.
Both sides came up empty on several possessions until George
Mason's Tremaine Price was fouled following a rebound with 24.8
seconds left. Price hit 1 of 2 free throws, giving George Mason the
final cushion.
The Seahawks called time, then inbounded the ball to Brett
Blizzard. He dribbled several seconds off the clock, threw to
Barron Thelmon in the left corner with about 7 seconds left,
and Thelmon drove toward the lane as time wound down, tossing
up a desperation shot that missed.
Ed Williams, darting toward the basket, rebounded and tipped it
in, but the officials ruled – and replays confirmed – he shot it
too late.
Herring scored 12 points to lead the Patriots, and Evans had
nine with 11 rebounds. The Patriots were 14-for-48 from the field (29 percent).
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
George Mason Clubhouse
North Carolina Wilmington Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 George Evans corrals the rebound and puts it back for a score.
avi: 553 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Craig Callahan decides to take it to the hoop for a jam.
avi: 1199 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
George Evans makes a steal and takes it the distance for a layup.
avi: 501 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Jim Larranaga and George Mason survived a buzzer-beater to win a spot in the NCAA tournament.
wav: 135 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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