George Washington University

Feb. 25, 2009

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, NC - Senior Yolanda Lavender's potential overtime-inducing layup was waived off for failing to beat the final buzzer as George Washington fell at Charlotte, 59-57, Wednesday evening at Halton Arena.

The loss sends GW (17-11, 9-4 A-10) into fourth place in the Atlantic 10 standings with one regular-season game remaining. The Colonials host Temple, which upset No. 13 Xavier Wednesday, for Senior Day Sunday in a battle for the third-seed in next weekend's Atlantic 10 Championship. The game tips-off at 1:00 pm and will air live on CBS College Sports.

GW rebounded Ashley Spriggs' missed free throw with 5.4 seconds left and pushed to midcourt to call timeout with 3.6 seconds remaining. Lavender took the inbounds in the backcourt, drove deep into the lane and banked-in a running floater as time expired. However, officials called off the basket because Lavender didn't release the shot until after the buzzer. The referee crew did not review the play.

Senior Jessica Adair led GW with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, followed by senior Antelia Parrish's 10 points and game-high eight rebounds. Lavender finished with eight points and five assists.

Lavender's late layup spelled a disappointing end to the Colonials' dramatic late game rally. After GW grabbed its first lead of the game, 44-41, on rookie Tiana Myers' three-pointer at the 10:18 mark, Charlotte went on an 11-0 run to move ahead 52-44 with 7:07 to play.

The 49ers extended their lead to the largest of the game, 56-47, heading into the final media timeout with 3:44 left. Freshman Tara Booker hit a three out of the stoppage to close to six and, following a Charlotte free throw, Parrish converted a three-point play to make it 57-53 with 2:34 remaining.

Jessica Adair and Lavender scored around a Spriggs layup to twice pull the Colonials within two, the last on Lavender's pull-up 15-footer which brought it 59-57 with 45 seconds left. The 49ers rebounded their own missed shot, forcing the Colonials to foul. Shannon McCallum missed the front end, but blocked Myers' baseline jumper on the other end with 5.4 seconds and Spriggs was fouled in the battle for the rebound.

McCallum led all scorers with 18 points off the bench, Aysha Jones added 13 and Danielle Burgin had 11 points and eight rebounds for the 49ers. Spriggs chipped in eight points, six assists and five boards. Charlotte (20-7, 11-2 A-10) clinched at least the No. 2 seed for the A-10 Championship, which it hosts March 6-9.

GW trailed 35-29 at halftime as Charlotte shot 58.3 percent in the first half. The 49ers cooled to 38.5 percent in the second half, while the Colonials shot 35.7 percent in the second half to finish at 38.6 percent (22-of-57) on the night.