Carrollton – Is it possible for a college basketball team to play a “must game” before Thanksgiving. For the West Georgia Wolves, the answer might have been an emphatic “yes!” The emphatic part was added here Saturday as the Wolves won a pulsating, 90-87 overtime decision over the Statesmen of Delta State.
West Georgia had its share of heroes, none more than
Doug Daniels. The senior from Vallejo, Calif., played 44 minutes on the night. He scored 19 points, including a game-tying three-point basket with eight seconds remaining in regulation.
“He was totally exhausted and was coming up short on every shot late in the game,” said UWG coach
Michael Cooney. “But, when we had to have a big play, he made a perfect a three-pointer as you’ll ever see.’
Both teams spent much of the game on a roller coaster. Delta State jumped to an early, six-point lead, only to see UWG rally to lead by as many as eight in the first half. At the half, the Statesmen had rallied to cut the Wolves’ lead to 36-32.
The second half started ugly for the Wolves, and stayed that way for a while. “It was totally unwatchable,” is how Cooney described a stretch that saw Delta State go on a 13-0 run to claim a 64-52 lead with but 8:46 to play.
“Our defense got us back into the game,” is how Cooney described the next 4:59. It was a stretch that saw Delta State go without a field goal and the Wolves tie the game at 66-66. Still, UWG never reclaimed the lead in regulation and needed Daniels’ dramatic basket to force the extra period.
A Statesmen turnover, followed by
Chris Colvin layup gave West Georgia the lead in the first 16 seconds of the extra period. After Delta State quickly tied the score,
Adam Stanger fed
Chris Miller-Williams for a basket that gave the Wolves a lead they would never relinquish.
Still, missed free throws kept Delta State in contention until the game’s final seconds. The Statesmen rebounded the last of UWG’s free throw misses with three seconds remaining, and needed a length-of-the-floor trip to have a shot at a game-tying three.
However, it was again Daniels to the rescue for UWG. He stole the inbounds pass, dribbled out the final seconds, and sent his team home a winner.
Miller-Williams scored 22 to lead five Wolves in double figures. Daniels was next with 19;
John Pringle scored 15, while Colvin and
Jeremy Smith notched 12 apiece. Pringle topped the Wolves on the glass with eight rebounds.
Delta State had four players in double figures. David Clark led with 24. Alton Robinson scored 17; Stanley Copeland notched 13, while Oliver Mansour scored 11.
West Georgia shot 50% for the night, connecting on 34-of-68 from the field. But, in the second half an over time, the Wolves hit 21-of-33, a 63.6% clip. Delta State was 30-of-71 from the field, a mark of 42% for the evening.
Saturday’s win moves the Wolves’ record to 1-3; Delta State’s mark evens at 1-1. The Wolves return to action Tuesday night in Miami vs. Florida International in the O’Reilly Auto Parts/CBE Classic. Wednesday, UWG faces a second Division I opponent, Toledo, in the event’s finale.