UMass-GW postponed
Riots cause curfew in Washington, D.C.
A men’s college basketball game scheduled to be played in Washington on Wednesday night was postponed after a city curfew was imposed because angry supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol.
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The Atlantic 10 Conference game between George Washington and UMass will be rescheduled by the league, GW announced.
Mayor Muriel Bowser issued the order for a curfew in the nation’s capital from 6 p.m. Wednesday until 6 a.m. Thursday.
There were no major professional sports events scheduled to take place in Washington on Wednesday. The game between George Washington and Massachusetts was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at GW’s arena.
The violent breach of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters forced lawmakers to be rushed to safety when they were meeting to formally count the electors that will make Joe Biden president on Jan. 20.
A statement from UMass said the team was leaving Washington, D.C. and would travel back to Massachusetts that night.
“This has been a dissappointing day for our country and is an issue much larger than sports,” UMass coach Matt McCall tweeted. “The safety of our team is our primary focus, and I am incredibly proud of their resiliency in handling everything thrown their way.”
Athletic director Ryan Bamford shared similar sentiments on Twitter.
“A disappointing time for our country, without a doubt,” he said. “Obviously our team’s safety is paramount. Appreciate the great leadership from (coach Matt McCall and the operational genius of (director of basketball operations Brian Grossman) to get our team organized and headed back to the Commonwealth this afternoon.”
No. 21 Duke 83, BC 82 — Wendell Moore Jr. scored a season-high 25 points to help No. 21 Duke hold off Boston College 83-82 on Wednesday night while Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski was sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols.
The sophomore had been off to a rough start to the season but had a huge performance for the Blue Devils (4-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had to rally from 16 down before halftime in their first game in three weeks.
Moore’s night included a critical late basket, corralling an inbounds pass with 2 seconds on the shot clock and hitting an off-balance fadeaway over Jay Heath for an 80-77 lead with 43 seconds left.
Moore added a free throw with 9.9 seconds left to make it a two-possession game, which provided just enough cushion when CJ Felder hit a 3-pointer with 1 second left for the final margin.
Louisville 73, No. 19 Virginia Tech 71 —
David Johnson felt relief as Louisville emerged with a tension-filled victory over No. 19 Virginia Tech.
Johnson scored 17 points, including a crucial free throw with five seconds left, and Louisville withstood a missed 3-point try at the buzzer, holding off No. 19 Virginia Tech in a matchup of unbeaten Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
The Cardinals (8-1, 3-0) led 47-33 early in the second half before Tech closed within 72-71 on Keve Aluma’s two free throws with 6.6 seconds left. Johnson was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and missed the second of two free throws, giving the Hokies (8-2, 2—1) a final chance. Tech quickly pushed the ball upcourt to Hunter Cattoor on the left side, but his long 3-point attempt bounced off the rim as time expired, allowing Louisville to escape with first place.
Pittsburgh 63, Syracuse 60 — Ithiel Horton scored 14 points, Au’diese Toney made a go-ahead putback with eight seconds left for Pittsburgh’s first lead and the shorthanded Panthers erased an 18-point deficit to beat Syracuse, snapping a seven-game losing streak in the series.
After Toney put Pittsburgh ahead, Syracuse dribbled across midcourt and called a timeout with 5.2 seconds left. But the Orange then turned it over, Xavier Johnson made two free throws for a three-point lead and Alan Griffin’s halfcourt heave at the buzzer hit the side of the rim.
Pittsburgh started the game making just three of its first 19 shots from the field as Syracuse built a 2810 lead at the 6:34 mark. The Panthers finished the half 6-of-28 shooting (21.4%) and trailed 32-18 before starting the second half on a 13-3 run to get within 35-31.
Toney finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for Pittsburgh (6-2, 2-1 ACC). Johnson also scored 10, becoming the 47th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Pittsburgh outrebounded Syracuse 41-29.
Pitt had three players and one staff member not travel to Syracuse due to COVIDrelated protocols. The Panthers were also without Justin Champagnie, averaging 17.8 points per game and 12.3 rebounds, due to a knee injury.