1985 NCAA Tournament, Final Four - vs #1 Rice (33-2)
This is a rematch of last year's Final Four, won 91-79 by George Washington. The unsung hero of that game, Dwight Davis and his 27 points, is gone. But Jack (14 points, 17 rebounds, 11 assists) and Hulett (19 points). The Owls were a young-ish team; four of their starters were first-year starters. Now, four starters are back, three of which are seniors. Their sixth-man is a senior. Those four have played in at least 92 games, three in triple-digits. Three others have 70 games under their belt. This is a veteran squad.
And they've wanted this game all along.
Center Kim Reynolds leads the offensive show, scoring 16.6 points and getting 7.8 rebounds a game. He also averages 4.0 blocks. Guard Freddie Thompson scores 16.0 a game. Joshua Shriver, who scores 13.2 points and nabs 6.0 rebounds, is a bit banged up, but he should play. This team also has Ellsworth Julius, who started ten games, and is on the all-name team. They also have Maximo Joseph, and Family Guy spoof Stephen Quattlebaum. Andy Dalton is redshirting.
The smart money is on Rice, but after GW's last win...nobody can count this GW team out. Nobody. Many feel this is the actual national championship game, and carries with it all the pomp and circumstance as such. Even that new newspaper, USA Today, ran a multi-page cover story on the game, and, of course, on Jack.
One worry, though...the cover of Sports Illustrated was Ali's shot. Hmmm.
Maus tips it to a streaking Reynolds who dunks it on the first possession. Jack calmly responds with a three...then gets blocked on a dunk by Maus. Reynolds fouls, and Jack scores. Freddie Thompson hits a three. It's 5-5 early on. Jack finds Hulett in the corner. Maus is fouled by Armbruster, who gets one of two. Armbruster commits his second foul with 14:34 left.
Jack gets a steal, and scores. He has seven, and it's 9-6. He gets another steal, and throws it down. Hulett fouls Michael Drake, who scores...misses the free throw, but Mike Mitchell scores. Woods gets a steal and a dunk to make it 13-10, GW. Jack finds Hulett. Mitchell scores. Hector scores for GW. It's 17-12. Woods fouls Reynolds, who hits both...17-14 with 11:45 to go.
Reynolds dunks it home...Woods counters from the wing. Jack slides to the center spot; Kenny hits two free throws. Jack commits his first foul. Hulett commits his second. Shriver hits both, and Jack responds witha three. He has 12. Gilbert Kaufman scores for Rice. Shriver scores, making it 24-22. Ali hits a three off a Jack pass. Drake responds. Jack hits from the top of the key. Then he commits his second foul, with 6:55 left, and comes out. GW is up 29-26.
Michael King is in. He gets an assist. Maus scores. Freddie Thompson misses a shot to tie it. Then he misses another. GW is cold with Jack out...Maus makes it 31-30. He has five. Finally, Thompson gives Rice a 33-31 lead. Armbruster gets fouled by Maus, and he goes one of two. Jack is back. He has a 14-5-3 line.
Hulett finds Armbruster, and Rice calls time. 34-33, GW. Ellsworth Julius is in. What a name. Armbruster gets fouled by Maus; his second. 35-33. Thompson hits a three, and Maus gets a steal and a dunk. 38-35, and Rice has their biggest lead. GW has nine turnovers, and Rice has just two steals. Mitchell scores; Woods counters. Jack finds Hulett, who then fouls Drake. He misses both. Jack scores with a minute to go. Drake finds Maus. That's how the half ends, with Rice up, 42-41. Jack has a 16-7-4 line, but those two fouls loom large. GW's ten turnovers are problematic. Rice had eight. Both teams shot very well: GW 61%, Rice 57%. Expect some regression, I think.
Maus and Thompson had nine. Maus misses a three to open it up. Jack turns it over, and Shriver turns it back. Maus fouls Jack, who hits both at the line. Maus has three. Drake finds Thompson. GW gets a shot clock violation, but Rice turns it over. Kenny hits a three...46-44, GW. Maus ties it right back, off a Drake pass. He has five assists.
Maus scores off a Drake pass. It's 48-46. Jack ties it up; he has 20-9-4 right now. Hulett hits a three off a Jack pass. Jack drills a three, and it's 54-48, GW. Shriver turns it over. Maus commits his fourth foul. Jack is owning this game at the moment. He's controlling the boards, and the GW offense. Jack can't hit though...but he gets people to foul. With ten minutes left, Maximo Joseph makes it 54-50.
Jack gets fouled, and hits both. Hulett fouls Julius, and here's Hector, as Jack sits, too. Ali is in. Bryan Sabetto-Davis hits a three. 56-53, GW. Ali misses a three. Sabetto-Davis hits again...it's down to one, and Jack comes back after Ali travels. Jack finds Ali; this team is night-and-day in this game with and without Jack. It's 58-56, Rice can tie...and they do on a Shriver hoop. Hector throws it away, but Jack gets a steal and a dunk. He has 27-14-6. Hector fouls Mitchell, who scores. Rice leads 61-60 with 5:48 left.
Julius scores; 63-60. Hector ties it off a Jack pass. Armbruster and Hulett are back with four fouls. So is Maus. Thompson gives Rice a 65-63 lead, with 2:51 to go. Hulett hits a three off a Jack pass. He has 12, and now he fouls out. Armbruster with a steal...he finds Jack, who can't hit. 1:06 to go. Rice gets called for a shot clock, and Hector gets fouled...but he misses. :22 left, Rice ball. In the confusion of the one-and-one, Jack got pulled from the floor for Ali.
They work it around, Mitchell finds Shriver. Shriver drives right, gets free, shoots...
....and gets blocked by Ali!
Maus gets it, but the buzzer sounds!
Unbelievable. A rookie coaching mistake led to the biggest player on the planet exiting the game, and Porter Ali saves George Washington AGAIN. How...I....wow.
The legend of Porter Ali grows by the minute. Meanwhile, Jack rose to the occasion. You could completely see a different team when he was on the floor, than the one that played when he was off it. Charlie Radcliff on why Jack was taken off the court on the game's final play.
"He had a rather nasty cut, and the ref forced him off the floor to be tended to."
Code:
George Washington 66, Rice 65
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George Washington (33-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Brian Armbruster C 26 1-3 2-4 1 7 0 4 4
Bruce Woods PF 32 3-7 0-0 2 4 0 2 6
Jack Dawkins SF 34 10-21 4-4 6 15 8 2 27
Kenneth Frazier SG 28 2-3 2-2 1 1 2 0 7
Richie Hulett PG 28 5-8 0-0 1 1 1 5 12
Hector Patterson PG 20 2-2 0-1 1 2 4 1 5
Michael King PG 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Glenn Grayson PF 11 0-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Denny Perez C 9 0-0 0-0 0 3 0 0 0
Porter Ali SG 8 2-5 0-0 1 1 0 0 5
F. Boutwell SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Turnovers: 17 (B.Armbruster 2, B.Woods 2, J.Dawkins 1,
K.Frazier 3, R.Hulett 5, H.Patterson 2, G.Grayson 1,
P.Ali 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (B.Woods 1, P.Ali 1)
Steals: 6 (B.Armbruster 1, B.Woods 1, J.Dawkins 3,
R.Hulett 1)
3P FGs: 8-16 (J.Dawkins 3-7, K.Frazier 1-1, R.Hulett
2-3, H.Patterson 1-1, M.King 0-1, P.Ali 1-3)
Rice (33-3, 13-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jordan Maus C 28 6-10 1-2 2 4 1 4 13
Kim Reynolds PF 35 2-7 3-5 2 5 1 1 7
Joshua Shriver SF 34 2-5 4-4 4 8 1 3 8
Freddie Thompson SG 25 5-13 0-0 0 3 1 3 13
Michael Drake PG 34 2-4 0-3 3 4 8 0 4
Micheal Mitchell PG 11 4-8 1-1 1 1 0 2 9
Maximo Joseph SG 8 1-2 0-0 1 2 2 0 2
B. Sabetto-Davis PF 10 2-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 5
Ellsworth Julius PF 8 1-1 0-2 0 1 0 0 2
Gilbert Kaufmann PG 5 1-1 0-0 0 2 0 1 2
S. Quattlebaum C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Andrew Lee SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Turnovers: 16 (K.Reynolds 5, J.Shriver 3, F.Thompson 6,
M.Drake 1, M.Joseph 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (J.Maus 3, M.Drake 1, E.Julius 1)
Steals: 2 (J.Maus 1, K.Reynolds 1)
3P FGs: 4-18 (J.Maus 0-1, J.Shriver 0-1, F.Thompson
3-11, M.Drake 0-2, M.Joseph 0-1, B.Sabetto-Davis 1-2)
Player of Game: SF Jack Dawkins (GW)
The final 2:13.
Code:
2nd Half Time Remaining: 2:13 Rice 65, George Washington 63
George Washington ball: Defense: Man
Brian Armbruster passes the ball to Jack Dawkins (Backcourt).
Jack Dawkins brings the ball over the timeline.
Jack Dawkins passes the ball to Richie Hulett (Left wing).
Richie Hulett shoots a three-pointer from the left wing.
Nothing but net.
Jack Dawkins gets the assist.
2nd Half Time Remaining: 2:01 Rice 65, George Washington 66
Rice ball: Defense: Man
Joshua Shriver inbounds the ball to Michael Drake.
George Washington comes out in a full court press.
Michael Drake passes the ball to Joshua Shriver (Top of the key).
Richie Hulett tips the pass away but gets called for a foul.
Richie Hulett has fouled out of the game.
Team Fouls - Rice: 6, George Washington: 4
2nd Half Time Remaining: 1:56 Rice 65, George Washington 66
Rice ball: Defense: Man
Jordan Maus inbounds the ball to Michael Drake
Michael Drake drives to the right wing.
Michael Drake passes the ball to Kim Reynolds (Left corner).
Kim Reynolds is trapped in the corner.
Kim Reynolds gets free from the trap.
Kim Reynolds passes the ball to Jordan Maus (Left baseline).
Brian Armbruster steals the pass.
2nd Half Time Remaining: 1:45 Rice 65, George Washington 66
George Washington ball: Defense: Man
Brian Armbruster brings the ball over the timeline.
Brian Armbruster passes the ball to Kenneth Frazier (Left corner).
Kenneth Frazier drives to the top of the key.
Kenneth Frazier passes the ball to Jack Dawkins (Right baseline).
Jack Dawkins drives to the inside.
Jack Dawkins drives to the left baseline.
Jack Dawkins passes the ball to Hector Patterson (Right wing).
Hector Patterson passes the ball to Jack Dawkins (Top of the key).
Jack Dawkins shoots a three-pointer from the top of the key.
No good.
Michael Drake (Rice) gets the rebound.
2nd Half Time Remaining: 1:06 Rice 65, George Washington 66
Rice ball: Defense: Man
Michael Drake brings the ball over the timeline.
Michael Drake drives to the left baseline.
Michael Drake drives to the left corner.
Michael Drake backs out to the left wing.
Michael Drake passes the ball to Kim Reynolds (Left baseline).
Kim Reynolds passes the ball to Joshua Shriver (FT Line).
Joshua Shriver passes the ball to Freddie Thompson (Right wing).
Freddie Thompson drives to the top of the key.
Freddie Thompson doesn't notice the shot clock winding down.
Rice is called for a shot clock violation.
2nd Half Time Remaining: 0:30 Rice 65, George Washington 66
George Washington ball: Defense: Man
Bruce Woods inbounds the ball to Hector Patterson.
Micheal Mitchell commits the foul.
Team Fouls - Rice: 7, George Washington: 4
Rice is in the penalty.
Hector Patterson will go to the line for one plus the penalty.
2nd Half Time Remaining: 0:24 Rice 65, George Washington 66
George Washington ball: Defense: Man
Hector Patterson is at the free throw line.
The free throw is no good.
Joshua Shriver (Rice) gets the rebound.
2nd Half Time Remaining: 0:22 Rice 65, George Washington 66
Rice ball: Defense: Man
Joshua Shriver passes the ball to Michael Drake (Left wing).
Michael Drake drives to the left baseline.
Michael Drake passes the ball to Jordan Maus (Right baseline).
Jordan Maus passes the ball to Micheal Mitchell (Top of the key).
Micheal Mitchell passes the ball to Joshua Shriver (Right wing).
Joshua Shriver drives to the right baseline.
Joshua Shriver shoots from the right baseline.
The shot is blocked by Porter Ali.
Jordan Maus (Rice) gets the rebound.
Final Score - George Washington 66, Rice 65
Player of the Game: SF Jack Dawkins - George Washington