DAYTON, Ohio -- Carl Elliott stole a pass and sank a 3-pointer from about 30 feet as time expired Saturday, giving George Washington a 62-59 win over Dayton and sole possession of first place in the Atlantic 10 West.
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The Colonials (18-6, 10-4) held the Flyers (16-9, 9-5) scoreless over the final 2:14, relying on relentless defense that forced two missed layups and caused a costly turnover on Dayton's final possession.
Two George Washington defenders stopped Monty Scott's drive into the lane, forcing him to pass back toward Brian Roberts at the left side of the foul line.
Elliott intercepted the pass with 4 seconds left and raced toward his basket. About halfway between midcourt and the top of the 3-point arc, he flung up a shot that went through the hoop as the horn sounded.
Elliott had only one other field goal and finished with five points. Mike Hall led the Colonials with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and T.J. Thompson added 15 points.
Roberts scored 15 points and Norman Plummer had 10 for the Flyers.
Dayton failed to score after Trent Meacham's layup made it 59-54 with 2:14 remaining. George Washington closed to two on Hall's 3-pointer with 2:00 left and tied the score 59-all on Thompson's two free throws with 1:22 to play.
The Flyers failed to extend a 59-57 lead when Mark Jones missed a layup with 1:28 left. With 1:04 remaining, Meacham missed a layup that would have given Dayton a two-point lead.
Dayton shot only 35.7 percent from the field and made just 8 of 27 attempts in the first half to fall behind 35-26 at the break.
George Washington scored only 12 points in the first 11 minutes of the second half, allowing Dayton to rally for a 52-47 lead.
