Wednesday Recap: Lightning strikes twice for VCU, Nevada bounces back, and more

While the northeast was preparing for an onslaught of snow, VCU traveled to the nation’s capital and somehow escaped with a victory. Out west, the Mountain West piled on the offense in an entertaining evening.

Here’s how it all went down.

VCU gets another wacky win

Lightning struck twice for VCU this week. Just four days after the Rams’ controversial win against St. Bonaventure, they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the final seconds against George Washington. GW’s Yuta Watanabe hit a three-pointer to put his team up 53-52 with 0.4 seconds remaining. After a timeout, VCU’s JeQuan Lewis drew a foul on Collin Goss on the ensuing inbounds play, and made both free throws to give VCU the 54-53 win.

In addition to keeping the VCU tied with Dayton atop the A-10 standings, Wednesday night’s win also saw senior forward Mo Alie-Cox score his 1,000th career point. The Rams will look to extend their winning streak to six when they host Davidson on Saturday.

Saint Louis loses game, bus

The Billikens fell to 3-8 in the Atlantic 10 with a 70-55 loss at St. Bonaventure Wednesday night. But that’s not the story here. After the game ended, the team’s bus apparently left without the team aboard, and led police on a highway chase through Olean. Here’s how it ended, according to team play-by-play man Bob Ramsey:

D.J. Fenner drops 37 as Nevada steamrolls UNLV 104-77

UNLV decided not to even attempt to play defense against Nevada Wednesday night. The Wolf Pack hung 104 points, including 58 in the first half. Senior guard D.J. Fenner set a new career high with 37 points, shooting 12-15 from the field and 5-6 from beyond the arc.

This was a much-needed win for Nevada after it got embarrassed by Utah State, 74-57, on the road last Saturday. The Wolf Pack are currently tied with Boise State for first place in the Mountain West. They will face a tough road test when they visit San Diego State on Sunday.

Wyoming outlasts Fresno State in 4OT

Neither team led by more than six points, and it took an extra 20 minutes before Wyoming was finally able to edge out Fresno State, 102-100. Six total players fouled out, including four from Fresno State. The Bulldogs’ backcourt tandem of Jahmel Taylor and Deshon Taylor played 55 minutes each, and Wyoming guard Jason McManamen played 57. Bench production proved crucial in this game as the Cowboys’ bench outscored Fresno State’s 38-12. This game moves both teams to 6-6 in MWC play, which is good for 2.5 games out of first place.