WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a contest featuring 12 lead changes, the Boston University men's basketball team suffered heartbreak at George Washington, 64-63, as the Colonials converted on Javier Langarica's buzzer-beating putback Wednesday night.
 
With four Colonials scoring in double figures, GW (4-5) improved to 12-0 all-time at home against the Terriers (3-6). Senior Max Mahoney tallied a game-high 17 points to move up four slots to No. 22 all-time at BU (1,137), while sophomore Alex Vilarino nearly had a triple-double with eight points, seven assists and seven rebounds.
 
Jameer Nelson, Jr., tallied 17 points, six rebounds and four steals to lead GW, who finished the game on a 10-0 spurt in response to BU's 12-0 run. Armel Potter posted 15 points, while Maceo Jack and Jamison Battle contributed 11 each to help the Colonials overcome a 39.0 field goal shooting percentage.
 
THE FINAL STRETCH

• Mahoney hit a turnaround jumper to give BU a 63-54 lead with 2:33 remaining, but the Terriers missed their last five shots, including a free throw attempt, and committed two costly turnovers.
• After GW earned a critical defensive stop, Potter hit an acrobatic layup with the foul at 1:16.
• He missed his attempt at the charity stripe, but Shawn Walker, Jr., hauled in the offensive rebound to set up Battle's 3-pointer and the five-point possession with 1:09 remaining to cut the deficit to 63-60 at 1:09.
• GW next forced a turnover on the inbounds and hit two more free throws to pull within one with 59 seconds left.
• BU was unable to score on its next possession despite hauling in the offensive rebound.
• Potter missed the go-ahead layup attempt with 9.7 seconds remaining, and after the ball went out of bounds off a Terrier, missed a 3-point attempt with just a couple of seconds left in regulation.
• Langarica was able to grab the rebound near the basket and immediately shot off the glass for the winner.

THE SETUP

• The first half featured five lead changes, as GW's Jack Moceo opened with a 3-pointer and added a second at 13:35 for 11-8 lead.
• Sophomore Fletcher Tynen responded with consecutive layups to spark a 12-2 run capped by junior Andrew Petcash's second 3-pointer at 10:05.
• Facing a 20-13 deficit, GW came right back with an 11-2 run, as Nelson contributed six points and Maceo flushed his third trey at 6:53.
• Sophomore Jonas Harper hit his first bomb to break a 24-24 stalemate at 5:47, and classmate Walter Whyte drained both free throws with 26 seconds remaining to grab the 35-28 halftime lead.
• Junior Javante McCoy's fastbreak layup extended BU's lead to 40-30 at 17:35 in the second half.
• Trailing by seven (44-37) with 13:37 left, Nelson converted on a 3-point play and followed Battle's trey with a slam dunk to retake the lead, 45-44, at 11:35.
• The Terriers trailed, 54-51, with 6:30 remaining before McCoy sparked a 12-0 run with his lone bomb and a later a 3-point play at 4:08.
• Mahoney followed Whyte's fastbreak layup with BU's final made field goal to push the lead to 63-54.

GAME NOTES

• BU suffered its first one-point loss since falling to Lafayette at home, 63-62, in 2015.
• McCoy finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three steals, while Whyte had 11 points and five boards.
• BU outscored GW in the paint (40-28) and second-chance points (6-5) but trailed in points off turnovers (23-21), made 3-pointers (7-4) and made free throws (11-7).
• GW now owns a 20-2 all-time record in a series that dates back to 1958-59.

NEXT UP: BINGHAMTON

• Wrapping up a six-game road trip, BU will face its third America East opponent of the season when it visits Binghamton on Saturday, Dec. 7, with a 2 p.m. tip.
• The Terriers are 22-5 all-time and are on a 10-game win streak in the series.
• BU won the last meeting in 2015 at Binghamton, 75-65.