March 16, 2010 | AP Press

WASHINGTON, DC – In his final college game, George Washington senior Damian Hollis scored his career-high 30 points but it wasn’t enough as Virginia Commonwealth ended the Colonials’ season with a 79-73 triumph in the College Basketball Invitational Tournament first round Tuesday at Charles E. Smith Center.

The loss ends the Colonials’ season with a 16-15 overall record, their first winning record since 2006-07.

VCU (23-9) had five players score in double figures led by Joey Rodriguez’s team-high 16 points. Ed Nixon and Jamie Skeen added 14 points each and Larry Sanders and Bradford Burgess each scored 10 points. The victory allows the Rams to advance to the CBI quarterfinal-round matchup with the winner of Wednesday’s Eastern Kentucky-Charleston game on Monday, Mar. 22.

A-10 All-Rookie Team member Lasan Kromah scored 18 points for the Colonials including six straight early in the second half.

The Rams took its biggest lead of the game in the first half behind a 16-1 run beginning at the 9:15 mark to open a 37-20 bulge with 5:22 left. GW twice cut the lead to nine before a three-pointer by Troy Daniels, the Rams’ 10th three-pointer of the half, gave VCU a 45-33 lead at the break.

GW began the second half with a 16-6 run behind Kromah’s six straight to cut the deficit to 51-49 at the 10:56 mark.

The Colonials outrebounded the Rams, 39-33, including an 18-13 edge on the offensive end. GW shot 43.8 percent (28-for-64) for the game including just 4-15 from long range, while the Rams shot 46.3 percent (25-for-54) with 11 three-pointers.

Hollis’s 30 points was the highest scoring effort by a Colonial since Jan. 10, 2007. The senior ends his career with 1,196 points which ranks 28th on the GW career scoring list.