NEW YORK (AP) Chaz Williams scored 16 points in his homecoming to Brooklyn and made a steal in the final seconds to clinch UMass' 77-72 win over George Washington on Thursday night in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

The 5-foot-9 junior fearlessly drove to the basket for three scores in the last 2 1/2 minutes of a back-and-forth game. His fast-break layup with 78 seconds left gave the Minutemen the lead for good. Then he found himself wide open in the lane with 32.5 seconds to go to put the Minutemen ahead 75-72.

"Nobody wants to come here and lose on the first night," said Williams, who had his grandmother and 2-year-old daughter in the stands. "Just trying to do anything in our power and will to come out with this victory and move on to tomorrow. I was just doing whatever my team needed me to do. I wasn't making shots early on so I wanted to pick up my slack in other places."