Hoyas prove no match for underdog Bobcats
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Georgetown had every reason to believe after its stirring four-game run at the Big East Tournament that it was playing as well as any team in the country.
The Hoyas couldn’t have picked a worse time to find out they were wrong.
After finally appearing to cast aside the frustrating inconsistency that had marred its regular season, Georgetown was unable to match the confidence and crisp execution of Ohio on Thursday, falling 97-83 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bobcats, who overcame their own share of adversity to find a groove at just the right time, move on to face the winner of the Tennessee-San Diego State game Saturday.
The Hoyas came into the night riding high after falling a basket short in the Big East Conference final. But the Bobcats (22-14), who had won seven of their last eight, including four games in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, owned the momentum from the opening tip. Ohio shot 58.2 percent from the floor and 56.5 percent from 3-point range.
Tommy Freeman (11 points) opened the game with a 3-pointer for the underdogs, and Greg Monroe (19 points, 13 rebounds) lost the ball for the first of his seven turnovers at the other end for the Hoyas. Chris Wright led Georgetown (23-11) with 28 points, but none of them were scored with the Hoyas in front.
Georgetown came back from an 8-2 deficit to take a 13-11 lead. But from there, the hot-shooting Bobcats took over with a 19-7 run that included two 3-pointers from freshman D.J. Cooper (23 points), who also had eight assists.
Armon Bassett, who led all scorers with 32 points, added a pair from beyond the arc to push the Ohio lead to 39-26.
Freeman hit all three of his first-half launches from deep, the last giving the Bobcats their biggest lead before the break at 46-31. They matched that margin when DeVaughn Washington’s alley-oop slam made it 53-38 early in the second half.
Freeman’s high-arcing swish over Monroe gave Ohio its biggest advantage at 63-44 with 13:14 remaining in the game. The Hoyas got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.
