PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Don't put away the dancing shoes just yet. Ohio pulled off its biggest upset in school history.
The Bobcats led for most of the game and answered every Georgetown run on their way to a stunning 97-83 victory. They defeated the Midwest Region's No. 3 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last night at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
Ohio became just the 16th No. 14 seed to win an NCAA Tournament game and won its first game in the Big Dance since 1983.
We are just blessed
junior Armon Bassett said. We kept believing in ourselves and God just kept on blessing us right now.
It was a team effort.
Bassett continued his postseason scoring binge. The Mid-American Conference Tournament MVP scored 32 points and played every minute of the game. Freshman guard D.J. Cooper added 23 points and eight assists and played a big part in fending off Georgetown's second-half charges.
Behind by double digits for most of the second half the Hoyas closed to within seven on two occasions. After a layup by Jason Clark made it 79-72
Cooper hit a falling jumper in the paint.
Moments later
Cooper nailed a 3-pointer after an Austin Freeman jumper
and the Bobcats led by 10 again
84-74.
My guys and coach (John) Groce do a great job (and) keep putting confidence in me, Cooper said. If I get rattled or anything, they just give me encouragement.
Ohio never seemed intimidated by the higher-seeded and more talented Hoyas. The Bobcats shot 58 percent from the field and hit 13 3-pointers on the night. The defense forced 18 Georgetown turnovers and the Hoyas never looked comfortable on either side of the ball.
We may not be the better team, just got to be (the) better team on a given night, Bassett said. That's going to be a mindset going in---we've got to be a better team for that particular game.
The Bobcats went into the locker room at halftime with a 48-36 advantage.
After a 3-pointer by Chris Wright gave Georgetown an 18-17 lead
the Bobcats went on a 16-4 run to open up an 11-point advantage at 33-22.
The Bobcats attacked Georgetown with double teams and contested almost every shot. Freeman
the Hoyas' leading scorer on the season
didn't score a point in the first half and finished with just nine for the game.
Greg Monroe scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Hoyas
but the Bobcat defense frustrated him. Monroe committed seven turnovers and fouled out late in the game.
I told our guys before the game that we weren't going to stop him, Groce said. We tried to keep him off balance a little bit and keep him guessing.
Playing in the NCAA Tournament may have been new to Ohio
