Feb. 7, 2009
Box Score | Quotes | AP Photos 
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Deonta Vaughn scored 16 points and had nine rebounds as Cincinnati made clutch free throws in overtime to escape with a 64-62 victory over Georgetown in front of 15,349 at Verizon Center Saturday afternoon.
Georgetown falls to 13-9 overall and 4-7 with the loss, while Cincinnati improves to 16-8 overall and 6-5 in the BIG EAST Conference.
Tied at 60-all with 2:46 to play in the overtime, Mike Williams hit a pair of free throws with 2:19 to play and Deonta Vaughn added two with 1:51 left to give the Bearcats a 64-60 lead. The Hoyas pulled to within 64-62 after free throws from sophomore guard Chris Wright (Bowie, Md./St. John's College H.S. [D.C.]) and freshman center Greg Monroe (New Orleans, La./Helen Cox) blocked a shot by Williams with 23 seconds left, but a three-pointer from sophomore guard Austin Freeman (Mitchellville, Md./DeMatha) was off the mark with one second left.
The Hoyas had led by five points, 59-54, after a jumper from Monroe with 2:24 to play in the game, but Vaughn hit a jumper with 1:54 to play and Alvin Mitchell's three-pointer with 1:04 left tied the game. After a Georgetown turnover with 42 seconds left, Cincinnati had a chance for the win, but a three from Mitchell was off the mark and a three from junior forward DaJuan Summers (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) at the buzzer just missed, sending the game to overtime.
The team was 50 percent (3-6) in the first half from behind the arc, while Cincinnati was only 12.5 percent (1-8). Georgetown shot 45 percent from the field in the first half, and ended the period on a 24 to 10 run that put the Hoyas up 26-21.
After struggling early in the game, the Hoyas took a five-point lead (26-21) at the break. It looked like the Blue & Gray had grasped the momentum midway through the second half. Georgetown scored the first six points of the second half and extended its lead to 12 points, 33-12, on a layup from Wright with 17:46 to play.
Cincinnati, however, started to chip away at the lead. A jumper from Yancy Gates cut the Hoya lead to four points, 41-37, with 12:12 to play, but Jason Clark (Arlington, Va./Bishop O'Connell) responded with a three to make it 44-37. A layup from Vaughn with 9:33 to play made it 45-42 and the Bearcats tied the game at 52-all with 5:37 left in regulation when Vaughn was fouled on a three point attempt. Vaughn capitalized on the opportunity and knocked down all three free throws.
The Hoyas started the game off slowly, missing their first four shots of the game and fell behind early, as Mike Williams scored the first sox points for UC and Vaughn hit a three to make it 11-2. Sophomore Omar Wattad (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) started the comeback by knocking down two three-point baskets, the second basket giving the Blue and Gray its first lead of the game, 16-15, with 6:43 left in the half.
Junior forward Nikita Mescheriakov (Minsk, Belarus/St. John's Prospect Hall (Md.)) also hit a three-point shot in the first half, pulling the teams even at 13.
Monroe led Georgetown with 13 points, six rebounds and five steals, while Freeman added 10 points. Summers finished with seven points and seven rebounds, while Wright added nine points, four assists and three rebounds and Clark chipped in nine points and four rebounds.
The Hoyas shot 40.8 percent from the floor (20-of-49), 40.0 percent from three-point land (6-of-15) and 72.7 percent from the free throw line (16-of-22). Cincinnati held a 31-28 advantage on the boards, while Georgetown handed out 12 assists and committed 13 turnovers.
Georgetown will look to rebound on the road against Syracuse on Saturday, Feb. 14. Tip-off at the Carrier Dome is slated for noon. The game will be shown live on ESPN and can be heard locally on ESPN 980 AM.
