MIDWEST REGIONAL : Hoyas sent home thanks to Curry
Posted on Monday, March 24, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/220752/
RALEIGH, N. C. — Stephen Curry looked tired. His soft, feathery shot was clanging off the rim. The slender, baby-faced sophomore seemed to be just another in a long line of stars bottled up by Georgetown’s ferocious defense.
Davidson’s run was certainly over. A good season was coming to a fitting end against one of college basketball’s elite programs.
Then, as quick as Curry can get off a turnaround three-pointer, the Wildcats staged a comeback.
Curry scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half and little Davidson rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit to stun No. 2 seed Georgetown 74-70 on Sunday, sending the Wildcats to an improbable spot in the round of 16.
Davidson (28-6 ), which hadn’t won an NCAA Tournament game in 39 years before Friday, will face No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the Midwest Regional in Detroit.
“I’m numb right now,” Coach Bob McKillop said.
So is Georgetown (28-6 ), which was shooting 71 percent from the field early in the second half, had forced Curry to miss 10 of his first 12 shots and was in total command in its quest to make the Final Four for the second consecutive year.
But despite 14 points from Jessie Sapp, 12 from Jonathan Wallace and 63 percent shooting, Georgetown was undone by 20 turnovers — and Curry’s brilliance.
The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry and the player the big schools didn’t want took over, fueled by a partisan crowd just 160 miles from campus.
“I remember being in the huddle. I forget what timeout it was, but we were down 16,” said Jason Richards, who had 20 points for the Wildcats. “And Coach is asking us if we’re having fun. We got smiling a little bit, and we got our focus off where we were and we came out and got some great stops.
“ And this kid started getting on fire again, like he did the other day, and when that happens, it’s tough to stop him.”
Curry scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half of Davidson’s comeback victory against Gonzaga in the first round and put together a fitting encore against the Hoyas. Only this time he did it against the nation’s stingiest defense. Georgetown came in allowing only 57. 6 points per game and 37 percent shooting.
After his awful start, Curry hit six of his last nine shots. He made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 23 seconds.
“For the most part, he had guys all over him and the ball was going in,” Georgetown Coach John Thompson III said.
Curry started rolling during Davidson’s 16-2 run in the second half. He converted a fourpoint play, made a three-pointer from the right wing and fed Andrew Lovedale for a layup to cut Georgetown’s lead to 50-48 with 8: 47 left.
Not even Thompson could draw up a defense to stop him now. Showing his quick release, Curry made a three-pointer, then had a three-point play with 4: 40 left that put Davidson ahead 60-58, its first lead since 2-0.
After picking up his fourth foul, Curry scored on a nifty scoop shot in the lane and hit a deep three-pointer to make it 65-60 Davidson with 2: 56 left.
“I have confidence to shoot the ball every time I shoot it,” Curry said. “In the open court, that’s my game — get my feet set and knock down shots.... When I start getting my shot going, it does feel good.” VILLANOVA 84, SIENA 72 TAMPA, Fla. — Scottie Reynolds scored 25 points and Corey Stokes added 20 as the 12 th-seeded Wildcats beat tiny Siena to reach the round of 16 for the third time in four years. Villanova (22-12 ), one of the last teams picked for the tournament field, advanced to play top-seeded Kansas (33-3 ) in the regional semifinals in Detroit. Alex Franklin led Siena (23-11 ) with 18 points, but the Saints didn’t get the kind of performances they needed from Kenny Hasbrouck, Edwin Ubiles and Tay Fisher, who all played major roles in the team’s 21-point upset of fourth-seeded Vanderbilt in the first round. Hasbrouck had 17 points but was only 5 of 15 from the field. Ubiles missed his first seven shots and finished 3 of 11 for 12 points, while Fisher was held to five points.
WEST REGIONAL WESTERN KENTUCKY 72, SAN DIEGO 63 TAMPA, Fla. — Western Kentucky didn’t need a buzzer-beater this time. Behind Courtney Lee’s dazzling firsthalf performance and some clutch shooting down the stretch, the 12 th-seeded Hilltoppers advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in 15 years with a victory over No. 13 seed San Diego on Sunday. Western Kentucky (29-6 ) will face topseeded UCLA in the West Region semifinals in Phoenix. The Hilltoppers can only hope their three senior guards — Lee, Tyrone Brazelton and Ty Rogers — will carry them through another round. Lee finished with 29 points, including a huge three-pointer that gave his team the lead for good with 6: 17 remaining. He hit six consecutive free throws in the final 34 seconds that sealed the victory.
Brazelton added 15 points for the Hilltoppers. Rogers, who hit the 26-footer at the buzzer in overtime to beat Drake in the first round, had a much quieter afternoon. He had 5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
Gyno Pomare had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Toreros (22-14 ), who overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half before fading in the closing minutes.