Cincinnati beats No. 17 Georgetown 69-47
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Yancy Gates scored 10 of his 13 points from the free-throw line, where Cincinnati was nearly flawless, and the Bearcats completed a sweep of No. 17 Georgetown with a 69-47 victory on Saturday.
The Bearcats (24-7, 11-7 Big East) completed a breakthrough regular season that put them in position for their first NCAA tournament appearance since Bob Huggins was coach. They won five of their last six, including a pair over the fading Hoyas (21-9, 10-8).
Cincinnati made 20 consecutive free throws while pulling away, finishing 24 of 30 from the line.
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Austin Freeman scored 21 for Georgetown, which goes into the Big East tournament with a three-game losing streak. Senior point guard Chris Wright missed his second game with a broken bone in his left (non-shooting) hand that required surgery. The Hoyas hope to get him back before the NCAA tournament.
Sean Kilpatrick hit a pair of 3s during a 16-3 run that blew the game open midway through the second half. Kilpatrick finished with 13 points. Dion Dixon had 14.
The Bearcats got a breakthrough win at Georgetown on Feb. 23, holding the Hoyas to four field goals in the second half of a 58-46 victory that snapped a streak of 20 straight road losses against ranked teams. It also became a starting point for their drive for an NCAA tournament berth.
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Cincinnati's strong finish put it in line for its first NCAA appearance since 2005, Bob Huggins' last season as coach. The Bearcats hadn't even managed a winning conference record in their first five seasons as part of the Big East.
The Hoyas came out pushing the pace and got fast-break baskets during a 12-4 run. Cincinnati used its defensive pressure to get back into it. There were four lead changes and three ties in the first half, which ended with Cincinnati getting a technical foul and a bank shot to go in its favor.
Freeman missed eight of his first 10 shots. After he made a driving bank shot with 44 seconds to go, he got a technical for something he said. The Bearcats made both free throws, and Gates took an inbound pass and banked in a long 3 from the top of the key as the buzzer sounded for a 30-24 halftime lead.
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Hoyas reserve center Henry Sims limped off the court with 5:50 left in the first half. A trainer checked his left knee, which already was covered in a brace. Two minutes later, forward Julian Vaughn picked up his third foul, leaving the Hoyas' front line temporarily short-handed. Sims returned for the second half.
A pair of free throws by Gates gave Cincinnati a 34-24 lead early in the second half, the biggest by either team up to that point.
Neither team could put together much of a run because of poor shooting. Both were shooting 33 percent from the field with 10:04 left and Cincinnati up 41-36. A pair of free throws by Gates and Kilpatrick's 3 started the clinching run.