Men's Hoops Upset by Huntington (Ind.) in NAIA Tourney Opener

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Georgetown College men's basketball team took the floor in the opening round of the 84th Annual NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship on Friday afternoon, and on paper they were the favorites over the 12-seeded Huntington University (Ind.) Forresters.

The game, however, is not played on paper. 

The Tigers (25-8) and Forresters (22-11) were knotted up at the half, but the Georgetown offense went cold in the second half, and Huntington pulled away to the 80-69 victory.

Huntington opened the game on a 9-0 run, and Georgetown did not score in the first 3:17 of play. The Tigers got on the board on a bucket from Kyran Jones that ignited a 9-2 run that pulled Georgetown within two at 11-9. The Tigers, though, were unable to get the game tied, and the Forresters led for much of the first stanza. With 6:15 to play, Huntington pushed their lead to six at 32-26, but seconds later Georgetown's Cam Brooks-Harris made two free throws that launched a 7-0 spurt that gave Georgetown their first lead of the night at 33-32. The teams traded the lead five times in the final four minutes, and at intermission, the teams were deadlocked at 40.

The Tigers took the lead out of the break, and the game remained close through the opening five minutes of the final frame. With 14:56 to play, Huntington took the lead at 51-50, and that sparked an 8-0 run that gave the Forresters a 57-50 advantage. Georgetown answered with a 7-0 run of their own to tie the game at 57, and the game was tied at 59 with the clock hit the 10 minute mark. In the final 10 minutes, though, the Tigers' offense went cold. Georgetown endured a 2-for-14 shooting stretch over a span of nearly six minutes, and in the final 10 minutes, they were only 3-for-20 from the floor and 1-for-8 from long range. The cold shooting spelled the end for the Tigers, as Huntington pulled away for the 80-69 victory.

Jones finished with a game-high 29 points in the contest, and he added nine rebounds which was also a team best. Derrin Boyd added 13 points, and Brook-Harris chipped in 10 as the Tigers had only three players in double-figures. The Tigers shot 28-for-68 (41.2%) from the field in the game, but they were a paltry 4-for-21 (19%) from long distance. At the line, Georgetown was a perfect 9-for-9.

The loss ends the Tigers' 31st consecutive NAIA tournament appearance, and with it their season.