March 17, 2006

Kansas City, Mo. - Georgetown College (Ky.) earned a place in the record books with its 83-80 overtime victory Thursday against Vanguard University (Calif.) in the first round of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium.

The Tigers recorded their 46th victory in NAIA tournament play to tie the mark held by Central Washington University. Georgetown, which is making its 25th trip to the national tournament, has compiled a 46-25 record in that span. Central Washington went 46-28 in 27 appearances at the national tournament.

Georgetown, the No. 9 seed in this year's tournament, is 26-7 overall. The Tigers will have a chance to claim the all-time tournament wins mark on Friday, when they will face Oklahoma Baptist University in a second-round match-up at 9:45 p.m. CST.

The game was a tight contest that featured 13 ties and 17 lead changes. With 11 seconds left in regulation, Georgetown junior guard Robert Cox made one of two free throws to tie the contest at 72-72. The Lions had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds, but missed a pair of free throws and a field goal attempt to force the extra session.

Vanguard grabbed its final lead of the night, 77-76, when junior forward De'Auonte' Johnson sank a free throw with 1:04 to play. Junior forward Mark Surgalski answered for Georgetown with basket and free throw with 48 seconds to give the Tigers a 79-77 advantage. Following a Vanguard possession, junior guard Chris Gaither made two free throws to push the Georgetown lead to 81-77. The Tigers then held on down the stretch to post its record-tying victory.

Surgalski led all scorers with 28 points for Georgetown. Junior guard Ralph Cox chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds, while junior forward Brian Silverhorn posted 10 points.

Four players scored in double figures for Vanguard, led by senior forward Levi Seekins with 18 points. Johnson finished with 17 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while senior guard Horace Wormley contributed 15 points and eight assists. The Lions closed out their 2005-06 season with a record of 20-13.