March 21, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Georgetown College (Ky.) rallied for an 85-83 victory Friday against Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) in the second round of the 2008 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium.

The top-seeded Tigers trailed by as many as eight points in the first half, but overcame the deficit and then held on in the closing seconds to remain undefeated on the season. Georgetown improves to 34-0 overall heads into quarterfinal play Saturday at 6 p.m. CST against either Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.) or Robert Morris College (Ill.).

Georgetown picked up win No. 48 in NAIA Tournament play on Friday, breaking a tie created hours earlier for the all-time tournament mark for victories. The Tigers have one more win than Oklahoma Baptist University, which tied Georgetown's record earlier in the day with an 89-79 victory earlier in the day over Lambuth University (Tenn.).

Georgetown led 84-77 with just 38 seconds remaining when Trevecca Nazarene mounted a comeback bid. Sophomore guard Matthew Elliott made two free throws to pull the Trojans within five points. Following a Georgetown turnover, junior forward Brian Oduor scored and was fouled. Odour's free throw helped Trevecca Nazarene trim the deficit to 84-82 with 25 seconds to play.

Trevecca Nazarene gained possession after a missed free throw by the Tigers, and senior Rick James was fouled with 14 seconds left. James made the first but missed the second, leaving Georgetown in front 84-83. Junior guard David Graham was fouled on the rebound and he made one of two free throws to push the Tigers back up by a score of 85-83.

The Trojans held for the final shot, but Elliott was just off the mark with a three-point attempt. Georgetown had a chance to seal the game with 0.6 seconds left but could not convert two free throw tries. However, Trevecca Nazarene was unable to get a shot off before the final horn.

Senior forward Gus Chase led Georgetown with 26 points, while Graham added 17 points. Both players handed out a team-leading four assists. Senior forward Donnovan Brown chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds, and junior guard Demetrius Guoins came off the bench to post 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Senior Josh Helton scored a team-high 21 points and dished out six assists for Trevecca Nazarene. Oduor scored 17 points in a reserve role, while Elliott posted 14 points for the Trojans. Trevecca Nazarene ends its season with an overall record of 25-10.