Cincinnati ousts Hoyas in double OT

This time, Henry Sims could not rescue Georgetown.

The 6-10 center's driving layup at the end of the first overtime period had given the Hoyas new life against Cincinnati in Thursday's Big East Tournament quarterfinals. But Sims' final shot -- a three-pointer from the top of the arc as time expired in the second overtime -- bounced off the rim, ending Georgetown's tournament run.

It took two overtimes to do it, but the fourth-seeded Bearcats eventually staved off the fifth-seeded Hoyas, 72-70, to earn a spot in Friday's semifinal round against top seed Syracuse.

"We understand Syracuse has got a great team," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said of the Orange, which escaped No. 9 UConn, 58-55, in the early game. "We'll show up. Game is at seven, right? We'll be here."

Yancy Gates, who had a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds, was an immovable force inside for the Bearcats (23-9). But it was Cashmere Wright's driving layup off glass with 7.6 seconds left that sealed the win.

Tied at 70 with 28 seconds to go, Wright stood dribbling near the top of the arc. Finally he took off down the lane, challenging the Hoyas to stop him on his way to the hoop. But no one did.

"It was all set up by Yancy," said Wright, who finished with 10 points. "They were respecting him so much, like when he ducked in, it seemed like the whole team just sucked into him. So the hole just opened up wide and I just took it upon myself to try to win the game for my team."

Georgetown (23-8) had a chance to win it, but Sims' three-pointer didn't fall.

"The first layup to put it into double overtime, obviously, felt good," said Sims (22 points, 15 rebounds). "But I'd much rather have that shot at the end."

Cincinnati clawed its way back from an 11-point, second-half deficit with a 13-4 run over the final 6:02 of regulation. And though Sims' buzzer-beating basket tied it at 62 to force a second overtime, the Bearcats eventually found a way to close the door. In all, there were 18 lead changes and seven ties.

Cronin admitted his team, which had a double-bye, was outplayed for most of the game, but credited the Bearcats' "inner toughness." Nevertheless, he still seemed shocked they managed to hit just 2 of 21 threes (9.5 percent) and still won.

"It's just unthinkable that we were able to dig it out," he said.

Cronin also praised the gutsy performance of Gates, who was determined to make a statement.

"This is my last shot at it," said the 6-9 forward, who was suspended eight games this season because of his role in a brawl against Xavier. "I'll never play in the Garden in the Big East Tournament again, so just trying to push and fight and stay here as long as possible."