Madison Square Garden was due for a multiple overtime contest from the Big East Conference Tournament, and it delivered one Thursday afternoon. Behind senior forward Yancy Gates' game-best 23 points, including 10 in the final six minutes of regulation and two in overtime, to help the Cincinnati Bearcats earn a 72-70 double-OT victory over the Georgetown Hoyas, 72-70, in the quarterfinals.
Junior guard Cashmere Wright banked in the game-winning shot, which was let go just inside the free-throw-line, with about nine seconds remaining in the second extra session. Georgetown's final possession ended with senior center Henry Sims missing a desperation 3-pointer that hit the back iron.
The Bearcats (23-9), the tournament No. 4 seed, move onto the semifinals where it will face the top-seeded Syracuse Orange, who earlier defeated No. 9 Connecticut Huskies, 58-55. Earlier this season, Jan. 23, Syracuse beat host Cincinnati, 60-53.
Trailing 50-41 with 6:12 to go in regulation, the Bearcats rallied behind Gates, who netted 10 of their last 11 points in the second half and helped give them a 53-52 with 37 seconds remaining.
A free throw by Cincy's senior point guard Dion Dixon with 26 seconds gave Cincy a two-point advantage, which disappeared when Georgetown's freshman forward Otto Porter nailed a game-tying jumper with 3.6 seconds left. A desperation 3-pointer by Gates missed short and sent the game into an extra session.
Overall, Dixon finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Jaquon Parker tallied nine points and 10 rebounds. Wright ended the game with 10 points.
For Georgetown, Sims finished with a team-high 22 points and 15 points, while Porter added 14 points.
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