March 18, 2010
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Keyon Carter's two free throws with nine seconds left helped 11th-seeded Old Dominion deliver the first upset of the NCAA tournament when it stunned sixth-seeded Notre Dame 51-50 on Thursday in the South Regional.
ODU will now play third seeded Baylor, on Saturday. The Bears defeated Sam Houston today, 68-59.
The win is the Monarchs third NCAA Tournament victory, but first since 1995.
The Fighting Irish rushed the ball up the court as the clock wound down, but Carleton Scott's attempt to tie the game didn't fall and Luke Harangody's putback at the buzzer wasn't enough.
Frank Hassell scored 15 to lead Old Dominion (27-8), which had not won an NCAA tournament game since beating Villanova in triple overtime in 1995 as a No. 14 seed.
Keyon Carter added 11 points which include the two free throws late in the game. Carter also hauled down six rebounds, blocked a shot and came up with three steals.
Hassell, the Monarchs leading rebounder all season hauled down nine today. The 27 wins is the second most in school history, the most since winning 28 in 2005, but under the direction of head coach Blaine Taylor.
Harangody was held to four points for the Irish (23-12), all in the final minute, while Ben Hansbrough scored 17.
Notre Dame built a nine-point lead in the first half and still led 30-22 early in the second before the Monarchs used a 9-0 run to take the lead. It was close the rest of the way.
Hassell's three-point play with 5:51 remaining tied it at 43, and neither team scored for the next 3 minutes. Old Dominion's Darius James traded 3-pointers with Scott, and Gerald Lee put Old Dominion ahead with a shot from the perimeter. After Harangody missed inside, Lee made a free throw to make it 49-46 with 56.2 seconds left.
Tory Jackson missed a potential tying 3, but James missed the front end of a one-and-one from the foul line for Old Dominion. Harangody finally scored his first points with 12.6 seconds left to make it 49-48, but Keyon Carter made both free throws with 9.6 seconds remaining.
In a game that was all about defense, the outcome fittingly came down to a missed shot. ODU's defense ranked among the nation's top five. This marks the 12th time the Monarchs have held an opponent to 50 points or less this season.
Notre Dame led 15-6 early on, a margin that felt bigger because of the game's slow pace, but Old Dominion rallied quickly. Kent Bazemore scored while drawing a foul, and although he missed the free throw, the Monarchs came up with the ball. Hassell then scored inside while drawing Harangody's second foul with 9:38 to play. He completed the three-point play and scored again moments later to cut the lead to two.
The Irish led by nine again at 26-17 after Hansbrough's 3-pointer from the left wing. He finished the first half with 10 points, and Notre Dame led 28-22.
Hassell tied the game with a three-point play at 43 with 5:51 left in the game.Gerald Lee put ODU up for good, 48-46 with a jumper on an assist from Ben Finney.
Notre Dame entered the game having won six of its last seven with a more deliberate offense installed after Harangody hurt his knee. The 6-foot-8 senior went down Feb. 11 and missed five games, and had been coming off the bench.
The Irish's run is over now, though, and Old Dominion is headed to the second round to face Baylor or Sam Houston State. When the buzzer sounded, the Old Dominion fans began chanting "C-A-A" - a reference to the Colonial Athletic Association, where the Monarchs play.