March 26, 2004
By NANCY ARMOUR
AP Sports Writer
ST. LOUIS – Georgia Tech is so good it didn’t even need its leading scorer to reach the regional finals of the NCAA tournament.
Marvin Lewis had 23 points and Will Bynum made a huge layup with 65 seconds left to give the Yellow Jackets a 72-67 victory over Nevada on Friday night in the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament.
The third-seeded Yellow Jackets (26-9) are in the regional finals for just the third time in school history and the first time since 1990.
They’ll play fourth-seeded Kansas in the St. Louis Regional final on Sunday. Kansas (24-8) demolished upstart Alabama-Birmingham 100-74 in the early game to advance to the regional finals for a third straight year.
“Thank God Marvin Lewis gave us a chance,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. “He has been a big, big part of getting this program back to where it is. I’m so happy he had this moment in time.”
The 10th-seeded Wolf Pack (25-9) were the lowest seed left in the tournament. They’d already knocked off Michigan State and routed Gonzaga, and it seemed as if another upset was in the making early – especially with Georgia Tech forced to play without B.J. Elder.
Elder, who averages a team-high 16.2 points, sprained his right ankle less than two minutes into the game when Kirk Snyder landed on it. Elder came back and tried to play late in the first half, but the pain was just too much.
So Lewis took over. The senior struggled mightily last weekend, going 4-for-12 in Georgia Tech’s first two games. But he was brilliant against Nevada, shooting 7-of-13, and his back-to-back 3-pointers with 5:20 left put Georgia Tech in control for the first time of the night.
“Everyone said we’ve got to pick our games up,” Lewis said. “We said we’re just going to have to do without him.”
It took them a while to find their groove, though. The Wolf Pack were up by as much as eight in the first half, with Snyder and Todd Okeson leading the way. But they cooled off in the second half when Georgia Tech’s stingy defense finally kicked in.
Nevada was just 7-for-33 in the second half, with the Yellow Jackets stifling Snyder and Okeson. Snyder was 2-for-12 in the second half, and he didn’t score his first points until there were 6? minutes left.
Okeson, who had 11 points in the first half, was 1-of-10 in the second, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range. He finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Despite his struggles, Snyder nearly rallied the Wolf Pack. His 3-pointer with 3:26 left pulled Nevada within 67-65, and he made a pair of free throws 90 seconds later to tie the game. He finished with 21 points.
Paul Hewitt celebrates after his team’s 72-67 win over Nevada in the NCAA regional semifinals Friday, March 26, 2004.
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But then Bynum came up with the play of the night. The 6-foot spark plug doesn’t get as much playing time as he’d probably like, stuck behind Jarrett Jack. When he does get the ball, though, good things often happen.
Driving hard to the basket, he leaped over Okeson. Both crashed to the floor, but Bynum’s layup went in to give Georgia Tech a 69-67 lead with 1:04 to play.
The Wolf Pack was forced to foul, and Lewis missed the first, drawing a loud groan from the vocal Georgia Tech contingent. But he made the second, giving the Yellow Jackets a 70-67 lead with 49 seconds left.
Nevada wasn’t quite done, though. Snyder’s layup was blocked by Georgia Tech center Luke Schenscher, and Clarence Moore strong-armed the rebound. He was fouled, and he made the first to seal the victory.
Okeson and Snyder each took one last 3, but neither was close. When the final buzzer sounded, Snyder sat on the floor, glumly watching the Georgia Tech fans celebrate.
