March 19, 2003
By GEORGE HENRY
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA – Chris Bosh scored 18 points and B.J. Elder added 12 as Georgia Tech beat Ohio State 72-58 in the first round of the NIT Wednesday night.
The Yellow Jackets (15-14) will play either Iowa or the winner of the Iowa State-Wichita State game in the second round.
Ohio State (17-15), which lost 72-59 to No. 13 Illinois in the Big Ten tournament championship Sunday, was playing its first game without Zach Williams. The junior forward was suspended for arguing with the Buckeyes’ coaching staff during a loss to Illinois.
Sean Connolly led the Buckeyes with 16 points, and Brent Darby had 12.
Georgia Tech, coming off a 71-65 loss to North Carolina State in the first round of the ACC tournament, broke the game open after Connolly hit two free throws that cut the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 48-47 with 12:13 remaining.
Ismai’il Muhammad ended an 18-4 run nearly eight minutes later with a reverse jam that put Georgia Tech ahead 66-51.
Freshman forward Theodis Tarver made his first career start, scoring nine points for the Yellow Jackets. Tarver replaced center Luke Schenscher in the lineup. Schenscher, who played only 57 seconds Friday, stayed on the bench the entire game.
Ohio State came in with a 10-1 record and eight straight wins against the Yellow Jackets. The Buckeyes had won eight straight over Georgia Tech, their last matchup coming in the second round of the 1991 NCAA tournament, when Ohio State won 65-61.
