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No. 7 Georgetown beats Connecticut 79-78 in 2 OTs

By WTOP Staff

By JIM O’CONNELL
AP Basketball Writer

STORRS, Conn. (AP) – Georgetown was looking for the win that would extend its winning streak and lead in the Big East Conference.

Connecticut was looking for THE win, a chance to celebrate in a season winding down with no postseason opportunities.

Both teams gave incredible efforts in a double-overtime game finally won 79- 78 by the seventh-ranked Hoyas on Wednesday night.

It wasn’t only the players who left Gampel Pavilion exhausted and spent emotionally. The sellout crowd of 10,167 seemed ready to storm the court a couple of times only to see the Hoyas find a way to win.

“That was a hell of a basketball game right there,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said of his team’s10th straight win. “They guys in the other locker room, they could have cashed it in. … They fought and fought and fought. We had our chances to end it. We didn’t. Then we could have cashed it in but we fought and fought and fought.”

That was a double-overtime game that had two triple foughts.

“That’s not a good win, it’s a great win,” Thompson said.

Otto Porter Jr. scored down low with 9.5 seconds remaining in the second overtime to help Georgetown erase a seven-point deficit over the final 2:03. The Hoyas knew the other side of that as well, blowing a 12-point lead over the final 4:36 of regulation.

Porter scored 21 of his 22 points after halftime in a wild game that saw Georgetown (22-4, 12-3 Big East) stay in first place in the conference.

“He makes winning plays,” Thompson said of Porter, who was coming off a career-high 33-point effort in a win over No. 12 Syracuse. “Coming down at the end, it was, `Let’s get a stop and then let’s get it to Otto and go.”‘

Porter said once the Hoyas got the stop they needed so badly, “I just sprinted the lane. … I saw Mikael (Hopkins) sprint to the rim so I was able to use him to get to the rim.”

The Hoyas improved to 1-3 in Gampel Pavilion, Connecticut’s 23-year-old on- campus arena. The Huskies (19-8, 9-6) play most of their big conference games at the XL Center in Hartford.

This was a memorable visit for a team that, along with Syracuse, has to be considered the Huskies’ biggest rival in the Big East, which is facing incredible changes in the coming years.

“I thought I had seen it all but I guess I haven’t,” Huskies first-year coach Kevin Ollie said. “We had it. They had it. It happens.”

Markel Starks had 19 points for Georgetown, while D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 14.

DeAndre Daniels had 25 points, one off his career high, and 10 rebounds for the Huskies. Shabazz Napier added 16 points and Omar Calhoun had 13. Napier had six assists and backcourt mate Ryan Boatright had eight.

“It was a very, very, very emotional game,” said Boatright, who had 11 points but was just 1 of 7 from 3-point range – and that included the last shot of the game. “It actually felt good coming off my hand. It was just short.”

Ollie said that wasn’t what he wanted for the chance to win.

“The last shot wasn’t what we were looking for,” he said. “Ryan was trying to rush to get the ball to the rim but Porter got there and they cut him off and got him in the corner.”

The second half and two overtimes were a 3-point feast for both teams, who both were 1 for 5 from 3-point range. After halftime Georgetown, who is third in conference at 36 percent from beyond the arc, was 10 for 15 on 3s, including making eight of its first nine. The Huskies, who lead the conference at 38.8 percent, were 10 for 24 from long range.

Porter made two free throws with 4:36 to let Georgetown match its largest lead of the game, 60-48.

Despite the double-digit deficit, the Huskies weren’t about to let a sellout crowd of 10,167 leave in the rain without a run at the Hoyas.

Calhoun hit a 3-pointer to start a 9-0 spurt that was capped by two free throws from Daniels with 2:30 left that made it 60-57.

Georgetown came up empty three times on its next possession but Smith-Rivera stole the ball at midcourt and went in for a layup that gave the Hoyas a 62-57 lead with 1:08 left.

Calhoun scored on a rebound and, after Starks missed the front end of a 1- and-1 with 8.7 seconds left, Calhoun nailed a 3-pointer from the left corner. With the crowd going wild, the Huskies’ Niles Giffey sprinted across the court and stole the inbounds pass just past the 3-point line. He lined up and got a good look but the ball bounced off the rim.

If it had gone in there was no telling how the crowd would have reacted because the Huskies are ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA violations.

Giffey made one free throw with 2:03 left in the second overtime to make it 78-71. There was a sigh of relief as the fans, and the Huskies, seemed to think it was over.

Nobody told the Hoyas.

Porter and Smith-Rivera hit 3s to make it a one-point game with 50 seconds left. After a turnover, Porter scored with 9.5 seconds left. The Huskies had one last chance but Boatright’s shot from in front of the UConn bench bounced off the rim.

It was Connecticut’s sixth overtime game of the season – the Huskies are 4- 2. Georgetown is 1-1, with the loss coming on Nov. 20 against No. 1 Indiana.

The Huskies have three games left – making them one of the few teams that know the date their season will end – and Ollie expects the same kind of effort in those.

“I want to coach the best-attitude team in America,” Ollie said. “They are playing for something. I hate it’s coming to the end, but I wouldn’t take it back for the world.”

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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