On the scene: Florida Gulf Coast’s March Madness upset of Georgetown [photos and video]
NewsWorks is still down at the Wells Fargo Center for Friday’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament games.
This afternoon, we watched the Duke Blue Devils vs. the University of Albany Great Danes and the Creighton Bluejays vs. Cincinnati Bearcats.
Tonight’s games are Georgetown vs. Florida Gulf Coast at 6:50 p.m. and San Diego State vs. Oklahoma starting around 9:20 p.m. We’ll only be covering the first game tonight.
9:15 p.m.
This is why it’s called March Madness. The Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles defeat the Georgetown Hoyas 78-68.
The FGCU fans are going wild. Few people aren’t standing in the arena. Just heard an E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles chant.
What an unexpected result.
Heading down to post-game press conferences. Will update when able.
9 p.m.
Georgetown is waking up, cutting the deficit to single digits. But, is it too late?
8:45 p.m.
FGCU still holds a sizable lead; 59-47 with 5:42 remaining. The Eagles aren’t getting clear paths to the hoop like they were early in the second half. Georgetown’s poor shooting (18-for-44) is helping the underdogs out.
8:30 p.m.
FGSU refuses to back down to the Hoyas. Though there are many Hoyas fans here, they’re vocally outnumbered by people cheering for the underdogs. With 10:26 left, FGCU leads by 15.
8:20 p.m.
FGSU has just matched its first-half total within 6 minutes and 17 seconds of the second half. They’ve sprinted out to a 17-point lead on Georgetown.
Something magical may be happening here. Maybe.
8 p.m.
Second half is underway in South Philadelphia. Wells Fargo Center has come to life. Will the Eagles pull off the upset of the day? Who knows. But, fans from both sides seem energized. It’s 29-28 Florida Gulf Coast, 17:49 left in regulation.
It’s getting raucous on both sides of the proverbial aisle. Hoyas fans are loud. Eagles fans are loud. Energy’s continually picking up. As it stands, the FGCU Eagles have an eight-point lead; two of those points came from a highlight-reel rebound-turned-dunk.
7:45 p.m.
Halftime score: Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 24, Georgetown Hoyas 22.
7:30 p.m.
Well, this is shaping up to possibly be the best game of the bunch so far. FGCU just took a 22-20 lead on a Sherwood Brown layup. The crowd’s lively. At least those members of it rooting for the Eagles; 3:23 left in the half, still a ballgame.
7 p.m.
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles came out and took an early lead on the No. 2 seed Hoyas, and three minutes into the game, they held a 6-3 lead over heavily favored Georgetown. That soon became a 7-6 Hoyas lead.
Oh my, FGCU’s Tyler Adams inbounded the ball off a Hoya forward Nate Lupick’s back and laid the ball in for an easy basket. Thirteen minutes and 20 seconds in, the Eagles are up 11-10. That would soon turn into 16-11 Hoyas, though.
This has the feeling of a game that won’t be as easy for Georgetown as many thought.
Seven minutes left in the first half, Hoyas lead 18-17.
6:30 p.m.
The anthem is being played, but the crowd has not yet filtered in to the arena. Teams, however, have been out on the court for warmups.
And, though there is much Georgetown gear outside, the Florida Gulf Coast fans have made some noise already.
Tipoff approaches.
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