Jonathan Stark's buzzer-beater lifts Tulane men's basketball over Cincinnati


Tulane players surround teammate guard Jonathan Stark (2), center, after he sunk the game-winning 3-point basket against Cincinnati during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Gary Landers)

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
February 14, 2015 at 4:25 PM, updated February 14, 2015 at 6:39 PM

CINCINNATI -- Jonathan Stark's 3-pointer with no time left on the clock led the Tulane men's basketball team to a 50-49 American Athletic Conference victory over Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena.

Stark's 3-pointer followed a lay-up by Cincinnati (27-8, 8-5 American) forward Gary Clark with 0:04 left on the clock that gave the Bearcats a 49-47 lead. The Green Wave (14-10, 5-7 American) sophomore guard took the inbound pass and drove the floor before launching a 25-foot shot that went through the basket as time expired.

"I'm really proud of our guys," Tulane head coach Ed Conroy said. "We've had so many close losses this year and we've spent a lot of time on getting our confidence back in late-game situations. Certainly I thought our guys had some poise down the stretch today. Time and time again today guys stepped up and gave us a great chance to win and that's all you can ask for. We've done a great job on the road this year."

The win for Tulane snapped a five-game season-long losing streak and also marked the Green Wave's first win over Cincinnati since Feb. 23, 1992, a span of 10 games.

Stark finished the game with nine points to go with six rebounds and four assists. Senior guard Jay Hook led Tulane with 18 points and eight rebounds. Hook knocked down four 3-pointers, including one that broke the fourth tie of the game with 4:01 remaining.

The game featured six ties and seven lead changes, including two ties and a pair of lead changes in the final minute.

Freshman forward Dylan Osetkowski and sophomore forward Payton Henson each added seven points off the bench for Tulane, while Henson grabbed six boards and Osetkowski pulled down five.

Tulane, who shot 34.6 percent (18-52) from the floor and hit six-of-22 3-pointers, outrebounded Cincinnati, 39-27. The Green Wave limited the Bearcats to just six offensive boards as well.

UC shot 44.0 percent from the floor (22-50), but went 0-of-11 from 3-point range and knocked down just five-of-13 free throw attempts.

Octavious Ellis led Cincinnati with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

Tulane hosts UCF at 6 p.m. CT at Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse on Thursday before heading to Storrs to face UConn at 3 p.m. CT on Sunday.

http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/201...cart_river

Tulane buzzer-beater drops UC
Tom Groeschen, tgroeschen@enquirer.com 6:51 p.m. EST February 14, 2015
Stark 3-pointer at the horn downs Bearcats ahead of Shootout


Cincinnati Bearcats forward Octavius Ellis (2) looks to grab the loose ball against the Tulane Green Wave during the first half at Fifth Third Arena.(Photo: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)

The postgame press conference was as grim and gloomy as could be. A buzzer-beating 50-49 upset loss to Tulane certainly hurt, but the long-faced Cincinnati Bearcats were just as concerned Saturday about damaging their NCAA tournament hopes.

Tulane sophomore guard Jonathan Stark made a 3-point shot from about 30 feet that just beat the final horn, as the Green Wave stunned UC and its Fifth Third Arena crowd of 12,041. Game officials watched TV reviews to confirm the shot beat the buzzer, which it did.

UC (17-8, 8-5 American Athletic Conference) lost its second straight game. Tulane (14-10, 5-7 AAC) snapped a five-game losing streak.

The Bearcats entered with a solid NCAA RPI rating of No. 29, while Tulane was No. 184. But for UC, a big win at then-No. 23 SMU (Feb. 5) has been tempered by losses this month to East Carolina, Temple and now Tulane.

Many analysts have been projecting UC to make the NCAA field, including forecasters from USA Today, ESPN and CBS Sports. But now UC players, coaches and fans are starting to wonder.

"The way we're playing, we won't be an NCAA tournament team," UC senior forward Jermaine Sanders said.

UC associate head coach Larry Davis, now 10-6 since replacing head coach Mick Cronin for medical reasons, agreed that the Bearcats need to pick it up.

"Now we're going to have to play our way in, with all we've got, to the NCAA tournament," Davis said. "We put ourselves square on the bubble today, or worse."

UC freshman forward Gary Clark banked in a lane shot with 4.1 seconds left to put UC ahead 49-47. Tulane then raced downcourt and Stark, with UC defender Farad Cobb on him, fired away. Swish.

The crowd, standing as Clark and then Stark scored in rapid succession, went from joy to shock in just seconds. The only postgame noise in the building came from happy Tulane players, who mobbed Stark and each other on the court.

"We guarded the best we could," UC junior forward Octavius Ellis said. "He just threw up a Hail Mary and it went in."

Ellis led UC with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Clark and backup guard Deshaun Morman each had eight points for UC, which shot 44 percent from the field and a dismal 38.5 percent from the foul line (5-for-13).

UC was 0-for-11 from 3-point range, the first time the Bearcats failed to make a trey since Feb. 24, 2010 against DePaul. UC also was out-rebounded 39-27.

UPON REVIEW

UC's Davis said Stark's clinching shot obviously sealed the deal, but pointed to other lapses that led to the loss.

"The shot at the end of the game is not the shot that beat us," Davis said. "The shots that beat us came between about the four-minute mark and one-minute mark. Those were the shots that beat us. The transition layup off the missed free throw beat us. Our missed free throws down the stretch beat us, not that shot. You want to say that shot beat you, but no, the other stuff beat you. We didn't have control of him throwing in a 30-footer with a guy in front of him."

OPPOSING VIEW

Senior guard Jay Hook had 18 points for Tulane. Sophomore guard Stark, the hero, had nine points. Tulane shot just 35 percent from the floor and 6-for-22 from 3-point range, but also was 8-for-12 (67 percent) from the foul line.

Tulane coach Ed Conroy on Stark's winning shot:

"You get that ball out as quick as you can, get it to Jonathan and push it up the floor. We are not calling timeout unless that the clock is under four [seconds]. We can get a better shot that way, and they executed perfectly. I am really proud of them."

BAD HALF

UC trailed 19-13 at halftime, the Bearcats' lowest scoring half this season. The previous low was 19 points against SMU on Jan. 3 (trailed 22-19), but UC rallied to win that one 56-50.

BIG HURT

Ellis went down with a knee injury with 16:06 left and was in great pain, and had to be assisted to the locker room. Ellis returned to the game with 10:15 left, and said later he would be fine with treatment.

SHOOTOUT LOOMS

UC now prepares for the annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout game with Xavier, Wednesday at 7 p.m. at UC (ESPN2).

"My expectation is for them to fight back like they have never fought back before," Davis said of his team. "We are the Bearcats. I'm not going to give in. The staff isn't going to give in, and the players can't give in.

"We don't know what is going to happen at the Xavier game, but it doesn't matter who our next opponent is. We have to come out of that tunnel ready to lay everything we got on the line to win that game. We have to play that way the rest of the way, not just against Xavier."

SIGN HIM UP

UC student Nick Okuley of Wapakoneta, Ohio banked in a halfcourt shot at halftime in a "Shoot For Loot" promotion. Okuley won $1,000, according to the UC sports communications department.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/c.../23323453/

This game never should have been close enough for a "buzzer-beater" finish... I am so not looking forward to playing X.

Hoping we can get Seeded in NIT so we get home games.