Arnaud Dahi scored 15 points and Old Dominion sank six 3-pointers in the second half Sunday to beat No. 8 Georgetown 75-62, ending the Hoyas' 24-year winning streak at their on-campus gymnasium.
The Monarchs shot 58 percent in the second half, and Old Dominion overcame an eight-point second-half deficit to defeat a ranked team for the first time since beating Villanova in the 1995 NCAA tournament.
Old Dominion (4-1) had been 0-7 vs. the Top 25 since then, but the longer streak that came to end belonged to Georgetown (2-1). The Hoyas had won their last 23 when playing the occasional game at tiny -- and extremely noisy -- McDonough Arena, with the last defeat coming against Connecticut on Jan. 20, 1982.
The Monarchs lost their top two scorers from last season's team and their shooting had been spotty so far, but they went 6-for-9 from 3-point range after halftime, with four different players finding the range during a 21-3 run that gave them the lead for good midway through the second half.
And when the Monarchs did miss, they often got the ball right back. Old Dominion had a 15-7 advantage in offensive rebounds against Georgetown's highly touted frontcourt of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert.
Hibbert finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, but Green had only two points and three rebounds and fouled out with 1:37 to play.
The Monarchs were woeful from the field in the opening minutes, making only 5-of-20 shots, but they stayed in the game by beating the Hoyas on the glass. Coach Blaine Taylor gave 7-foot-3 center Sam Harris his second start of the season to counter Hibbert and Green, and the move paid off with a 20-14 rebounding advantage in the first half, including a 10-2 lead on the offensive boards.
A 9-0 run capped by Brian Henderson's 3-pointer gave Old Dominion at 19-18 lead, but Georgetown soon answered with a 7-0 spurt and led 31-27 at halftime.
Georgetown opened the second half intent on pounding the ball inside to Hibbert, who scored back-to-back baskets to give the Hoyas a 42-34 lead. But Jonathan Adams, Brandon Johnson and Dahi made 3-pointers in a 13-0 run that gave the Monarchs a 50-44 lead with 10:41 to play. Dahi soon made another 3-pointer, this time while falling backward with a player in his face, and the Monarchs cruised from there.
Courtesy: CAA
