Ohmer, Jones carry Tigers back to NAIA Fab Four
Tigers fans have been waiting for a breakout game from Jake Ohmer, as has the senior himself. That game came today as Ohmer delivered a career-high 33 points on 7-12 3-point shooting. Kyran Jones came up huge in the 2nd half again, finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds as Georgetown advanced to its 16th Fab Four with a 92-85 win over top-seed Grace College.
Early on, things looked murky for the Tigers as they struggled with offense and fell behind, much as they did against Langston in the Round of 16. Grace scored the first 4 points and slowly pulled away as Georgetown could not hit early from the field. With 10:34 left in the half, the Lancers scored in transition off a missed Tiger shot to take a 21-10 lead, and force Tigers Head Coach, Chris Briggs, into a timeout. The momentum stayed with the Lancers though on the other side. Over the next 6 minutes, the Lancers twice built a lead of 13. With 4:18 left, Grace hit a 3 to take a 33-21 lead. The Tiger comeback began and Jake Ohmer went nuclear. 8 points in less than 2 minutes brought the Tigers within 38-31. After Grace free throws, Tae Dozier then joined the party with a 3 (just his 11th of the year), to get GC within 3 with 1:27 to go before the break. Ohmer would steal a ball away and score on the other end, getting the Tigers within 1. Grace went 1-2 at the line, and Ohmer followed with a 27-foot 3-pointer to give the Tigers their first lead at 42-41 with 27 seconds to go. With 9 seconds left, Tae Dozier stole a pass, drove the other way, scored, got fouled and hit a free throw to put GC up 45-41. Grace would hit a buzzer-beating jumper to make the score at the break: Georgetown 45, Grace 43. Ohmer scored 16 of Georgetown's final 24 points in the half.
In the 2nd half, Cam Brooks-Harris scored 4 quick points giving the Tigers a lead of 4. With 17 minutes to go and a 51-49 GC lead, enter 2nd half Kyran Jones. Over the next 6 minutes, Jones would score 15 of the Tigers' 17 points, along with usual terrific work on the boards. He gave GC a 68-61 lead with 10:45 to go. After a Grace turnover, Ohmer reintroduced himself with a 3 from the wing, briefly giving the Tigers a 71-61 lead. The teams would trade baskets until the 7-minute mark. Cam Brooks-Harris grabbed his own offensive rebound off a missed 3, and found Rashad Bishop inside for a slam. Ohmer followed with his 7th 3 on the next possession, giving the Tigers an 82-70 lead with just over 6 minutes left. Grace would go on a 7-0 run over the next 4 minutes, making Tigers fans everywhere nervous. Enter Kyran Jones again. The junior nailed a 15-foot step-back, giving GC a 7-point lead with 1:56 to go. Grace would counter with a 3-point play to get the deficit back to 4 with 1:42 to go. After a Jones turnover, Grace looked to push in transition, but were turned away, thanks to a charge taken by Jaquay Wales. It would prove to be the Lancers last threat. Ohmer, Dozier, and Jones went 6-6 from the line in the final 65 seconds. Rashad Bishop punctuated the night with a windmill slam as the Tigers held on to advance.
Alongside 33 from Jake Ohmer, Kyran Jones dominated in the 2nd half again. He finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds after halftime, en route to his 24-and-12 night. He had 19-and-9 in the 2nd half of the Round of 16 win over Langston. Tae Dozier finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in 27 minutes off the bench. The Tigers well-documented free throw struggles were not there, especially in the 2nd half. They knocked down 11-of-12 from the stripe over the final 20 minutes to keep Grace at-bay. Georgetown also took full advantage of Grace miscues, scoring 25 points off 16 Grace turnovers, an 18-point margin.
The Tigers will take on either Arizona Christian or Indiana Tech in the Fab Four on Friday night. The game will tip at 8:00pm ET from Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.