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BOX SCORE
BOISE, Idaho (AP) – Lefty Driesell had made 12 previous trips to
the NCAA Tournament, coached some of the biggest names in the
biggest games in college basketball.
But even the ol' left-hander admitted this win was extra
special.
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The Panthers had their lowest scoring first half of the season, 19 points. Shernard Long and Thomas Terrell had the big zero ... Shutout City – no points in the first half. Georgia State missed eight of its first nine trifectas, and things looked bleak.
The second half was a different story. The biggest play of the game came when Georgia State, down 49-44, got a four-point play from Darryl Cooper. He hit the trifecta and then the free throw after being fouled by Roy Boone.
Georgia State got the lead on a Long basket, 50-49. The Badgers had a shot to take the lead back. Mark Vershaw went to the foul line, and missed both free throws. You had to feel for Vershaw, who played so well in the first half when Wisconsin built the lead.
Lefty said his team was seeded too low, and his team proved him right.
More ...
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Darryl Cooper hit a four-point play and made a steal to set up
the game-winning basket in the final minute as Georgia State
rallied from a 16-point deficit for an improbable 50-49 win over
Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA West Regional on Thursday.
"I told my team this might be the greatest win I've ever had,"
Driesell said. "We came back in the second half and showed what
kind of club we have."
The win wasn't sealed until Mark Vershaw missed two free throws
with 3.2 seconds to play for sixth-seeded Wisconsin (18-11),
setting up an intriguing second-round possibility.
The 11th-seeded Panthers (29-4) advanced to play third-seeded
Maryland, the school that fired Driesell 15 years ago. Maryland
held off George Mason 83-80.
"I don't care who we play. We're going to win," Driesell said
jokingly.
Georgia State's first tournament win seemed like the most
unlikely of possibilities early, as the Badgers used smothering
defense and the same slowdown pace that carried them to the Final
Four last season.
Wisconsin led 28-12 late in the first half. Two free throws by
Andy Kowske gave the Badgers a 49-44 lead with 59.7 seconds left
and they appeared in control.
|  | | Wisconsin's Mark Vershaw misses the first of two foul shots in the final seconds of Thursday's loss. |
But Cooper hit a high-arching 3-pointer and was fouled by Roy
Boone to get the Panthers back into it. Cooper's free throw made it
a one-point game with 48.2 seconds to play.
"Roy is absolutely crushed," Wisconsin interim coach Brad
Soderberg said.
On the Badgers' next possession, Cooper stepped in front of
Boone to steal Travon Davis' pass and fed Shernard Long, who hit a
bank shot with 12.3 seconds to play, giving Georgia State its first
lead since the opening minutes.
Vershaw, a 73 percent foul shooter, then missed two free throws
for the Badgers and Long got the rebound.
"I wish I could have made a few more shots," Vershaw said.
"Not only did it end the game, it ended my career."
Long missed the front end of a one-on-one, but Kirk Penney's
desperation halfcourt shot missed everything and the Panthers
celebrated the biggest win in school history.
Georgia State had only three winning seasons in its first 35
years before Driesell came to the commuter school in Atlanta. He
brought in transfers like Long (Georgetown), Cooper (LSU) and Kevin
Morris (Georgia Tech) to build a winning program.
"It was a great win for Georgia State," Cooper said.
"Nationally, I don't think we got the kind of respect we
deserve."
Morris led Georgia State with 18 points, Long scored all 13 of
his points in the second half, and Cooper finished with 11.
Vershaw led Wisconsin with 19 points and Kowske added 11.
The Panthers entered the game averaging 81 points per game and
Wisconsin had allowed only 56.8, second best in the country. Both
coaches thought the pace of the game would decide the winner and it
looked that way for the first half.
Even the boisterous cheers from Lefty's Loonies, some of whom
drove 37 hours from Atlanta, couldn't spark Georgia State early.
The Panthers had their lowest-scoring half of the season with 19
points and trailed by 11.
Only a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer by Morris gave the
Panthers hope. Morris had 12 points in the half, while his
teammates shot 2-for-15, with leading scorers Long and Thomas
Terrell each going 0-for-5.
"It wasn't going to happen twice," Long said of the scoreless
first half. "If this is going to be my last game, we're playing to
the end."
Long scored three baskets early in the second half during a 12-3
run that brought the Panthers within 33-28. He tied the score at 42
with a three-point play with 7:11 left.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Georgia State Clubhouse
Wisconsin Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Mark Vershaw's costly missed free throws down the stretch are a negative way to end a career.
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RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Georgia State coach Lefty Driesell likes the spirited comeback by his team.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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