DAYTON, Ohio — This is what happens when Goliath rips the slingshot out of your hands, breaks it over his knee, and leaves the pieces strewn everywhere inside University of Dayton Arena, and your Impossible Dream shattered along with it.
This is what happens when you learn that not everyone can be Harvard, not everyone can be Florida Gulf Coast.
The Iona Gaels thought they could play with Ohio State. They thought wrong. They needed a monster game from senior star Momo Jones. They didn’t get one.
They needed a 1985 Villanova perfect game. They didn’t play one. The first sign of trouble came minutes before tip-off, when Aaron Craft and his Ohio State Buckeyes huddled just outside the tunnel leading to the court, and Craft said in a voice that meant business:
“They want us, they’re gonna get us.”
They got them, all right. Got them 95-70.
This was Schwarzenegger kicking sand in the face of a MAAC champion reduced on this night to a 98-pound weakling.
“Those guys,” Tavon Sledge said, referring to the Buckeyes, “they looked like they work out every day.”
It wasn’t a fair fight, and so you can resurrect the old line about McDonald’s All-Americas against guys who eat at McDonald’s. But the last thing you expected from these howling Gaels, who believed so much in themselves they expected to win, was showing up with NCAA stage fright.
“We had jitters,” Sledge said. “We were overexcited. I felt like even though we’re a fast-paced team, we played a little bit too fast for ourselves.”
The Gaels managed one stand, after they had found themselves in a 27-8 hole. It was Momo who ignited them when he drove left for a lay-in and pulled up for a 3. A left wing 3 by Sean Armand and a pair of free throws by David Lawry cut the deficit to 37-31, and the small Iona cheering section was in a frenzy.
Deshaun Thomas missed a jumper and Lawry heaved a pass down court for a streaking Tre Bowman, and now it was 37-33 and Lawry was pumping his fist alone at the other end.
“I think we were playing our game,” Momo said.
Their manic run-and-gun game. And then a 6-foot-7 sophomore named Sam Thompson (20 points), who ought to be related somehow to former N.C. State pogo stuck David Thompson, changed everything. Changed the night with a Flying Wallenda, one-handed jam along the right baseline on an alley-oop feed from Shannon Scott that brought the sea of red-clad Buckeye fans to its feet.
“I believe that was a game-changer,” Sledge said. “They didn’t really look back after that.”
It was Ohio State 43, Iona 33 at the half, still a game, even though the Gaels had shot 3 for 12 from downtown New Rochelle. Even though Momo was 3-of-8 shooting. On his way to a nightmare 3-of-14 night.
The second-half steamroller immediately reared its ugly head, and Iona sagged, physically and emotionally. How many times can you look up at the bottom of the other guy’s sneaker as he dunks over you without coming apart at the seams?
Ohio State beat Iona at Iona’s game and its game as well.
“I think they imposed their will a lot, especially down low rebounding the ball and things like that,” Momo said. “They got a bunch of different options that you don’t really know about until you play against them.”
If it wasn’t Craft hounding Momo with his ferocity and physicality, it was Lenzelle Smith Jr., or Shannon Scott.
“I think they really keyed in on what I did,” Momo said. “They pushed a lot of ball screens and when they pushed it, there was help coming from every angle.”I think they had what I did and what Sean [Armand] did down to a T.”
Gales coach Tim Cluess removed Mono with 4:32 left, told him the Gaels wouldn’t have gotten here without him, patted him on the head. By that time, it was 88-58.
“Everybody has a bad day,” Momo said. “It just so happened that tonight was my bad day.”
When it ended, the Iona players and coaches looked up to acknowledge their fans, and thank them, a true show of class. Momo walked off, a white towel draped over his head, his college career over.
Armand spoke in the locker room: “Keep your head up. A lot of teams didn’t make it this far, and a lot of people didn’t think we’d make it this far.”
Momo sat at his locker and vowed not to hang his head.
“I don’t think it’s hit me yet that it’s actually over,” Momo said, “but it will.” Bye-ona.
RIM SHOTS
Jerrell Wright, La Salle
Wright was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field scoring a career-high 21 points in La Salle’s 63-61 upset victory over Kansas State. The sophomore also had eight rebounds and two blocks.
Khalif Wyatt, Temple
The senior had 31 points, including six free throws in the final 32 seconds of Temple’s 76-72 win over N.C. State. Wyatt also had five assists and three steals, despite nursing an injured thumb.
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
TCraft did most of his damage defensively with six steals, but also had seven assists in leading the Buckeyes to a 95-70 win over Iona.
STAT OF THE DAY
No. 16 James Madison wasn’t that close in a 83-62 loss to No. 1 Indiana, but the Dukes certainly didn’t get any help from the referees, taking four free-throws the whole game, while the Hoosiers had 21 attempts.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I don’t think anybody on our team has ever played in front of that many people.”
— Florida Gulf Coast reserve forward Eddie Murray, whose team plays in a 4,500- seat arena, after stunning No. 2 Georgetown 78-68.
steve.serby@nypost.com