Georgetown Basketball: January 2016 Archives

• Providence 73, Georgetown 69
• Big East Sidesteps Thompson Comments
• Greatest Comeback Ever? Well, Not Even Close
• Georgetown 74, Creighton 73
• Youtube: Radio Coverage Of Creighton Finish
• Tyler Adams: The Next Chapter
• Hibbert No Longer Relevant In NBA?
• Connecticut 68, Georgetown 62
• Georgetown 81, Xavier 72
• Villanova 55, Georgetown 50
• Georgetown 93, St. John's 73
• 30-Point Leaders
• Georgetown-St. John's: Garden Attendance
• Paul White Out For Season
• Diminished Expectations?
• Georgetown 74, DePaul 63
• Thompson Recalls Georgetown, UDC Days
• Creighton 79, Georgetown 66
• CSN: White's Injury Confirmed
• Georgetown 80, Marquette 70

Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil combined for 52 points as #10-ranked Providence College fought off a late Georgetown rally to win 73-69 at Verizon Center Saturday, sending the Hoyas to its ninth loss of the 2015-16 season and further clouding its post-season hopes at the midway point of the Big East conference race.

Georgetown's last lead was at 5-3, but it could not keep up with the Friars' quickness and inside game. Sophomore center Ben bentil was without peer in this game, scoring the Friars' first nine points on a 13-3 run that gave PC a 16-7 lead. Georgetown managed to tie the score at 17-17 and 19-19 but Dunn and Bentil continued the assault, a 10-3 run that opened the lead to 29-22. The Friars shot 3 for 5 from three point range compared to a woeful 2 for 11 from Georgetown, and took a 10 point lead into the break, 38-28.

The Hoyas might not have recovered without the second half heroics of sophomore L.J. Peak, who scored the last basket of the first half and eight straight to start the second as Georgetown rallied to 42-37 at the 14:35 mark. A three from D'Vauntes Smith Rivera and a basket and foul from Bradley Hayes closed the PC lead to one, 44-43, but a run of poor shooting midway in the second half struck Georgetown at a key point of the game.

Down 46-45 with 12:31 to play, the Hoyas went 0-4 from the field and gave up two turnovers as Providence extended its lead to eight, 53-45. Georgetown fought back to 57-54 with 4:46 to play, but PC answered with an 8-2 run that looked to have put the game away with 2:22 left, 65-56.

Georgetown put on a spirited comeback but was short of time at the end. A DSR three point play brought the Hoyas to 65-59, and a Peak drive and foul closed to 67-64 with 0:30 left, but Dunn and Bentil were a combined 7 for 8 from the line in the final minute.

Peak led all Georgetown scorers with 19 points, 17 after halftime. Smith-Rivera added 18 while Bradley Hayes had a strong game battling Bentil, with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The rest of the team combined to shoot just 7 for 21, with a combined 1 for 7 from Tre Campbell and Isaac Copeland, with Copeland playing his way out of the starting lineup after another faltering effort. Georgetown finished a distant 5 for 20 from three point range and gave up 17 turnovers which led to 18 of the Friars' 73 points.

Copeland went for double figures in 12 of first 14 games this season. He's had just one such game in last seven tries (11 vs Villanova).

— Bobby Bancroft (@BobbyBancroft) January 31, 2016

The loss marks PC's third straight win over GU, the most consecutive by any Providence team in the series, led overall by Georgetown 44-23.

Georgetown ends the halfway point of the conference race at a respectable 6-3, but will need a similar 6-3 run over its final nine game to have any chance at an NCAA tournament bid. its loss Saturday, its fifth of the season at Verizon Center, is already its most in seven years, and a sixth loss this season would tie the most home losses since the 1971-72 season.

Hoyas are now 8-5 at home this year. Most home losses under JT3 is 5 (twice). Both of those seasons (04-05 & 08-09) ended in the NIT.

— Bobby Bancroft (@BobbyBancroft) January 31, 2016

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Campbell     17   0-1   0-1   0-0   1   3  2    0
Smith-Rivera 38   5-10  2-5   2-3   3   4  3   18
Cameron      19   1-2   2-4   0-0   0   2  2    8
Copeland     19   1-3   0-2   0-0   5   0  1    2
Hayes        31   6-12  0-0   1-1  10   0  2   13
Reserves:
Peak         27   7-11  0-4   5-5   2   0  3   19 
Govan         8   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  2    0
Williams      1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Derrickson   27   2-3   1-4   2-2   4   2  4    9
Johnson      14   0-1   0-0   0-2   1   0  2    0
Team Rebounds                       5    
DNP: Mourning
TOTALS          22-42  5-20  10-13 31  11  21  69

GUHoyas.com

Friars.com

Associated Press

Big East Coast Bias

Casual Hoya

CBS Sports.com

Georgetown Voice

The HOYA

Providence Journal

Washington Post

A post-game comment by former Georgetown coach John Thompson received a diplomatic response by commissioner Val Ackerman Thursday, and any collateral damage following the comments appears to have been addressed.

Thompson, who frequently attends post-game press conferences at Verizon Center, spoke up on the performance of the officials in the Georgetown-Creighton game. Although head coaches are not allowed to criticize officiating in any way, the elder Thompson was under no such rules.

When coach John Thompson III was asked about the officiating, a voice in the back of the room said: "Let your father comment on that... The last two games here have been terrible, and you can tell the #&%#@ commissioner and everybody else in the Big East that I said that."

A copy of the video was removed from GUHoyas.com, but Comcast Mid-Atlantic has an edited version on its site.

In a statement, the commissioner said that "Today I spoke to Georgetown and expressed my concerns regarding the comments made following the Georgetown-Creighton game on Tuesday night. I shared with them we're very proud of our officials, who are among the best in the NCAA, and we have internal mechanisms and open communications channels in place should our schools have feedback or concerns about the calls made in our games. It's clear that the intensity level in the Big East is as high as ever, and I know our officials will continue the high standards of Big East basketball."

Various Georgetown-based twitter feeds posted the question as to whether Georgetown's comeback against Creighton deserved all-time status:

Was Georgetown's Win Over Creighton Its Greatest Comeback Ever? https://t.co/yRNJ3Ll1hS pic.twitter.com/ycFr8KtCIt

— Casual Hoya (@CasualHoya) January 28, 2016

Georgetown recovered from an 11 point deficit over 2:32 versus Creighton, a near-eternity in today's three point shooting, 30 second shot clock world. A number of comebacks in the Big East era may not have come to mind in these posts, but there is one truly worth remembering--Jan. 31, 1980, Georgetown at Boston College. The Hoyas were down eight with under a minute remaining and down six with 28 seconds to play. Here's an excerpt from Peter Scott's game recap from The HOYA:

The Eagles held a seemingly insurmountable 77-71 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining when the Hoyas staged a miraculous comeback before a partisan crowd at BC's Roberts Center.

Georgetown sophomore Eric Smith connected on a short jumper from the right side to narrow the home team's lead to four with 28 seconds left to play. On the ensuing inbounds play, the Hoyas' Eric Floyd executed coach John Thompson's prearranged strategy to perfection and drew an offensive foul from BC's scrappy center, Joe Beaulieu. Beaulieu fouled out on the play and Floyd converted both ends of a one-and-one to cut the BC lead to 77-75 with 25 seconds left.

Georgetown pressed frantically and called strategic time outs during the final seconds in an effort to buy some time. The Eagles finally brought the ball to the other end of the court and tried to run the clock out, but GU's Smith was whistled for an intentional, two shot foul. Rich Shringley hit the second of two shots to give BC a 78-75 lead.

With ten seconds left, the Hoyas' John Duren dropped in two free throws to bring GU within one. Two seconds later, BC freshman John Bagley, a thorn in the Hoyas' side all night, connected on two foul shots to open the gap to 80-77.

At this point all BC had to do to win was to give Georgetown an open shot, not committing any fouls that could lead to a three-point play. John Duren raced downcourt and threw up a jumper that bounded off the rim. Mike Frazier, GU's 7 foot reserve center, grabbed the rebound, put the ball in the hoop, and, miracle of miracles, was fouled on the play. With the clock showing one second, Frazier stepped to the foul line and calmly sank the tying free throw to the chagrin of 4200 disbelieving Eagle fans.

The overtime period was all Georgetown as Eric Smith scored six quick points to give the Hoyas an 86-82 lead. BC later cut the margin to one, but the clutch foul shooting of Duren, Smith, and Al Dutch iced the win to raise GU's record to 14-5 overall and 2-1 in the Big East.

For 38 minutes Tuesday night before a small crowd at Verizon Center, Creighton was on its way to second place in the Big East, with the post-season hopes of the Georgetown Hoyas heading down a dangerous and dispiriting path. Instead, a wholly unexpected 15-3 run over the final 2:16 earned Georgetown its biggest comeback in the John Thompson III era, a 74-73 win that was vital to Georgetown's case to extend its season past the Big East tournament in March.

The late game heroics could not have been imagined at the outset. Despite a generous 50%-off promotion, less than 7,000 fans fought through a snowy Washington landscape to attend the game. The two teams started tentatively, with a 6-5 Creighton lead after the first four minutes of the game, shooting a combined 3 for 14 to open the game. A pair of three pointers and six early offensive rebounds allowed Creighton an early lead, which ebbed back and forth as the Hoyas took the lead, lost it, and regained it multiple times. Eleven lead changes took place by halftime, where the Bluejays drove the lane with impunity, including layups or tip-ins at close range on four consecutive possessions to take a 31-24 lead with four minutes to halftime. Thanks for six points off the bench from center Trey Mourning, the Hoyas outscored the Bluejays 8-0 to end the first half with a 32-31 lead. Both teams had identical numbers for field goals (nine from two, 3 for 13 from three), with Georgetown going 5 or 5 from the foil line, with Creighton one short at 4 for 5. It was an omen for what was to come.

Georgetown had no answer for Creighton guard Maurice Watson Jr,. who scored 27 against the Hoyas in Omaha on Jan. 12, and Watson enjoyed a command performance Tuesday, driving inside regularly and giving D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera his own share of indigestion, as the Bluejays took a 42-36 lead three minutes into the second half and never relented, while the Hoyas had already committed three fouls and was forcing key contributors to sit on the bench for extended periods of time.

Senior Bradley Hayes picked up two fouls in 47 seconds at the 13:07 mark as CU extended its lead to 48-41. Georgetown wasn't particularly crisp on offense but neither was Creighton, and Georgetown had its share of mini-runs that narrowed but did not erase a lead. A basket and foul shot by L.J. Peak closed the deficit to 54-51 with 9:20 left, but opened the door for another one of the puzzling Georgetown scoring lulls. The Hoyas did not score a field goal for nearly six minutes, whereupon the Bluejays extended the lead to seven at the 6:17 mark, got a three from Cole Huff at the 5:40 mark, and traded free throws with DSR with another crushing inside tip-in to go up 11 at the 4:22 mark, 66-55.

Georgetown was showing no sign of life at this point of the game. Watson and the Jays were beating the Hoyas up and down the court, while GU had 13 fouls and 10 turnovers. Baskets by Peak and Hayes closed the Creighton lead to nine at the 3:00 mark, only to be crushed when Watson weaved right past DSR for a layup with 2:32 remaining to give Creighton an 70-59 lead. Marcus Derrickson answered with a three, 70-62, but it appeared time was running out.

The free throw shooting which had served Creighton so well in the first game and within this game began to fail the Jays late. Center Geoffrey Groselle made one of two free throws with 1:35 to play, extending the score to 71-63. Smith-Rivera picked up a foul on GU's next possession, but after making the first he missed the second, where the offensive rebound returned the ball to GU and DSR drive inside for a basket. Suddenly, the score was only five, 71-66.

On Creighton's next series, Peak intercepted a pass inside intended for Creighton's Toby Hegner, and Smith-Rivera added two more free throws, 71-68. Deja vu followed the Bluejays on its next possession, where Kaleb Johnson picked off a pass from Watson and went uncontested for the dunk with 51 seconds remaining, 71-70. A pair of free throws gave CU a three point lead, 73-70, a lead which looked secure after L.J. Peak missed a layup with 30 seconds left. But off the miss, Reggie Cameron retrieved the rebound and tipped it back in, 73-72.

Creighton was feeling the heat, and the Hoyas fouled quickly. Creighton guard Khyri Thomas, the worst free throw shooter on the team with a 43% average, was sent to the line with 23 seconds to play. Thomas missed both, and Smith-Rivera went inside with six seconds remaining to pick up the foul--a significant one not only on timing, but because Maurice Watson picked up his fifth foul. DSR made both free throws, but with Watson sidelined, the last second sprint by the Jays was handed to reserve guard james Milliken, whose shot along the baseline was deflected and Georgetown escaped with an improbable win.

"There was a lot of adversity coming from a lot of different angles throughout the game and I liked the way we kept fighting and kept plugging," said coach John Thompson III in post-game remarks. "In the locker room, every single person made a play, a winning play, to help us win this game. Every single person made a play and that's how we have to be. And at the end of the day No. 4 [Smith-Rivera] is No. 4."

" I just knew we needed plays to be made and [Thompson] didn't call a timeout," Smith-Rivera reflected on the alt minute action. "he didn't try and draw anything up. He trusted me and I wanted to come through." DSR led the Hoyas with 19 points, followed by 11 from peak adn 10 from Derrickson.

" It felt like we dominated the game for the most part, for 37 minutes and we didn't execute very well late," said Creighton coach Greg McDermott. "As their coach I have to find a way to bring my team home in that situation and I didn't do my job today."

"I think at the end of both halves, we let the shots that we didn't make dictate our play," said Watson, the 5-10 guard who finished with 16 points, eight rebounds,and seven assists. "When we work hard and execute our plays to get an open shot and we don't knock them down, it tends to weigh on us on the defensive end and I think that's what we did."

Next up for the Hoyas: Providence, which was upset at home by Butler and now sit with Creighton in a tie for fourth place in the Big East while georgetown and Xavier move into to a tie for second. And while Georgetown continues to be an inconsistent team with lots of question marks, but for now those questions can wait for another day.

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Campbell     14   1-1   0-2   1-2   2   1  2    3
Smith-Rivera 38   3-6   2-6   7-8   3   3  0   19
Cameron      20   1-3   0-2   0-0   1   2  1    2
Copeland     38   3-7   0-3   1-1  10   7  3    7
Hayes        16   4-7   0-0   0-0   4   0  4    8
Reserves:
Peak         23   2-6   1-2   4-5   4   2  4   11 
Govan        10   2-3   0-0   1-1   2   0  5    5
Williams      1   0-0   0-0   1-2   1   0  1    1
Derrickson   23   0-2   3-5   1-1   4   0  3   10
Johnson       5   1-1   0-0   0-0   0   1  1    2
Mourning     12   2-3   0-1   2-2   2   0  2    6
Team Rebounds                       3    
TOTALS          19-39  6-21  18-22 36  16  26  74

Additional coverage follows below:

GUHoyas.com

GoCreighton.com

Associated Press

Big East Coast Bias

ESPN.com

Omaha World Herald

Washington Post

White & Blue Review

Since graduating from Georgetown, Tyler Adams (C'15) has returned to basketball, though not as a player. Instead, he has become a high school assistant coach, offering his support to the next generation of college talent.

"I wanted to work first before I started coaching to make sure that it's what I really wanted to do," Adams told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.. "But with as much as I was working, I didn't really have a life. I knew I needed to be in the gym. That's where I was born to be."

"I just left a college program and I know the hard work it takes to be ready for the next level," he said. "I'm trying to instill in their head that me fussing at you and making you do extra running is something you need to get used to because this is not even half of how intense it'll be for you in college."

"Any time you're that young and get guys within five years of your age to not only listen to what you have to say but apply what you say speaks volumes," said Columbus coach Luther Riley, himself a former coach at Alcorn State. "I'm just looking forward to the day when he gets a big-time job and at least he'll let me be the guy who can take his clothes to the cleaners."

In his eighth season, Roy Hibbert (C'08) is the subject to trade talks with the Los Angeles Lakers, as his play has been inconsistent. A columnist at SB Nation suggests the game may have passed over the center position.

"Hibbert doesn't have a post game," reads the article. "Because his center of gravity is high, he can get moved easily from the block. He's too lumbering to be a good dive man and he has no reliable mid-range jumper, so he can't be a pick-and-pop option. His field goal percentage is the lowest of any rotation 7-footer who doesn't attempt three-pointers and he's one of the worst finishers near the rim among big men despite not being a featured option."

"There's no better way to illustrate how much the NBA has changed in a short time span than to point to Hibbert's career trajectory. He went from Defensive Player of the Year candidate to pariah in Indiana, as they changed their identity to become faster and smaller to keep up with the league's evolution. They gave him away for free to a terrible Lakers team in which he's making no positive impact whatsoever. In just two years he became obsolete."

From a 62-60 lead with 4:30 to play, Georgetown failed to score in its last eight possessions in a 68-62 loss at Connecticut Saturday. The Hoyas took 31 three point attempts in the game, three short of the school record, but made only nine, including one in the final 11:56 and none in the final seven minutes.

The game had a feel of a Big East game, and was a welcome mid-season attraction for a Connecticut fan base with middling interest in American Athletic Conference opponents. Georgetown opened the game with a balanced attack, with points from four starters and a 9-3 lead by the opening time out. Connecticut, which began the game shooting just 3 for 9, took advantage of early Georgetown turnovers to work its way back into the game. A 7-2 run led the huskies to a 14-11 lead and expanded the lead to 20-15 before Georgetown answered with a pair of three pointers from Reggie Cameron and L.J. Peak that eventually tied the score at 23.

The Hoyas have been prone to scoring droughts late in first (and second) halves this season and such was the case today. Trailing 29-28 at the 5:43 mark, the Hoyas made only one field goal for the remainder of the period, a three pointer from Cameron. Seton Hall transfer Sterling Gibbs led the Huskies on an 11-4 run to close the half, as UConn shot 50 percent for the half and took a 40-33 lead into the break.

The story of the second half was Georgetown's inattention to defense and a run of fouls which allowed UConn to stay in this game. Few would have foreseen the Huskies hitting a cold snap after the break, but the approaching blizzard into Hartford overwhelmed the UConn scoring chart. The Huskies did not get its first field goal for nearly eight minutes of the half, its second did not come until the 5:38 mark, yet UConn was still up 60-58, thanks to the foul line. Georgetown picked up six fouls in less than five minutes to open the second half, interrupting a 12-3 Georgetown run which gave GU a 43-42 lead. The lead was a narrow one as Georgetown traded baskets for free throws in the bonus, as GU held no more than a four point lead with seven minutes remaining.

Tied at 60 with five minutes remaining, D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera sank an off-balance jumper to give GU a 62-60 lead with 4:38 remaining. Shockingly, these were the last points of the game for Georgetown, whose remaining possessions were a microcosm of the play seen throughout this season.

Up one, DSR missed a jumper at the 3:41 mark. Up one with 3:06 to play, DSR misses a jumper, whereupon UConn responds via two free throws. Now down one, 63-62, Hayes bobbles the ball inside and turns it back to UConn, who scores only its fourth field goal of the half, 65-62, with 2:12 remaining. Still in the game, the final five possessions for Georgetown were a washout:

1:41: Down 3, DSR misses from three
1:00: Down 3, Cameron airball from three
0:20: Down 3, Govan loses ball, turnover
0:13: Down 5, Peak runs over defender, offensive foul
0:05: Down 6, Cameron misses three

The Hoyas ended the game with more fouls (27) than field goals (23), allowing the Huskies to escape a frigid second half where it shot just 4 for 21 from the field but dominated at the line, going 29 for 36 versus the Hoyas 7 for 8. UConn finished the game with a 12-2 run over the final six minutes.

Reggie Cameron led the Hoyas with 13 points, followed by 12 each from D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and L.J. Peak. Isaac Copeland (1 for 5) sat for much of the second half.

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Campbell     32   1-3   1-5   2-2   5   2  4    7
Smith-Rivera 39   1-6   3-8   1-2   1   6  1   12
Cameron      28   2-5   3-8   0-0   1   2  4   13
Copeland     14   1-2   0-3   0-0   3   1  2    2
Hayes        27   3-4   0-0   3-3   9   0  3    9
Reserves:
Peak         20   3-4   2-2   0-0   3   1  5   12
Govan        13   1-1   0-0   0-0   1   2  3    2
Williams      1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  1    0
Derrickson   20   2-3   0-5   1-1   6   0  2    5
Johnson       6   0-0   0-0   0-2   2   0  2    0
Team Rebounds                       3    
DNP: White,  Mourning  
TOTALS          14-28  9-31   7-8  34  14  27  62

GUHoyas.com

UConnHuskies.com

Associated Press

Daily Campus

CBS Sports.com

Georgetown Voice

Hartford Courant

Hartford Courant (2)

New Haven Register

New London Day

UConn Blog

Yahoo Sports

"You know what DSR stands for? Drive, score, repeat."--Bill Raftery, Fox Sports 1

Georgetown's biggest win of the 2015-16 could not have come at a more opportune time for a team on the post-season ropes, as the Hoyas upset #5-ranked Xavier 81-72 before a raucous crowd in Cincinnati's Cintas Center Tuesday evening.

Xavier entered the game winners of four straight and double-digit favorites in a home arena that they were 210-30 (.875) since it opened in 2000. Georgetown had not defeated Xavier since the 2013-14 season and was a combined 0-4 in games hosted in Cincinnati, but tonight would be different.

Good shooting paved the way for the Hoyas early, thanks to a career effort by sophomore Tre Campbell. While classmates L.J. Peak and Isaac Copeland have suffered through inconsistent seasons to date, it was the 6-2 guard's moment to shine, opening the game with a three and putting together one of the best 20 minutes by a Georgetown player since Otto Porter.

The Hoyas relied on the three early and often, but struggled inside, as Xavier (16-2) took an early 15-10 lead at the 14:22 mark of the opening half. Georgetown closed to two on a pair of L.J. Peak drives but the Musketeers then went on a 7-2 run and its most formidable lead of the evening, 27-20. Campbell took charge, with a three at the 6:01 mark and a second 18 seconds later to rally the Hoyas within one. Down one with 3:53 to halftime, Campbell returned to form, with another pair of three pointers in a 90 second run that gave the Hoyas a 34-31 lead, its largest lead since the opening basket. Jessie Govan came up big as well, with five straight points to end the half on a 19-6 run and a 39-33 Georgetown lead. Campbell finished with 17 first half points as the Hoyas shot 50 percent, had 12 assists on 14 field goals, just two turnovers, and outrebounded the nation's third ranked rebounding team 19-18.

Georgetown led the entire second half but it was not without peril. Campbell opened the second half with a basket and took a pass from Trey Mourning inside to give the Hoyas a 46-36 lead four minutes into the second half. Xavier began to get hot from outside, with threes by Myles Davis and J.P. Macura to stay close. Leading 51-44, Georgetown got sloppy over consecutive possessions, where Peak traveled and stepped out of bounds on consecutive plays, whereupon Xavier's Trevon Bluiett scored five straight to bring the Muskies within two, 51-49. The Hoyas needed a rally.

They got it. In the best series of the game, the G-men went on a 10-1 run to firmly reset themselves in the game. D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera began the volley with his third three of the game, 54-49, followed by Bradley Hayes picking up his own offensive rebound and returning it for a basket, 56-49. After a Xavier free throw, Peak answered with a three pointer and a driving layup to put the Hoyas up 11, 61-50.

The game was physical throughout. Xavier's J.P. Macura took Peak to the floor with 9:31 to play, earning a double foul on both players. Two minutes later, Reggie Cameron was inadvertently poked in the eye and required medical attention.

Georgetown carried a 70-59 lead into the last 5:47 of the game when the Musketeers fell in love with the three pointer. Bluiett stepped up first, 70-62. After Cameron returned to the game to put the Hoyas up 12, 74-62, Bluiett and Davis sank back to back threes to close to 76-68 with 2:25 left. The Hoyas looked wobbly down the stretch, with a Cameron turnover and a Hayes miss on a short sky hook, opening the door just a little more for the homestanding Musketeers. Xavier closed to 76-70 with 1:51 to play, but missed its next eight shots from the field, including errant six three point attempts. A dish from DSR to Govan put the Hoyas up 79-70 with 37 seconds remaining, and Cameron added foul shots with 22 seconds remaining.

Great numbers all around for the Hoyas, led by 21 from Campbell and 20 from Smith-Rivera. Bradley Hayes came up big with nine points while battling foul trouble, L.J. Peak collected a career high 10 rebounds, Jessie Govan had 13 points and six rebounds, and Georgetown picked up a season high 21 assists against 26 field goals. Xavier, which had not been out rebounded this season, was four short of GU's 39 boards, and shot just 35% on the evening.

The victory was Georgetown's first win over a top five team in five years, dating to a Dec. 28, 2011 win over Louisville.

Bill Raftery talks w/Tre Campbell (@TreTC3) & @GeorgetownHoops Head Coach JTIII after their upset win over #5 Xavier https://t.co/wOjIlUBQxW

— FS1 (@FS1) January 20, 2016

"We're the best league in the country." @GeorgetownHoops John Thompson III on @FS1 https://t.co/R8yKgZ66nl

— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) January 20, 2016

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Campbell     31   2-4   5-7   2-2   2   2  1   21
Smith-Rivera 36   2-3   4-9   4-4   2   7  2   20
Cameron      31   1-2   0-4   2-2   5   5  4    4
Copeland     24   0-1   0-2   0-0   2   1  0    0
Hayes        21   4-5   0-0   1-2   5   2  4    9
Reserves:
Peak         25   3-5   1-1   4-6  10   2  2   13
Govan        17   4-5   0-1   5-6   6   1  4   13
Williams      1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Derrickson   13   0-0   0-1   0-0   3   0  1    0
Mourning      2   0-1   0-0   1-2   2   1  1    1
Team Rebounds                       2    
DNP: White,  Johnson   
TOTALS          16-26 10-25  19-24 39  21 11   81

GUHoyas.com

GoXavier.com

Associated Press

Banners On The Parkway

Big East Coast Bias

Cincinnati Enquirer

Georgetown Voice

"We got some shots at point-blank range in the paint that didn't go in. We got some open looks for the guys we wanted open looks for that didn't go in...We got the looks we wanted. The ball didn't go in."--John Thompson III

Despite shooting a season low 32 percent from the field, the Georgetown Hoyas were within three points to #6 Villanova entering the final 1:04 of Saturday's game at Verizon Center. It was as close as the Hoyas would get, as Villanova won its 21st straight game against Big East opponents in a 55-50 finish before a smaller than expected crowd of 15,535 at Verizon Center.

The game was a microcosm of the problems that continue to follow this team: inexperience, inattention to detail, energy without urgency, a continuing inability to take advantage of opportunities. The whole of the 2015-16 Hoyas is less than the sum of its parts.

Georgetown led for just 1:18 of the game and seemed to struggle to figure out how to match up against the Wildcats. When there were opportunities, such as a favorable height matchup inside, the Hoyas could not react quickly enough; on defense, inconsistent perimeter play.

Neither team had much to offer at the start the game, with the teams trading four turnovers each over the first nine minutes of play. Georgetown shot just 4 for 13 in those opening nine minutes, with no one other than D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera having anything resembling a consistent shooting form. A pair of baskets after the eight minute media time out quickly extended the Villanova lead from one to six, the latter coming on a three pointer by reserve Mikel Bridges that was the only three of the half for the Wildcats in eight attempts. Four Georgetown threes kept things close early, masking a resoundingly poor 25 percent from two point range, that would have been a knockout punch for most opponents. Villanova failed to take advantage, missing six of its final seven attempts over the last 4:36 of the half, and Georgetown was able to close to four at the break, 26-22, despite shooting just 32 percent from the field. Smith-Rivera (4-8, 10 pts.) accounted for nearly half the GU offense, with the rest of the team combining to shoot 4-17 for a combined 12 points.

As out of town media writers begin to ask why Georgetown has fallen out of the national conversation, the second half of Saturday's game provides an illustration. One of the hallmarks of the early Thompson III teams at Georgetown was its remarkable ability to make adjustments after halftime and change the dynamics of a lackluster first half. This team seems ill-equipped to adjust, however, and what followed in the second half was 12 minutes of some of the weakest offensive output seen in over a decade.

The Hoyas missed its first two shots of the second half, and were inexplicably called for three personal fouls within 17 seconds of each other. A pair of missed layups by DSR and L.J. Peak further deflated its cause, where the Wildcats went on an 9-1 run to lead by 12, 35-23. Two more turnovers and two missed jumpers followed for the Hoyas--a Reggie Cameron layup with 13:52 to play was Georgetown's first field goal of the half. The Hoyas went two more minutes without a basket, but so did the Wildcats, so when Jessie Govan connected inside, the Hoyas were within eight and the crowd at Verizon Center called for defense. Instead, the Hoyas' perimeter defenders were caught out of position and Kris Jenkins was open for the three, 38-27.

The Hoyas didn't break 30 until the 9:12 mark of the second half, still trailing by 10. As Villanova fouls slid them into the bonus, Georgetown took advantage, with a pair of Govan free throws and a basket and foul from Peak closing the margin to six, 42-36, with 6:27 to play. The Hoyas forced a turnover on the next series and Peak answered with a layup, 42-38.

The teams traded free throws entering the final four minutes, where the Hoyas, shooting just 1 for 5 from three point range in the second half, went back outside and missed shots on the next two possessions. The Wildcats converted on each successive series and went back up eight, 46-38. Georgetown caught some better luck from outside, as unlikely threes from Smith-Rivera and Reggie Cameron brought the G-men back to three with 1:04 left, 49-46.

On the next series, Coach Thompson opted not to foul given the Wildcats' expertise at the line, but nearly thirty seconds drew off the clock when Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacono three sailed short and was heading out of bounds when Jessie Govan made a freshman mistake and tried to retrieve it under the GU basket, but touched it before it went out of bounds. With the ball, and the dwindling clock, Arcidiacono was 6 for 6 down the stretch at the line, preserving the victory.

The box score illuminates a dysfunctional Georgetown team. Smith-Rivera led all scorers with 15 points, but only five points after halftime (none in the first 18 minutes of the second half), no free throw shooting attempts, and a season high six turnovers. L.J. Peak was effective driving inside (2-3) but punchless from outside (0-6), picking up four fouls for the fourth time in five Big East games. Tre Campbell (0-1) and Bradley Hayes (0-3) failed to make inroads on offense or defense, while Jessie Govan struggled through a 1 for 7 afternoon. For the game, Georgetown shot just 32 percent and managed just two assists in the second half.

That is was close as it was is only partly attributable to defense. Villanova shot poorly at key stretches of the game and any early surge by the Hoyas could have turned the tide, The Cats shot just 31 percent in the second half and relied on 13 of 17 from the free throw line to carry the day. Of Villanova's seven baskets for the entire second half, five were assisted.

"That's how you have to win on the road. You just know it's not going to be pretty," said Villanova coach Jay Wright in post-season remarks. "When you're on the road, that's how you have to gut it out. It's just not going to be pretty in this league. This league is really good. This league is starting to approach the old league. It's always going to be different but night-in and night out we are starting to approach the old Big East."

Not so for old Georgetown, which is winless in 2015-16 against teams in the top 50 of the RPI. What was seen as a statement win early in the season to national finalist Wisconsin is no more, as the Badgers have dropped to 9-9, 1-4 in the Big Ten. A rousing win over Syracuse on Dec. 5 now sees the Orangemen limping along at 12-7, 2-4 in the ACC. Two of its remaining non-conference wins, over Brown and Maryland-Eastern Shore, have seen these opponents drop into the RPI basement, with as rating below 300.

"I don't want to go back and rehash all of [those games]," said Thompson in response to a similar question. "Today's game, we had too far to come back. We ended up down 10 or 11, I forget what their largest lead was in the second half, but we had a ways to come back and just didn't have the time."

Time is tightening for the Hoyas this week, with road games at Xavier (16-1) and Connecticut (11-5). The Musketeers swept GU in three games last season.

The Georgetown half of the box score:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Campbell     14   0-1   0-0   0-0   2   0  1    0
Smith-Rivera 40   3-8   3-6   0-0   3   2  4   15
Cameron      22   2-3   2-4   0-0   4   1  2   10
Copeland     34   2-4   2-4   1-2   6   1  2   11
Hayes        16   0-3   0-0   2-2   1   0  2    2
Reserves:
Peak         25   2-6   0-3   3-3   3   1  5    7
Govan        24   1-6   0-1   3-4   6   0  4    5
Williams      1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Derrickson   10   0-1   0-1   0-0   2   0  1    0
Johnson      15   0-1   0-0   0-0   0   0  2    0
Team Rebounds                       4   1
DNP: White, Mourning   
TOTALS          11-33  7-19   9-11 31   6 23   50

Additional coverage follows below.

• GUHoyas.com
• Villanova.com
• Associated Press
• Big East Coast Bias
• CSN Mid Atlantic
• Casual Hoya
• Georgetown Voice
• Philadelphia Inquirer
• Reuters
• VU Hoops
• Washington Post

In a game that looked more like a December non-conference game, Georgetown raced past St. John's 93-73 behind a career high 33 points from senior D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera.

The Redmen struggled at the start and never recovered. Excepting two early threes from guard Federico Mussini, St. John's had nothing early, missing its first six attempts inside two point range. Unfortunately for St. John's, Mussini missed his next seven and did not score until late in the second half. Georgetown led by four midway in the first when the Hoyas began to pick apart the defense from inside and outside, part of a 16-3 run led from the three point line. Three threes from Reggie Cameron and a three from Campbell blew the doors down on St. John's ragged defensive sets, while Smith-Rivera calmly sank a jumper at the end of the shot clock, one of three such baskets in a game where DSR had no peer on the floor.

With the loss of Paul White, the absence of Marcus Derrickson, and the comfortable lead, coach John Thompson III emptied the bench soon thereafter, with Riyan Williams, Trey Mourning, and Kaleb Johnson all seeing extended time early in this one, where the Hoyas ended the first half shooting 52% and leading by 17, 45-28. St. John's managed just 8 field goals by halftime in 28 attempts.

Derrickson did not play in the game. "The other day in practice, he banged knees. He just said he couldn't go," said Thompson in post-game remarks.

Baskets from Cameron and Smith-Rivera opened the second half, 53-30, and the second half began a long and arduous trip to the free throw lines. A pair of hard fouls resulted in technical fouls on St. John's but neither team gained any traction over a six minute period where Georgetown failed to score a field goal, yet held its lead at 23. Georgetown led by as many as 27 as DSR was rested with 5:02 to go, but after the Redmen ran off a 14-3 run to close to 5-71, DSR returned with 2:30 to play, and the Hoyas closed out the scoring on an 8-2 run.

Smith-Rivera led the Hoyas with 33, followed by 15 from Cameron 15 and 12 from Campbell. Four Redmen were in double figures but the team's lack of defense, numerous turnovers, and misses from short range were sometimes painful to watch. With such a young and inexperienced lineup, St. John's figures to struggle, but after four relatively close losses in Big East play, the 93 points was unexpected--it's the most allowed in the 104 game history of the series dating to 1909.

The loss was St. John's eighth straight, a school record. Its last win came December 13, in an 84-72 win over Syracuse.

"I told them with the way we're playing, we're going to win some games," said St. John's coach Chris Mullin." The only way we won't is if we let a game like this let us down."

The competition picks up in a big way Saturday, when the #6-ranked Villanova Wildcats arrive at Verizon Center. The Wildcats have not lost to any Big East opponent (regular season or tournament play) in over a year, dating back to Jan. 19, 2015, a 78-58 loss to Georgetown at Verizon Center. Following that game, the Wildcats won 16 straight and are 31-3 since.

The Georgetown half of the box score:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Campbell     29   2-3   2-2   2-3   2   2  2   12
Smith-Rivera 34   6-8   5-8   6-6   6   2  1   33
Cameron      27   2-2   3-8   2-2   4   1  4   15
Copeland     33   1-5   0-4   7-7   3   1  0    9
Hayes        11   4-5   0-0   0-0   3   1  4    8
Reserves:
Peak          9   0-2   0-0   0-0   2   1  4    0
Govan        15   0-1   0-1   9-10  3   0  3    9
Williams      9   1-2   0-0   0-2   1   3  3    2
Johnson      20   1-1   0-1   1-3   2   2  3    3
Mourning     13   1-1   0-0   0-0   1   1  4    2
Team Rebounds                       5
DNP: White, Derrickson 
TOTALS          18-30 10-24  27-33 32  14 28   93

GUHoyas.com

RedStormSports.com

Associated Press

Big East Coast Bias

Georgetown Voice

NY Daily News

NY Post

Washington Post

With this game, D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera has five games in his career above 30 points, a number matched by only five other former players:

Wednesday's game drew just 7,837, the smallest crowd in nine years.

"The matchup felt no different than an early-season meeting with NJIT or Niagara, the crowd continually chatting through the action, clapping as if it stood beside an 11th fairway," wrote the New York Post.

St. John's has not sold out Madison Square Garden against Georgetown since 1989.

Sophomore forward Paul White underwent season ending pelvic surgery to relieve ongoing hip pain, according to reports. White has seen action in only seven games and was limited by the injury, averaging just 1.6 points in limited time.

White commented on social media following the surgery:

Grateful for a successful surgery! God got my back... I just have to watch him work now! #blessings ????

— Paul White (@Numba13_) January 13, 2016

And from a teammate:

TODAY MY BOY @Numba13_ HAD SURGERY. PRAYING FOR A SPEEDY RECOVERY AND I LOVE YOU BRO FOREAL. pic.twitter.com/hoL7t4k3oq

— Tre Campbell (@TreTC3) January 14, 2016

The loss of White leaves 10 scholarship players and one walk-on for the current Georgetown roster. It is not known if Georgeown will pursue a medical redshirt to give White a possible fifth year of eligibility in 2018-19.

Is Georgetown's run of inconsistency an aberration or the foreshadowing of a rough finish? A columnist at SB Nation's Casual Hoya argues that post-season expectations may need to be reset on the 2015-16 Hoyas.

"With half the season now in the books, it's a bit easier to take, and perhaps even accept, a new outlook," he writes. "This team likely isn't going to the NCAA Tournament. Those early resume-tarnishing losses to low-majors probably foreclose an at-large bid, and may even relegate Georgetown below .500 at season's end and therefore out of the NIT. The Hoyas have backed away from the abyss of those upsets, but haven't scaled to the heights of preseason expectations. There are some prospects for improvement as the season goes on, but the Hoyas' track record doesn't suggest that any progress will be dramatic."

The 2015-16 Georgetown Hoyas haven't put together consistent first and second halves all season, and following Saturday's first half against DePaul, this might have been a good thing.

After a first half that sank under the weight of 10 turnovers against nine field goals, a more balanced defensive effort pushed DePaul into poor second half play, whereupon the Hoyas took the season series, 74-63, over a DePaul team now winless in four Big East games.

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera opened the game with a three pointer which turned out to the the openly basket he would score in the half. DSR's struggled were mirrored by all of the Georgetown starters, with Isaac Copeland missing all six of his attempts, Marcus Derrickson and Tre Campbell shooting a combined 1 for 3, and center Bradley Hayes playing just four minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. For its part, DePaul was more energetic in the first half and led the Hoyas for the final 17:32 of the first half, shooting 40 percent and outscoring Georgetown 16 to 6 in the paint.

That Georgetown could even get to the second half was, in no small part, a result of the stellar play from sophomore L.J. peak, who has thrived as as the first player off the bench rather than as a starter. Peak played just two minutes early in the game and finished with nine before halftime, but it was the final 6:42 of the period where he made his impact. Added to the game with Georgetown shooting 27 percent from the floor and trailing by there, 18-15, Peak went to work. Over the next five minutes, Peak scored 11 straight points for the Hoyas during a run where things could have gotten out of hand. A Jessie Govan layup, only Georgetown's third two pointer of the entire half, closed the deficit to 30-28 in one of the more ragged halves of the season.

Peak and Govan were each added to the starting lineup after the break, replacing Derrickson and Campbell, who combined for just three points before halftime and three after it. Another second half absence was from Hayes, with four minutes in the first half and four in the second following his fourth foul with 12:45 to play. Instead, the Hoyas redoubled on defense and relied on free throws to carry the way.

The game turned early in the second half on back to back baskets by Jessie Govan to give the G-men a 38-35 lead. The Hoyas (10-6) led by as many as seven before DePaul cut it to 45-43 with 11:27 to play, but consecutive threes by Govan and Campbell pushed the lead back to eight inside nine minutes to play. Again, the Demons rallied within three, but as fouls mounted, Georgetown took advantage.

Down three with 6:07 remaining, DePaul committed fouls on three consecutive series and the Hoyas were a steady 6 for 6 from the line to push the lead to nine at the five minute mark. A bench technical on DePaul coach Dave Leitao added two more from the line, followed by a foul by DU's Eli Cain which added two more. Leitao had seen enough and a second technical followed, adding two more to the Hoyas' cause. Georgetown added 13 free throws in 14 attempts to push the lead to double digits with three minutes to play, putting the outcome out of reach.

"I think we did a good job defensively on them in the half court set," said Smith-Rivera in post-game remarks. "When they did score a lot of it was in transition, which is something we've harped on all year. For us, we missed some shots that we usually make. Not to take anything away from them, they played defense really well, but shots that we usually make weren't going down and in the second half it started to happen for us." DSR finished with a season high eight assists for the game.

"This game is somewhat similar to last time we played them a week or so ago," said DePaul coach Dave Leitao. "I thought we battled at certain points well enough, but Georgetown was good enough and we weren't good enough at important times of the game."

Georgetown shot 44 percent in the second half compared to just 30 percent for DePaul. GU held its turnovers to just four after the break while DePaul picked up nine.

The Hoyas hold a 3-1 record in Big East play, but with two of those three against a winless DePaul team. Another opportunity (or peril, depending on what half it is) awaits Wednesday at Madison Square Garden against St. John's, where the Redmen are winless in its first four Big East games. Tougher opponents are around the corner and figure to put a lot more pressure on Georgetown's inconsistent play than DePaul ever could.

The Georgetown half of the box score:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Campbell     14   0-1   1-2   0-0   1   2  1    3
Smith-Rivera 35   1-4   2-8   9-14  3   8  1   17
Copeland     32   1-4   1-6   4-4   7   2  3    9
Derrickson   20   0-0   1-3   1-2   7   0  2    4
Hayes         8   1-3   0-0   0-0   1   0  4    2
Reserves:
Peak         24   0-0   3-4   8-9   2   1  1   17
Cameron      26   1-2   2-7   0-2   3   1  2    8
Govan        30   4-6   1-1   1-1   4   1  3   12
Johnson      10   1-1   0-0   0-0   2   0  1    2
Mourning      1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Team Rebounds                       4
DNP: White, Williams 
TOTALS           9-21 11-31  23-32 34  15 18   74

Additional coverage follows below. Neither Chicago newspaper filed a story for the game.

GUHoyas.com

DePaulBlueDemons.com

Associated Press

Big East Coast Bias

CSN Mid-Atlantic

The DePaulia

Washington Post

The UDC web site posted a 20 minute interview with former Georgetown coach John Thompson, who earned a master's degree from Federal City College, one of UDC's predecessors. In the interview, Thompson talks about his recruitment by Georgetown in high school, a professor that made a profound difference in his life, and the best defensive player he ever coached. Recommended viewing.

The Thompson content begins at the 6:00 mark in the link below:

"It's a confidence builder. Georgetown only scored on 2 of its last 13 possessions." - Creighton coach Greg McDermott

Six points in the final 6:56 sealed the outcome as the Georgetown Hoyas stumbled to a 79-66 loss at Creighton Tuesday. The finish squandered an impressive run of three point shooting that obscured Georgetown's continuing inattention to defense, which the Bluejays successfully exploited all evening.

Both teams started the game with crisp shooting, with Georgetown especially effective from three point range. Five of GU's first seven field goals were from three point range, but Creighton's up tempo offense gave the Hoyas fits and the Bluejays led by as many as 10 midway through the first half. A tighter Georgetown defense began to rein in the Creighton attack, holding the Jays to two field goals in its next nine attempts as the Hoyas fought back. Led by freshman Jessie Govan, with eight first half points off the bench, the Hoyas closed to two, 36-34, with 2:55 in the first half and tied the score on Govan's jumper at the 1:42 mark. Creighton took a 38-36 lead to the break thanks to 12 points off Georgetown turnovers, a number that would follow the Hoyas right to the end.

The second half began with a slower pace then the first, with neither team leading by more than three for the first ten minutes of action. A pair of baskets by D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera gave Georgetown a 47-45 lead a the 15:01 mark, but DSR would have only two field goals for the remainder of the game, while Isaac Copeland was largely ineffective. Creighton got a big effort from 5-10 Maurice Watson Jr., who shredded the Hoyas' interior defense with regularity in the second half, as the BlueJays rallied midway in the half. From a 56-53 deficit with 10:56 to play, Creighton scored ten straight to take a 63-56 lead with eight minutes remaining. Baskets by Smith-Rivera and Reggie Cameron closed to three at 63-60 with 6:56 remaining, but from that point the offense was punchless.

Down three, Georgetown launched up two three point shots without effect, and Watson helped push the lead to eight, 68-60. A pair of DSR free throws closed the gap to 68-62 with 4:46 left, but GU had no coherent game plan down the stretch. Over its next seven possessions, the Hoyas managed one basket, four missed threes, and turnovers on three consecutive possessions that pushed the Creighton lead into double digits entering the final two minutes. Over the final 10:56 of the second half, Georgetown managed only four field goals, one of which was a layup with one second remaining.

Watson led the Bluejays with a career high 27 points. Smith-Rivera and Govan each had 17 for the Hoyas, but starters Marcus Derrickson, Isaac Copeland, and Tre Campbell were a combined 3 for 12 and were frequently outplayed on defense. The Hoyas scored on a season high 11 three pointers but gave up 25 points off 15 turnovers, a statistic that coach John Thompson III and his staff seem unable to address with this team. Entering the game, Georgetown ranked 245th nationally in turnovers allowed.

The Georgetown half of the box score:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Campbell     18   1-1   1-4   0-0   2   3  1    5
Smith-Rivera 38   3-7   3-7   2-2   3   7  2   17
Copeland     32   0-2   0-1   1-2   2   3  1    1
Derrickson   20   0-1   1-3   0-0   3   1  3    3
Hayes        18   4-8   0-0   0-0   6   0  4    8
Reserves:
Peak         26   1-2   1-2   0-0   2   4  4    5
Cameron      17   2-4   1-3   0-0   1   1  2    7
Govan        22   4-6   3-3   0-1   7   0  3   17
Johnson       9   0-0   1-1   0-2   0   0  0    3
Team Rebounds                       1
DNP: White, Williams, Mourning 
TOTALS          15-31 11-24   3-7  27  19 20   66

Additional coverage follows below:

GUHoyas.com

GoCreighton.com

Associated Press

ESPN.com

Georgetown Voice

Omaha World Herald

Omaha World Herald (2)

White & Blue Review

Ben Standig's column at CSN Mid-Atlantic has confirmed a injury to sophomore Paul White that has kept him out of the last two games.

"Paul White did not play for a second straight game after re-aggravating a hip injury that kept him of the court for the first four games, CSNmidatlantic.com confirmed," he wrote. "No immediate schedule [is] set for his return."

White has been played sparingly this season, averaging 1.6 points per game in seven games.

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera scored Georgetown's final 12 points of the game as the Hoyas fought through a 15 minute stretch of offensive futility in an 80-70 win over Marquette at Verizon Center on Saturday. The Hoyas saw an impressive 19 point second half lead dwindle to six before DSR took over late.

The team effort was the best for the Hoyas since its Dec. 5 win over Syracuse, and the two games shared some similarities: defensive intensity, a great first half, and a struggle down the stretch. Intensity was a watchword from the start of the game, as Georgetown opened swiftly with a 5-0 lead. Marquette rallied to tie the score at 11 on a Jajuan Johnson three pointer at the 13:39 mark, but the Hoyas responded with its best three minute run of the season.

Following a pair of free throws from Isaac Copeland, freshman Jessie Govan pulled down a rebound inside and converted down the floor, 15-11. A steal by Copeland fed Peak driving for the basket, 17-11, and following a pair of marquette free throws, GU answered with nine straight, including a Govan three, a pair of layups from Peak, and a layup from Kaleb Johnson, 26-13. Georgetown's three freshman, Derrickson, Govan, and Johnson, were stellar throughout the half, keeping Marquette freshman Henry Ellenson in check and forcing the Warriors out of position on a number of offensive sets.

Marquette closed to eight at the five minute mark of the first half but the Hoyas were about to blow the game open. Govan opened the scoring with a dish from Peak, 38-28. On the next possession, Govan blocked Luke Fischer inside, setting up Copeland on the next possession to add two at the line, 42-28. Following an exchange of foul shots, Govan went to work, with three straight blocks on Ellenson, followed up 28 second later by a DSR dish to Derrickson for two and the foul, 47-30.

Jessie Govan having a personal block party at the Phone Booth. https://t.co/o61AeOeuB2

— Hoyas247 (@Hoyas247) January 2, 2016

A flagrant foul on Govan with 12 seconds to go and a succeeding three pointer from Duane Wilson cut the lead to 13 at the half, 49-36, but what a first half. Georgetown shot 59 percent from the field, with its freshman a combined 8 for 12 with nine rebounds and four blocks. Georgetown had a 26-14 advantage with points in the paint, and Marquette freshmen Henry Ellenson and Haanif Cheatham were held to just 2 for 10 from the field.

Georgetown opened the second half with similar flair, with a pair of threes to go up 19, 55-36, with 18:44 to play. But as coach John Thompson III remarked in post-game comments, the Hoyas stopped moving offensively, and the Warriors began to crawl back into the game. A three from Duane Wilson cut the lead to 16, whereupon the Hoyas committed turnovers on four of its next five possessions and MU closed to 12, 55-43. A basket from Bradley Hayes broke a four minute drought, 57-43, but the Hoyas could not score for the next six minutes. The defense was there, but the offense was not--two misses, followed by two turnovers that brought the Warriors to eight at the 12:28 mark, 57-49. Neither team scored for the next four minutes, a combined 0 for 10 between them, until DSR found junior Reggie Cameron alone on the outside of the arc. Cameron, scoreless for the game, was fouled on the way up but sank the three and and free throw-- a rare four point play that not only rallied the Hoyas, but provided a key buffer in the margin that the Hoyas needed down the stretch.

Cameron's basket did not stop the Hoyas' poor play, however. The teams traded turnovers and free throws until the Warriors stepped up the defensive pace, picking up a a dunk and a pair of free throws to close to seven, 62-55 at the 4:43 mark. A pair of Govan free throws was matched by a jumper from Cheatham at the 4:16 mark, and the Hoyas needed something soon. A basket by L.J. Peak put the Hoyas up nine with under four minutes remaining, but a Derrickson turnover heralded three straight scoring drives by the Warriors to close to 68-62 with 2:38 to play.

And up stepped Smith-Rivera. With just one field goal in four attempts this afternoon, he picked up two free throws at the 2:09 mark, then sank a jumper at the 1:42 mark to go up eight. After a Marquette layup, DSR answered the bell again, driving inside for the basket with 59 seconds left, 74-66. A three pointer by Marquette's Sandy Cohen fell short and DSR continued his run at the line, finishing 6 for 6 as MU never got closer than either thereafter. He finished with 15 points, 12 of which came within the final 2:09.

But it wasn't just the points, Thompson remarked.

"D'Vauntes had eight assists today," he said ."D'Vauntes is getting everybody else involved, but when it comes time to win the game D'Vauntes does what he has to do...That's a senior, that's someone that understands [when] there's a lid on the basket, everything is stagnant, even when we get the looks that we want they're not going in and he just took over at the end, in the right kind of way."

"I think we made two threes to start the second half and then the ball started to stick and then we stopped moving our bodies. We started to stand around a little too much. We took some quick bad shots instead of making them work, so we have to understand that that can't happen."

"I thought we played harder in the second half, and as a result of playing harder we were more disruptive defensively," said Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski."I thought we were playing very slow and lethargic in the first half and you're not going to force teams to be uncomfortable, whether that makes them turn it over or it makes them rush shots. If you're not really laying it on the line on the defensive end you're not going to get the outcomes that you want. "

Marcus Derrickson's 16 points led the Hoyas on the stat sheet, but the real MVP was at the foul line--the team shot a remarkable 22 for 23, one short of breaking a team record that has stood for 37 years.

"We made our foul shots. We missed one," Thompson said.

"We're in the best conference in basketball and nothing is easy," he added." No night is easy, everything is going to be a fight, that has always been the case in the Big East and now is no different."

The Georgetown half of the box score:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Campbell     12   1-3   0-1   0-0   3   1  0    2
Smith-Rivera 36   2-4   1-2   8-8   4   8  0   15
Copeland     30   2-7   1-2   4-4   7   3  4   11
Derrickson   32   3-6   2-5   4-4   5   1  3   16
Hayes        22   4-8   0-0   0-0   4   1  3    8
Reserves:
Peak         23   5-5   0-0   0-0   4   1  4   10
Cameron      16   0-0   1-3   2-3   1   0  2    5
Govan        17   2-3   1-1   4-4   5   0  5   11
Johnson      12   1-2   0-1   0-0   6   2  0    2
Team Rebounds                       0
DNP: White, Williams, Mourning 
TOTALS      200 20-36  6-15  22-23 39  17 21   80

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