Wahab? Not So Fast
Head coach Patrick Ewing has shot down suggestions that freshman center Qudus Wahab should be elevated into the starting lineup in the wake of a recent slump by senior Omer Yurtseven.Yurtseven has shot just 30 percent over his last two games, missing 10 of 14 shots in the loss to Butler. Wahab is 17 of 22 in his last five games, all from close range."To me, Omer is our best player," Ewing told NBC Sports.com. "Some nights I want to play [Qudus] more but sometimes he makes good play on one end, but I don't see it on the other end. But I'm going to play the way I see it." Georgetown's two other centers are not even in the discussion. Freshman Tim Ighoefe has played a total of just two minutes in Big East play, while freshman Malcolm Wilson has not appeared in a game this season. Butler 69, Georgetown 64
Carrying a 43-32 lead into halftime, Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing told CBS Sports Network that the team needed to play like "junk yard dogs" in the second half. Unfortunately, it was anything but.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The Hoyas stumbled to its its third straight loss Tuesday night, shooting 21 percent in the second in half in a utterly deflating 69-64 loss to #16 Butler. The Hoyas' defense made a star out of Butler's Sean McDermott who scorched Jamorko Pickett for six threes and 25 points overall. The Hoyas opened the game poorly, shooting 2 for 12 but hanging around in large part to equally poor shooting by the Bulldogs, who held a 9-6 lead in the first seven minutes of play. Three straight baskets by Terrell Allen, Jagan Mosely, and Qudus Wahab regained the lead for the Hoyas, one they held the remainder of the first half. With four players in early foul trouble and no field goals from leading scorer Kamar Baldwin, the Bulldogs showed few signs of life, committing 12 first half turnovers and watching the homestanding Hoyas go on a 20-8 run over six minutes late in the first half to lead by as many as 14, 41-27, shooting 46 percent from the field and a sterling 13 of 14 from the free throw line, with 17 first half points off turnovers. If there was any momentum on the Georgetown bench at halftime, it was promptly boxed up and shipped to Butler's side of the hall. The Bulldogs opened the second half with a three point play 13 seconds into the period. After Omer Yurtseven went one of two from the foul line, Kamar Baldwin scored his first basket of the game, 44-31. After a series where Picket and Yurtseven both whiffed inside, McDermott went to work. McDermott exposed Pickett's defense on four straight possessions, resulting in three threes and 11 points overall. It led the Bulldogs to gain a stunning 47-44 lead with just five minutes gone in the second half. Georgetown didn't get its first basket until the 14:38 mark on a Mac McClung basket; he proceeded to miss his remaining eight attempts. GU's second basket came at the 12:11 mark, having shot 2 for 11 to open the second half, a mirror image of its 2 for 12 start in the first half. The difference was more than apparent--Butler was playing with focus and precision, two words long gone from the Georgetown play book this evening. The Bulldogs stretched the lead to seven, 56-49, at the midpoint of the half but could not get the ball back to McDermott and settled for some poor shooting of its own. Threes by Jahvon Blair and Jagan Mosely rallied the Hoyas to trail by one, 58-57, with 5:48 to play, and Blair answered a Baldwin layup with his second three in 71 seconds, tying the score at 60. But the wheels were already coming off the Hoyas' offense, and all Butler needed to do was hold on tight. On its next series, Baldwin missed a jumper but the Hoyas allowed little used guard Henry Baddley to pick up a second chance layup, 62-60. Each team missed its next five attempts heading into the final two minutes when a McClung layup was ruled as a block rather than a goaltend, the first of two officials' calls that would Gerogetown would come to regret. After a pair of free throws by Baldwin, GU scored on its next two series to tie the score at 64 with 1:29 to play. On Butler's next possession, a foul down low was initially ruled as two shots for the Bulldogs, then revised to out of bounds instead. On the ensuing play, McDermott skated past Terrell Allen for the open three, 67-64, with 0:49 to play. Georgetown missed its final five attempts down the stretch, none more painful than a tying three by Blair that was disallowed because he had stepped out of bounds on the shot. Georgetown's second half numbers were as poor as any game in the Patrick Ewing era: 7 field goals in 33 attempts. Pickett was 0-5, McClung 1-9, Yurtseven 1-6, Wahab 1-4. The Bulldogs shot 50 percent from the field in the second half and surrendered just three turnovers. The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Allen 38 1-5 1-1 4-4 2 7 3 9
McClung 34 3-11 1-5 3-4 3 2 3 12
Mosely 39 3-6 1-3 2-2 7 2 2 11
Pickett 20 0-5 0-2 0-0 2 0 2 0
Yurtseven 30 4-14 0-0 6-8 13 1 3 14
Reserves:
Blair 25 1-1 2-3 0-0 1 2 1 8
Muresan 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Wahab 10 4-7 0-0 2-2 5 0 2 10
Team Rebounds 5
DNP: Azinge, Ighoefe, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 16-49 5-14 17-20 38 14 16 64
Third Verbal For 2020
Georgetown picked up a verbal commitment Tuesday from Chicago point guard Tyler Beard.The 6-2 Beard is a senior at Whitney Young HS in Chicago, the former home of former GU players L.J. Peak (2014-17) and Paul White (2014-16). Beard is ranked #194 nationally by 247Sports and #146 by Rivals.com, and is the second point guard in the three man recruiting class to date.Georgetown has as many as four open scholarships still open in the 2020 recruiting cycle. Hoya For A Day In a season where its bench is so lean, here's a look back at a Georgetown recruit who would have been a senior this year, but whose name is all but forgotten in Georgetown annals.In March 2016, Big East recruiting sites buzzed with a signing from Denzell Hosch, a 24 year old recruit with no other college offers. Wrote this web site in 2016:"Hosch played high school basketball in the 2009-10 academic year at Shelby (NC), but did not sign with a college and moved on to Charis Prep, enrollment 36, in Wilson, NC for a fifth year in 2010-11. The following year, Hosch opted for the junior college route at the little known University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie, but did not play either, receiving a medical redshirt. One year later, he was reported as walking on at North Carolina A&T for 2012-13 but was never listed on the roster. For the past three years Hosch has been in the Army, most recently at Ft. Hood (TX), which reactivated its base team two years ago... "The Big East Coast Bias site reported Hosch accepted the offer within one hour Sunday, and Georgetown was the only school that had offered." The puzzling signing got even more attention when Hosch retracted the announcement hours later. So where is Denzell Hosch today? After the Georgetown offer failed to materialize, Hosch played one season at Division II North Georgia, then transferred to Fayetteville State, another Division II school. In three seasons Hosch, now 28, averages 11.4 points per game as a reserve guard for the Broncos (16-4) and was nominated for a CIAA all-academic award. In a news release posted on Thursday, Fayetteville State noted that Hosch "was one of 21 student-athletes at Fayetteville State to receive the D2 Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Award. This past spring, Hosch graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems. He is currently pursuing his MBA with Project Management as the concentration." Galen Alexander To Texas SouthernFormer Georgetown forward Galen Alexander, who transferred after nine games this season, will move on to Texas Southern, per reports.Texas Southern will be Alexander's fourth school in four years, having been dismissed from the LSU basketball team in 2017-18, spending a year at Jones County (MS) College, and a nine game tenure at Georgetown, which was cut short by allegations of harassment of a fellow student. In his transfer announcement on December 14, Alexander remarked that "My character has been defamed and that needs to be cleared up more than anything else. Very soon it will come to light that I am innocent and had nothing to do with the false allegations."Alexander will have three semesters eligibility at Texas Southern beginning in January 2021. No destination has been announced for former freshman Myron Gardner, who played in eight games and also announced a transfer on December 14. Morgan Wootten & GeorgetownWith the passing of Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten on Wednesday at the age of 88, it's worth remembering that Wooten was twice a candidate for the head coaching position at Georgetown.In 1966, following the resignation of Tom O'Keefe, an ad hoc committee of students leading the Georgetown search reached out to Wootten, then a 34 year old coach at DeMatha Catholic HS and St. John's College HS coach Joe Gallagher, to gauge their interest in the job. According to a news story attributed to Gallagher, neither coach took the offer seriously, in that O'Keefe was still a part time coach and Georgetown would not even commit an administrative assistant to the basketball coach. Without any serious local interest, Georgetown turned to 29 year old Jack Magee, then a high school coach in the Boston area, to succeed O'Keefe.Six years later, Wootten was sought for the Georgetown vacancy following Magee's firing. A runner-up to the search in 1969 that hired Charles (Lefty) Driesell at Maryland, Wooten was again a runner-up in the Georgetown search that hired John Thompson. In 1980, Wootten turned down an offer to coach North Carolina State, a job that went to Iona head coach Jim Valvano. Wootten concluded his career at DeMatha in 2002 with a record of 1274-192, with 33 WCAC conference titles. His legend was known far beyond Washington DC. The coach's legacy was summed up many years ago by former UCLA coach John Wooden, who remarked: "People say Morgan Wootten is the best high school basketball coach in the country. I disagree. I know of no finer coach at any level -- high school, college, or pro. I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it here: I stand in awe of him." Xavier 66, Georgetown 57 It's not even February, but time is running out on the NCAA hopes of the 2019-20 Georgetown Hoyas, dropping a 66-57 loss at Xavier on Wednesday night.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Xavier opened the game with a lineup change that would prove crucial early, benching struggling 6-1 guard Quentin Goodin for 6-9 forward Zach Freemantle, and the Hoyas were painfully slow to adjust. Georgetown dug a hole for themselves early in this one. Leading 4-2 after two minutes in the first half, the Hoyas missed its next 10 shots over the next 10:39, by which time the Musketeers built a 14 point lead, 19-5. Xavier led by as many as 18 at 26-8 before Georgetown got some better defense inside and began to chop away at the sizeable lead. A three from Jahvon Blair and a pair of Mac McClung baskets closed to 26-15, followed by a Jagan Mosely three that closed to 30-20. A late three by Xavier reserve Kyky Tandy gave the Musketeers a 35-23 lead at halftime, as Georgetown suffered through 8 for 28 shooting in the first half, 3 for 12 from outside the three point arc, and allowed Xavier 20 points inside the paint. The first half was a miserable one for senior Omer Yurtseven: 0-4, two turnovers, two fouls. The second half didn't start off much better, as Yurtseven was stuffed going to the rim and gave up an alley-oop to push the Xavier lead to 37-23. He responded with a pair of baskets to get the Hoyas back to eight, 39-31, but picked up a third foul 22 seconds later and a fourth at the 12:32 mark. For its part, Xavier's shooting was decidedly mixed, giving the Hoyas opportunities ti get back in the game all evening. Off the bench came Qudus Wahab, scoring Georgetown's next seven to close to 49-40. The Hoyas couldn't keep any momentum, dropping a 10-4 run as Xavier led by 15 at the 5:19 mark, 59-44. Xavier got the score up to 62-46 at the 4:49 mark, beginning a drought for the Musketeers, missing its final six attempts of the game. Georgetown answered with an 8-0n run to close to 62-54 with 2:46 to play, but no closer. McClung missed six straight attempts in the final four minutes and Georgetown finished 1 for 6 in the final 2:05. The Hoyas finished with a season low 57 points on 36 percent shooting, 4 for 18 from three, and scoring on just 27 of 67 possessions. McClung's 19 was the only Georgetown player in double figures, with Yurtseven scoring just four points. Xavier put four in double figures, including a season hugh 18 off the bench from Kyky Tandy. For Georgetown to entertain hopes of its first NCAA bid in five years, it must now win seven of its final 11, including five games versus currently ranked opponents, starting a week from now hosting #13 Butler. For all its effort, the seven man rotation is beginning to run short on magic at this time of the season. The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Allen 30 3-7 0-0 2-4 3 3 3 8
McClung 33 6-15 0-4 7-7 3 1 2 19
Mosely 40 0-0 1-5 0-0 7 4 0 3
Pickett 30 1-4 1-2 0-0 10 1 2 5
Yurtseven 21 3-8 0-1 0-0 2 0 4 6
Reserves:
Blair 25 0-0 2-6 1-2 2 0 1 7
Muresan 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Wahab 19 4-5 0-0 1-2 8 0 3 9
Team Rebounds 3
DNP: Azinge, Ighoefe, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 17-39 4-18 11-15 38 9 15 57
Decline Of the Big ManESPN took the opportunity to speak with three former Georgetown centers--to discuss the lack of post play in the contemporary NBA."There's not that many great centers," Ewing said. "I'd be Michael Jordan in this era."Videos with Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Roy Hibbert are posted below. Marquette 84, Georgetown 80 A 42 point performance from Markus Howard proved the difference as the Marquette Warriors defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 84-80 before 12,514 at Capital One Arena.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
This wasn't one of those games where either team was dominant or, conversely, where either team blew an opportunity to put the game away. The teams were closely matched throughout and the lead changed 11 times during the game, each relying on a core of starters to drive to the finish. Georgetown got off to a good start with an uncommon three from Omer Yurtseven, but the Georgetown attack is not outside oriented (8th in the Big East) and Georgetown managed only two threes in six more attempts in the first half. Marquette got its first three of the game less than a minute later, and was able to establish control in the first half via the long ball. Despite early foul trouble on center Theo John, Marquette picked up momentum from afar, as Howard sank back to back threes to give MU a 15-13 lead seven minutes into the first half. The Warriors led by as many as six, 19-13, before the Hoyas scored seven straight, but Marquette answered with two more threes to go up five, 25-20. A second Yurtseven three capped a 9-3 GU run, 29-28, but a pair of baskets by little used backup center Jayce Johnson fueled a 10-2 Marquette run, 38-31. Georgetown closed to 42-36 at the break behind a strong 57 percent shooting, but Marquette's eight threes were more than the equal of Gerogetown's three. The second half belonged to Howard. A year ago, he saw no time in the second half at Capital One Arena due to injury, he scored 28 of the Warriors' 42 points in a little over 16 minutes, one short of the Big East record for most points in a half set by Seton Hall's Myles Powell versus the Hoyas in the 2019 Big East tournament. Despite Howard's command performance, the Hoyas were in this until the very end. Georgetown tied the score early in the second half on a Mac McClung three, 46-46, before Howard found the scoring column, driving inside for a basket and foul at the 16:44 mark, 49-46. On the next play, McClung was fouled driving to the basket, but the normally sure-shot from the line split one of two, something seen in his recent bout with the flu. If McClung was under the weather, he didn't acknowledge it, but he seemed to tire in the second half of this game. McClung wasn't;t the only marksman who struggled at the line. Markus Howard, 34 of 35 from the free throw line in Big East play entering Saturday's game, missed a pair of free throws at the 13:37 mark that Jagan Mosely answered with a three to regain the lead, 54-51. Howard responded with 10 of the Warriors' next 12, putting Marquette up 63-59 to play. Not to be outdone, McClung answered with eight straight of his own and GU closed to 67-65, when a short turnaround from Qudus Wahab tied the score at 67 with 6:40 to play. Howard was back to work, scoring seven of MU's next nine as the Warriors took a game high seven point lead, 76-69, with 3:37 to play. Following a fifth foul on Jayce Johnson, Yurtseven was back to work, hitting a pair of jumpers to to close to 76-73. On gerogetown's next possession, Jahvon Blair was fouled attempting his only three pointer of the game, and sank three free throws to tie the score with 1:34 remaining. There was little doubt who Marquette would turn to. Howard squared up for a long three at the 1:21 mark, 79-76. A basket by Jamorko Pickett closed to 79-78 with 53 second remaining. Fouled thereafter, Howard uncharacteristically missed the second of two free throws at the 28 second mark, 80-78. Fouled driving to the basket with 10 seconds to play, McClung came up short on his first attempt and settled for one of two from the line, 80-79. Free throws from Koby McEwen put the Warriors up three, 82-79, and Jagan Mosely could do no better than one of two at the line thereafter. The Hoyas entered the final minute shooting 6 for 7 at the line and finished 8 of 11. Howard was 9 for 18 in the second half compared to a combined 4 of 11 for the remainder of his team. The 28 points outshone a strong second half for mcClung, with 15 points after the break. Georgetown shot 45 percent from the field after halftime with six threes and jsut three turnovers--numbers that against any other opponent might have been enough for the win. But not every opponent has an NBA lottery pick starting in their backcourt. Markus Howard's next appearance in Capital One Arena is likely to be in an NBA uniform. His last local appearance in Marquette blue and gold was a memorable one. The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Allen 34 2-4 0-2 0-1 1 5 4 4
McClung 35 5-10 3-8 5-8 6 3 2 24
Mosely 38 2-2 2-3 1-2 3 5 4 11
Pickett 34 2-9 2-2 0-0 8 0 1 10
Yurtseven 34 7-14 2-3 2-2 11 2 4 22
Reserves:
Blair 19 0-0 0-0 3-3 2 1 1 3
Wahab 6 3-3 0-0 0-0 1 0 3 6
Team Rebounds 1
DNP: Azinge, Ighoefe, Muresan, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 21-42 9-18 11-16 33 16 19 80
Single Game Opponent Scoring RecordsMarkus Howard's 42 points is the 11th time an opponent has scored more than 40 points against Georgetown, and only the second time in Big East play.
Georgetown 83, Creighton 80 Omer Yurtseven's 20 points and 13 rebounds led the Georgetown Hoyas to a hard fought and much needed 83-80 win over #25 Creighton before 5,920 at Capital One Arena.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
"Our guys fought, even though Mac, Terrell, they both were sick," said head coach Patrick Ewing. "They haven't practiced in three days." With a decided height advantage inside, Georgetown went to work with a pair of baskets from Yurtseven, opening up an early 11-8 lead despite some soft defense of its own. A five minute drought where GU had no baskets and five turnovers allowed Creighton to mount a a 9-0 run, but the Bluejays were equally spotty on defense and returned the favor, with Georgetown going on an 8-2 run of its own and carry a 24-22 lead midway in the first half. Early foul trouble on Allen and McClung did not serve the Hoyas well, as the Bluejays took advantage of a weak interior defense to take a 31-27 lead. Back came McClung with a pair of baskets, but the Hoyas finished the half one point short at the break, 37-36, even as Yurtseven missed an easy dunk in the final moments and finished with 10 points in the first half. The two teams combined for 15 turnovers in the half. It didn't take long for the fouls to put the Hoyas in a bind. In the first 38 seconds of the second half, both Allen and McClung picked up their third fouls. Head coach Patrick had little choice but to leave both in, and the Hoyas hung around. For its part, Creighton had no middle range shot, relying on either three pointers or drives deep into the Georgetown defense, where neither Yurtseven nor Jamorko Pickett were well positioned. Georgetown twice led by six midway through the second half but kept allowing Creighton to get back in with fast breaks and inside play. From a 63-57 GU lead with 8:36 to play, the Bluejays closed to two, 63-61, before the Hoyas scored seven straight for its biggest lead of the evening, 70-61, with 5:41 to play. And yet, it wasn't enough. Ty-Shon Alexander answered with a two and a three, 70-66. Conspicuous by his absence on the stat sheet was Creighton forward Mitch Ballock. Averaging 12 points entering this game, Ballock was scoreless in the game until he hit back to back threes to close the Jays to 74-72 at the 2:29 mark. A missed three by Jamorko Pickett was returned by a missed three from Marcus Zegarowski. A Yurtseven basket was answered by a drove from Denzel Mahoney, 76-74, with 1:05 to play. Georgetown needed a statement basket and got it from McClung. The 6-2 sophomore hit a fadeaway jumper with 0:38 remaining, 78-74, and added a free throw at the 19 second mark, 79-74. But Creighton wasn't done. The Bluejays looked to be down and out when Mahoney missed the front end of a one and one with 0:13 left, but he picked up a three six seconds later, 81-77. Free throws from McClung put the Hoyas up six, only to be answered by the Jays' 13th three of the night, 83-80 with under a second to play. Georgetown escaped a train wreck of an ending when Pickett's inbound pass was deflected out of bounds, but time had expired before Creighton had an opportunity to tie the game. This is one of those games the Bluejays may look back in March and ask "what if". Despite 13 threes in the game, Creighton got a combined 4 of 16 from three point range from marksmen Ty-Shon Alexander and Mitch Ballock, and owned a 23-8 advantage on fast break points but could not defend the Hoyas down the stretch, where Georgetown finished 4 for 5 in the final four minutes. The Hoyas put five players in double figures, shooting 51 percent for the game despite just five three pointers in 15 attempts. Georgetown's 41-29 advantage on the boards proved crucial to the cause, earning the Hoyas a much needed home win. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Allen 26 3-5 1-1 1-1 1 5 3 10
McClung 28 6-10 1-4 4-6 5 5 4 19
Mosely 40 3-4 1-2 4-4 4 4 3 13
Pickett 38 3-6 0-4 3-4 6 1 0 9
Yurtseven 35 9-14 0-0 2-2 13 3 0 20
Reserves:
Blair 23 2-5 2-4 2-3 3 0 0 12
Muresan 4 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0
Wahab 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 3 0
Team Rebounds 7
DNP: Azinge, Ighoefe, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 26-45 5-15 16-20 41 18 14 83
Villanova 80, Georgetown 66 Entering Saturday's game with Georgetown, the #16-ranked Villanova Wildcats were 22 of 96 (.229) from three point range in three previous Big East games. Saturday, they turned the tables on the Georgetown Hoyas, with 15 three pointers in an 80-66 win before 15,041 at the Wells Fargo Center.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The artillery may not be unexpected, but the gunner may have been. After hitting just eight threes in his last seven games combined, sophomore forward Saddiq Bey hit eight threes in just under 30 minutes, countering a solid Georgetown effort against a team to which the Hoyas have dropped 12 of 14 over the past seven years.The Wildcats netted their first two threes of the game during an early stretch where the Hoyas started the game shooting 1 for 6 and trailed 10-4. Back to back three pointers from Jamorko Pickett quickly rallied the Georgetown cause, aprt of a run where the Hoyas shot 7 for 7 and took a 21-19 lead at the 11:57 mark of the first half. Bey had already made his presence known, with 11 of the Wildcats' 19 points and three three pointers, already one short of his season high. In fact, the Cats were living from outside. When freshman Justin Moore sank a three to regain the lead at the 11:34 mark, 22-21, the Wildcats had scored 18 of its 22 points from three point range on 6 for 9 shooting. The Hoyas' lead turned midway in the first half. Mac McClung's basket at the 9:57 mark gave Georgetown a 23-22 lead, but it would be its last of the game. A second foul to senior center Omer Yurtseven sidelined the starter and the Wildcats answered with a 9-0 run, all from outside. Threes by Bey, Cole Swider, and Jermaine Samuels extended the lead to 31-23, and marked five different Wildcats with threes in the first half. Baskets by Terrell Allen and Mac McClung closed to 31-27, followed by a McClung to Qudus Wahab feed to close to 31-29. bey answered with the Wildcats' 10th three of the afternoon, 34-29. Wahab, playing strong inside in Yurtseven's absence, scored the next five to tie the score, 34-34. Bey and Wahab traded baskets to get to 36-36, and the Wildcats closed the scoring to take a 39-36 lead at the break. The first four minutes after halftime set the tone for the rest of the game. three Wildcats picked up five points in the first 28 seconds of the second half, part of a 10-0 run to give Villanova a 46-36 lead at the 17:40 mark. As was the identical case in the first half, Georgetown answered with back to back threes, 49-44, but these two outbursts were the only significant outside shooting of the game--outside of these two baskets, GU was 0 for 6 from three the remainder of the game. Both teams cooled its shooting in the second half. From its quick start, Villanova missed its next six before a 7-0 run pushed its lead to 56-44. Bey's eight and final three at the 10:32 mark put the Cats up ten, 59-49. As Bey took a back seat in the scoring column, freshman Jeremiah Robinson-Earl stepped up, scoring eight of his 11 points down the stretch and the Hoyas never contended thereafter. Georgetown's starters faded in the second half of this game. Mac McClung was scoreless in the second half, appearing to be dealing with a knee problem that had flared up last month at Oklahoma State--he finished a season's worst 3 for 15 from the field. Jamorko Pickett was 1 of 7 after the break, while Omer Yurtseven had one field goal in the final 12:41 of the game. Wahab's 13 points led all Georgetown scorers. Bay's 33 points was a career high and led all Villanova scorers. "We've only got six or seven guys that are going to play," said coach Patrick Ewing in post-game comments. "We can't worry about who's here, who's not here. This is our team." Now at 1-3, the Hoyas head into a week that could tell the story of the 2019-20 season. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Allen 34 2-5 2-2 0-0 2 6 2 10
McClung 32 3-11 0-4 2-4 3 5 1 8
Mosely 37 1-1 0-0 2-3 4 2 2 4
Pickett 31 2-6 2-6 2-3 6 0 4 12
Yurtseven 25 5-9 0-0 0-0 7 1 2 10
Reserves:
Blair 26 2-4 1-4 2-2 1 0 2 9
Wahab 15 6-7 0-0 1-1 4 1 0 13
Team Rebounds 3
DNP: Azinge, Ighoefe, Muresan, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 21-43 5-16 9-13 30 15 13 66
Georgetown 87, St. John's 66 With all five starters in double figures, the Georgetown Hoyas earned a much needed Big East victory over St. John's, 87-66, before 7,436 at Capital One Arena.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Things started rough for St. John's and it never got better. The Redmen gave up four turnovers in the first four minutes as Georgetown built a 14-4 lead. Shooting just 25 percent in the half, the Redmen were equally suspect on defense and Georgetown took advantage. Leading 29-16 at the 7:20 mark, the Hoyas went on a 16-0 run, with three pointers from McClung, Terrell Allen, and a pair from Jagan Mosely to go up 29, 45-16, with 3:24 to halftime. Georgetown took a 27 point lead into the break, 53-26, on the strength of eight three pointers, the most in any single game since December 14 versus Syracuse. Georgetown picked up 16 points off 10 St. John's turnovers and surrendered just two points to three turnovers in comparison. The halftime margin was Georgetown's largest in almost three seasons. St. John's coach Mike Anderson benched starters Julian Champagnie and Josh Roberts to open the second half, neither saw action thereafter. The move sparked a renewed effort by the Redmen, who opened the second half with an 11-0 run over the first three minutes and closed the deficit to 16, 53-37. A 7-0 run by Georgetown appeared to end the threat but St. John's simply played harder all half, answering the Hoyas' run with another uncomfortable 10-0 run to close to 13, 60-47. By the 12 minute mark, the Redmen had scored more field goals than it made in the entire first half, while the Hoyas stumbled to 4 for 13 shooting, 0-5 from three, and five turnovers, without a point from McClung or Yurtseven. What could have been full flung nausea for the Capital One Arena crowd turned out only to be a 20 minute bout of mild indigestion. Georgetown struggled to get the ball over half court, missed numerous shots at the basket, and continued to lose the ball, yet the Redmen could not get close enough to be a serious threat, relying on poor outside shooting that never turned the corner on the miracle comeback. Leading by 14 midway in the half, baskets by Jamorko Pickett and Terrell Allen pushed the lead to 68-50, with Georgetown's only three of the half coming from Jahvon Blair at the 7:54 mark, 71-50. Georgetown could still not close the deal. Three straight turnovers allowed the Redmen to close back to 13 at the five minute mark, 73-60, but Georgetown pulled away for good at the line, with six straight free throws and a 79-60 lead at the 3:48 mark. St. John's picked up six fouls in the final five minutes and made just two field goals in seven tries. Georgetown's 21 point margin of victory was its largest lead since the 14:27 mark. The Hoyas' second half numbers were disappointing across the board: 38 percent from the field, 1 of 9 from three, and 12 turnovers, two more than its field goals. Two players, Jamorko Pickett and Terrell Allen, helped keep the game out of serious range for the Redmen, combining for 19 of the Hoyas' 34 second half points. When many Georgetown possessions seemed lost in the second half, Allen restored order and was an effective 5 for 6 from the line. Pickett finished with his best statistical game of the season, with 18 points and 11 rebounds. L.J. Figueroa and Rasheen Dunn combined for 41 of SJU's 66 points, and 25 of its 40 after halftime. Mustapha Heron scored just two points after the break on 1 for 7 shooting. St. John's shot just 35 percent for the game and 24 percent from three. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Allen 35 3-6 1-2 7-8 3 4 3 16
McClung 35 5-11 2-6 8-13 6 2 1 24
Mosely 36 1-2 3-6 1-2 7 7 1 12
Pickett 37 4-8 2-6 4-4 11 0 2 18
Yurtseven 29 2-5 0-0 6-6 11 2 2 10
Reserves:
Blair 16 1-3 1-3 0-0 2 5 0 5
Muresan 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Robinson 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Wahab 10 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 3 0 2
Team Rebounds 3
DNP: Ighoefe, Azinge, Wilson
TOTALS 200 17-37 9-23 26-33 45 21 12 87
Seton Hall 78, Georgetown 62 Another slow start doomed the Georgetown Hoyas in a 78-62 loss to Seton Hall at Newark's Prudential Center Friday night.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
From a 7-2 Georgetown lead in the first three minutes, the Hoyas' offense ground to a halt as it did Tuesday at Providence. While particular care was exercised to keep guard Myles Powell contained (holding him to just the points in 10 minutes of play, owing to foul trouble), few could have anticipated the player who stepped up. Forward Myles Cale, averaging 27 percent from three point range and having scored just 12 percent (3 for 25) in his last seven games, scored four threes in the first seven minutes of play, including three consecutive threes to carry the Hall to a 21-14 lead at the 12:34 mark of the first half. cale scored 15 of his 16 points in the fist half, but they came at a time when Powell was ineffective and Seton Hall needed a boost.Georgetown got no such boost. It play in the pivot was poor all evening, leading to foul trouble for three different GU centers in the first half. But it was the shooting that sank the Hoyas in this one. Down five midway in the half, Georgetown shot 1 for 9 over the next six minutes as the Pirates went on an 18-3 run. An ineffective Omer Yurtseven picked up a third foul with 3:42 to halftime and the hoyas were now down 20, 39-19. Georgetown closed to 41-24 at the break, but reached this uncomfortable statistic: in four of the last five Big East games dating to last season, the Hoyas have trailed by 17 or more at halftime. As was the case versus Providence, the first half stats were miserable: 31 percent from the floor, 1 for 8 from three, 3 for 9 from the foul line, and just two assists. Georgetown made two runs in the second half, but neither got closer than double digits. The Hoyas opened the second half scoring the first five points of the game to close to 12, 41-29, but the Pirates went on a 9-2 run to push the lead back to 19, 50-31. Midway in the half, the Hoyas got hot and connected on seven straight shots to close to 11, 61-50, but missed each of their next nine attempts as Powell awakened to score eight of the Pirates' next 10 and put the Hall back up 21, 71-50. The Hoyas managed just three field goals in the final 8:29 of play. With the outcome certain, an exchange of words between Georgetown's Mac McClung and Seton Hall's Quincy McKnight at the 3;19 mark provided some excitement for the 10,481 in attendance at the Prudential Center, leading the Fox Sports 1 announcers into a commercial break shouting "Hey, we've got a fight!" as the broadcast faded to black. No fight took place, but four Georgetown players who left the bench in the heat of the moment were ejected for doing so. Myles Powell ended the game with 15 points, his fewest versus Georgetown since his freshman season, but was one of four Pirates in double figures as the homestanding Hall shot 46 percent from the field. The Pirates' six first half threes, compared to just one for Georgetown, proved the margin of victory in this game. Georgetown finished the game shooting a season low 35 percent, with a season low 3 for 14 from senior Omer Yurtseven, who was tossed around like a college freshman by Seton Hall's Romaro Gill, who entered the game averaging 5.2 points per game and left it with a career high 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. In his first game back from an injury suffered versus American on Dec. 28, Mac McClung led the Hoyas with 20 points. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Allen 30 3-4 1-3 0-1 3 0 3 9
McClung 36 6-15 1-5 5-7 2 3 3 20
Mosely 36 3-5 0-2 1-2 5 4 0 7
Pickett 36 5-11 0-1 0-0 9 0 1 10
Yurtseven 30 3-13 0-1 3-4 5 1 4 9
Reserves:
Blair 20 2-2 1-5 0-0 3 1 3 7
Ighoefe 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 0
Muresan 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Wahab 8 0-3 0-0 0-2 8 0 3 0
Team Rebounds 3
DNP: Azinge, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 22-53 3-17 9-16 38 9 19 62
Former GU Commit Chooses Michigan
Former Georgetown recruit Terrence Williams, who decommitted the week James Akinjo and Josh LeBlanc left the team, announced Tuesday he will attend the University of Michigan this fall."I picked Michigan because I feel like it's the best fit for me," Williams told ESPN.com. "Coach Howard is a player's coach and that's one thing I was impressed with during my visit there and I need a coach like that."Georgetown has five openings available for the 2019-20 recruiting period. Akinjo, LeBlanc Announce Transfers
The new year saw a new destination for two former Georgetown players who dropped off the roster Dec. 2.In separate Instagram posts, James Akinjo announced he would transfer to Arizona and Josh LeBlanc announced a move to LSU, each with five semesters eligibility beginning in 2021.Two other transfers, Galen Alexander and Myron Gardner, have not announced new schools. |