St. John's 75, Georgetown 73 A late three pointer by freshman AJ Storr led the St. John's Redmen to a 75-73 win over Georgetown Sunday before 11,455 at Madison Square Garden.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The first half was a tale of two trends. St. John's started the half with momentum, leading 10-4 and pushing its early lead to 17-7 seven minutes into the first half. Despite shooting 1 for 9, Georgetown got good defensive efforts off ten St. John's turnovers, climbing back to 21-18 midway in the half before a pair of threes pushed the Redmen back up ten with four minutes to halftime, 35-25. The Hoyas successfully stopped the St. John's play inside and rallied with a 14-0 run to end the first half, capped by a Brandon Murray three at the buzzer to take a 39-35 lead a the break.From its halftime momentum, Georgetown established itself in the second half and led for all but 50 seconds thereafter. Six straight points from center Qudus Wahab and a three from Primo Spears put the Hoyas up eight, 48-40, as the Redmen continued to have trouble getting the ball inside, where center Joel Soriano was 1 of 5 from the field in the first half and missed seven of nine in the second. Soriano was out of touch on offense but a source of strength on defense, as his 15 rebounds (11 on the offensive boards) kept St. John's within range. The Redmen closed to 53-51 before the Hoyas put together its best run of the afternoon. A three by Spears was followed by by consecutive three point plays from Brad Ezewiro and Brandon Murray to put the Hoyas up nine, 62-53. Murray returned with a basket, 64-55, with 8:22 to play. Georgetown would stall out thereafter, missing six of its final eight from the field and opening the door to a comeback. Consecutive turnovers by the Hoyas opened a door to the Redmen, closing to six with under seven minutes to play. A key turning point followed at the 6:36 mark, where a Murray pass was picked off by Storr, who drove for a layup and foul, 64-61. The margin would remain be within one possession for the remainder of the game. Both teams stumbled down the stretch. The Hoyas missed their next three attempts but St. John's missed on consecutive free throws before hitting a free throw at the 5:30 mark, 64-62. A traveling call by Bradley Ezewiro preceded a foul call on the Hoyas on the next St. John's possession, but Soriano missed both free throws. Georgetown then gave up the ball on a 10 second call at half court, which was converted by guard Andre Curbelo, 64-64. A Primo Spears three at the 4:05 mark put the Hoyas up three, 67-64, but Georgetown could not build on the lead. Enter junior David Jones, the DePaul transfer. Jones, who scored 12 of his game high 17 in the second half and six straight down the stretch, added a pair of layups to close to 69-68 with 2:44 left. A foul on Qudus Wahab was a missed opportunity, missing one of two shots at the 2:08 mark, 70-68, and Jones tied the score on the next possession, 70-70. Free throws on the next possession led the Redmen to a 72-70 lead when Bryson Mozone hit an open three to retake the lead, 73-72, with 25 seconds left. One the ensuing play, Curbelo drove the baseline but Brandon Murray and Primo Spears lost touch of Storr on the perimeter. With an open look, Storr was open on the perimeter, 75-73.
"They came out in a zone defense and I think Andre did a great job of drawing [the defense]," said St. John's coach Mike Anderson. "AJ saw the lane was open and that his man had dropped. He knocked the shot down. It's all about making plays." "We went to a zone to mix it up, something we haven't run today, so we thought it would throw them off," said Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing. "We just didn't get a stop." "It wasn't my first game winning shot," said Storr." It was a good pass from Andre Curbelo and I knocked it down." A Mozone three at the buzzer was close, but bounced out.
"We executed the play to perfection." said Ewing. "Bryson Mozone was wide open, it just didn't go in." Primo Spears led all Georgetown scorers with 25, with three players accounting for 56 of Georgetown's 73 points. St. John's was led by 17 for Jones off the bench, with Joel Soriano finishing with 12 points and 15 rebounds on just 3 for 14 shooting. Despite 27 turnovers between them, the stat sheet was nearly identical, with the Redmen finishing the game with one more field goal than the Hoyas, and in the end this was the margin of defeat in a game firmly within its grasp. Following games with Villanova, DePaul, and St. John's, a combined 11-21 in Big East play between them, the Georgetown schedule begins to tighten. With three of its next four against the top teams in the conference, Sunday's loss may be one of these games that got away and may not soon return. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Spears 40 6-13 4-6 1-2 1 2 2 25
Murray 35 6-14 1-5 2-2 4 2 1 17
Riley 21 1-2 0-3 2-2 3 0 0 4
Akok 35 0-0 0-3 0-0 7 2 3 0
Wahab 24 5-7 0-0 4-6 7 0 5 14
Reserves:
Mozone 11 0-0 2-5 0-0 3 0 0 6
Ezewiro 15 2-2 0-0 1-3 5 0 1 5
Bristol 19 1-2 0-2 0-0 4 0 1 2
Team Rebounds 5
DNP: Anglin, Heath, Mutombo, Bass, Wilson, Muresan
TOTALS 200 21-40 7-24 10-15 39 6 13 73
Ewing Reaches 100 Career Losses
Despite a better overall performance versus St. John's, Sunday's loss was the 100th under head coach Patrick Ewing, only the third Georgetown coach to have collected as many over his career.Ewing's 100th loss came in his 174th game over six seasons, while John Thompson picked up his 100th loss after game 324 in his 11th season as head coach, while John Thompson III lost his 100th in 326 games over 10 seasons.
Post: Hoyas Still Need A Change
"Georgetown men's basketball was once a national brand and a national power," writes Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. "It resembles nothing such at the moment."While his own paper failed to send a reporter to cover Tuesday's game, the Post columnist weights in Wednesday on the lack of direction in the program."The losing, it wears on everybody," he writes. "Ewing is not in his first season trying to resurrect his alma mater. He's in his sixth. In the 38 seasons from the formation of the Big East until Ewing's hiring, Georgetown had a losing record four times. Three of those seasons resulted in coaching changes. Four of Ewing's first five teams at Georgetown finished .500 or worse. It'd take a miracle for these Hoyas to avoid making it five of six." "Georgetown needs a change. Patrick Ewing needs a change. Only then can everyone around the program determine what are reasonable expectations for the Hoyas in the 2020s. That's open for discussion and debate. What's not: 29 game Big East losing streaks can't exist under any coach at this program. Ewing had his chance, and he not only didn't turn the program around, he left it further adrift." Unsustainable
With an announced attendance of 3,762, Tuesday's attendance was the sixth smallest in school history for an off-campus home game and the second worst of any Big East game.Georgetown has played 605 games off-campus since 1981. Of the 10 smallest regular season crowds since 1981, nine have taken place under the tenure of head coach Patrick Ewing.This is unsustainable to maintain this program from a budget standpoint.
Georgetown 81, DePaul 76
A pair of poor teams faced off at the free throw line Wednesday, with the Georgetown Hoyas pulling past DePaul 81-76 Tuesday at Capital One Arena, ending a 29 game conference losing streak.
POST-GAME ARTICLES
As befits two bottom feeding teams, the teams opened cold, combining to shoot 5 for 19 over the first six minutes of play. From a layup to start things for the Blue Demons, Georgetown scored the next seven and received some early confidence in a game where both teams struggled. Back to back baskets from Wayne Bristol put the Hoyas up five at the 8:56 mark, 21-16, but thee Blue Demon threes carried DePaul back into the lead for the remainder of the half. That said, the teams largely played to a first half draw, with DePaul (9-12) carrying a 37-36 lead off 16 points from guard Umoja Gibson, shooting 6 for 6 from the field.Gerogetown opened the second half shooting four for four, with back to back baskets by Qudus Wahab to regain the lead at 40-39. The Hoyas led by as many as six midway in the second half before going on an 0 for 6 run and DePaul regained the lead at the 8:50 mark, 58-57. A three pointer from Akok Akok gave GU a 65-60 lead at the 5:39 mark, and the Hoyas did not trail thereafter. Foul shooting predominated the remaining minutes, where the Blue Demons made two field goals in the final seven minutes but stayed close at the foul line, where the teams traded 22 attempts over the final 3:06. What should have been an opportunity for Georgetown to put the game away was unnecessarily extended as Akok missed a pair of free throws up nine with 1:27 to play and Brad Ezewiro missed a pair up six with just 28 seconds remaining. DePaul held advantages scoring from the field but its penchant for fouls handed Georgetown its first win in a Big East game in two years. The Hoyas went to the line 41 times in the game, a season high and the most in any game since a November 27, 2019 meeting with Georgia State. The 27 for 41 total at the line wins no awards, particularly a run late where they missed six of eight attempts, but recovered to made its final four attempts in the final 20 seconds to create the margin of victory. The Blue Demons were led by Umoja Gibson, with 16 first half points and 24 overall. DePaul shot 11 for 19 at the line, a number that was not only insufficient but allowed Georgetown to maintain a lead for the final seven minutes of the game, something that they had not done in any of the last 10 games dating back to its non-conference win over Siena. Georgetown was led by a 40 minute, 21 point effort from Primo Spears. "Coach Ewing kept emphasizing the message just stay in the fight, keep believing," said senior Akok Akok in post-game comments, as Ewing ended a recent run of not appearing at press conferences with players for comment. "I think that's what led us to a win tonight." Aside from some of the Bronx cheers from national media over the cessation of the 29 game conference losing streak, the game was not covered by either the Washington Post nor the Chicago Tribune, who relied on Associated Press wire copy. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Spears 40 7-15 0-2 7-11 4 6 1 21
Murray 38 4-7 0-3 4-5 2 5 2 12
Riley 26 3-4 0-0 2-4 3 0 1 8
Akok 32 2-4 2-5 2-4 6 1 3 12
Wahab 21 2-6 0-0 5-6 10 0 4 9
Reserves:
Mozone 11 0-0 1-2 4-4 1 0 0 7
Mutombo 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 0
Ezewiro 15 1-3 0-0 3-6 4 1 4 5
Bristol 14 2-2 1-3 0-1 1 0 3 7
Team Rebounds 3
DNP: Anglin, Heath, Bass, Wilson, Muresan
TOTALS 200 21-41 4-15 27-41 36 13 18 81
Xavier 95, Georgetown 82
A career high 37 points by Amir (Primo) Spears was not enough as #8 Xavier coasted to a 95-82 win at Cintas Center Saturday, Georgetown's 29th consecutive Big East loss.As rematches go, this game had a strong resemblance to the Dec. 16 game at Capital One Arena, also lost by 13, where defense took a holiday and individual performances abounded. The Musketeers made their case early in this game, going straight to the area where it owned a significant advantage: the paint. Xavier opened the game shooting 10 for 13 from the field, with nine of those field goals coming from the paint, where the Hoyas did not manage a single basket in the first eight minutes of the game. That Georgetown was even in this game, trailing 22-13, was on the shoulders of Spears, with nine of GU's 13 points and who was the only consistent option for much of the game.Georgetown's first run of the game came midway in the first half, with three consecutive threes over a two minute, five second period that tied the score at 24. However, as has been the case far too many times over this season, a Georgetown run at the lead was often a prelude to an opponent rally. After as steal which gave Georgetown a possession to take the lead, Spears lost the ball adn Xavier's Colby Jones sank an open three, leading Xavier to a 9-0 run and a 33-24 lead at the seven minute mark. A second run late in the half tied the score at 38, but the Hoyas went 0 for 2 with three turnovers to end the half, as the Musketeers scored the last seven in a 45-38 halftime lead. It wasn't as if the Georgetown numbers were bad--far from it. The Hoyas shot 50 percent from the field with six threes. Its defense, however, was completely outmatched. The Musketeers shot 62 percent in the half, 32 of 45 points in the paint, and 19 points off 13 Georgetown turnovers. Had Xavier not missed 12 shots from layup range, the gap would have been far wider. With 17 of the Hoyas' 39 points at the break, Spears was the first option for much of the second half, and took full advantage. Closing to 48-47 early in the second, the Hoyas then gave up a 9-1 run to trail 57-48 with 15:47 to play. Baskets by Spears and Jordan Riley closed to 60-55 at the 14 minutes mark, but no closer as Xavier went back to the middle with consistent results, with Xavier holding a double digit lead midway through the half. Another Georgetown rally was cut off by an officials call. Having narrowed the deficit to eight at the 9:47 to play, a long three was missed by Spears, but he was tagged with an administrative technical foul for flopping after the shot. Following an XU free throw, Zach Freemantle sank a three, 76-64, and the Musketeers never looked back. Xavier led 89-73 with 5:02 to play, and another 100 point effort was well within range. However, the Musketeers stumbled late in this game, missing 12 straight attempts into the final minute of play, but Georgetown was unable to carve into the deficit, with the only open question down the stretch was how many points Spears could score. Back to back baskets in the final two minutes brought his career high to 37, but missed two threes in the final minutes that would have elevated his total to 40, a number not reached by a Georgetown player in a regulation game since 1996. Instead, Spears finished just one point behind Mac McClung, whose 38 points versus Little Rock in 2018 remains as the most points scored by a single player in the last 20 seasons. "Our defense is letting us down right now," said head coach Patrick Ewing. "We have to be able to get stops when we need to get stops," but did not elaborate on how he would actually address this. Allowing 78.6 points per game in 20 games this season, the Hoyas are allowing the most points per game since the 1971-72 season. The loss marked the 29th consecutive loss in conference play, and Ewing's 99th loss as head coach. Both numbers return to scrutiny Wednesday as the Hoyas meet DePaul at Capital One Arena, one of a dwindling number of games remaining where Ewing and the Hoyas have an opportunity to break their self-destructive streaks. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Spears 37 12-20 3-11 4-6 3 11 0 37
Mozone 27 0-1 1-4 1-2 2 0 4 4
Riley 34 1-4 2-3 1-2 5 2 0 9
Akok 36 6-7 0-2 2-2 10 1 3 14
Wahab 26 4-4 0-0 2-2 3 2 3 10
Reserves:
Anglin 4 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0
Ezewiro 13 1-2 0-0 1-1 1 1 0 3
Bristol 24 0-1 1-1 2-3 1 1 4 5
Wilson 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0
Team Rebounds 6
DNP: Murray, Heath, Bass, Mutombo, Muresan
TOTALS 200 24-40 7-22 13-18 31 19 15 82
Student Views On Basketball
In the first coverage of the men's program in nearly six weeks following its Christmas break, The HOYA takes a look at the state of the program and a university resistant to criticism."As clamors for change mount and the university remains resistant to the voices of fans and analysts alike, a number of key catastrophes have defined Ewing's tenure as head coach," reads the article. "The program is plagued by a lack of transparency, ranging from confusion around Ewing's contract to dismissals and transfers without acknowledgement or explanation.""We need to move on. There needs to be a new coach," said junior Ryan Knapick (F'24). "It's hard to care about a team that goes out and loses every game. The feel on campus is pretty poor. Everyone is waiting for a new start." "I've been a season ticket holder the last two years," said fellow junior Thomas Panchley (B'24). "If they don't fire him by the end of this season, there's no chance I'm getting season tickets next year." Sign Of The Times
The Nike store in Georgetown has closed today, according to reports.The community web site Popville reports that "a call to the Georgetown store says: our location is closing as of January 20th, 2023."Opened in 2013 along a then-busy M Street corridor, Georgetown basketball was a prominent feature in the three level, 48,000 square foot structure, built in 1929 and purchased by the Lincoln Property Company for $49.8 million in 2019. A collection of Georgetown jerseys and footwear was seen as a showplace of the store. The decline of shopping in the Georgetown corridor, not the Hoyas, set this location adrift, and was the only signature store of the brand in the District of Columbia. According to the Washington Business Journal, Nike had considered a move in 2022 to a 7,700 square foot location at 3235 M Street, which currently houses Airie, a women's clothing chain. Online Interest In GU Basketball Down 53%
You see it in the empty seats. You see it in the lack of local coverage. Now, a national clearinghouse to study social media and college athletics suggests a sharp decline in interest for Georgetown basketball.The web site Skullsparks.com, which measures activity on university accounts across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, reports a 53% decline in year over year interactions to Georgetown's social media accounts, ranking it 109th of 150 schools studied.The numbers are even more startling across multiple years:
Villanova 77, Georgetown 73
The Georgetown Hoyas carried a lead into the final two minutes at Villanova's Finneran Pavilion before it was outscored 8-2 down the stretch in a 77-73 loss, its 28th consecutive in Big East play.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Unlike the usual script where Georgetown plays well in the first half and collapses shortly after halftime, this was a more consistent and focused game for the Hoyas than has been seen to date this season. Upon closer look, it bore a resemblance to the Jan. 29, 2022 game at Butler, where a Georgetown team lost a late lead in a 56-53 decision, and fell short on a late three to tie the score.As resemblances go, this was not the Villanova team that had won 19 of the prior 22 with Georgetown and 10 consecutive home games with the Hoyas dating to 2012. Injuries and attrition had led the Wildcats to lose five of its last six entering the game, and nearly cost them this one. The Wildcats opened strong, scoring on four of its first four shots and seven of 10. Keeping Georgetown close was sophomore Jordan Riley, who scored nine of GU's first 11 points en route to a career high 18 points on the afternoon. Villanova led by as many as seven midway through the first half before back to back threes by Bryson Mozone brought the Hoyas to 20-19 with 9:11 to halftime. The Wildcats answered with back to back threes of its own in a 10-0 run that saw back to back GU turnovers deposited for a Cam Whitmore dunk and Caleb Daniels free throws for an 11 point lead, 31-20. Georgetown wasn't going away, however. The Wildcats missed five of its last six shots of the half (and a rare miss of two from the line) which opened the door for the Hoyas to climb back into the game. While the Wildcats were stumbling, Georgetown made five of its next six, with baskets by Brandon Murray, Jordan Riley, Akok Akok and Primo Spears, the latter of which hit a pull-up jumper at the 1:14 mark to close a 13-3 Georgetown run and shave the deficit lead to one, 34-33. A three pointer from reserve guard Mark Armstrong extended the Villanova lead to 37-33 at the break, where the Hoyas shot 48 percent from the field, outrebounded the Wildcats 18-10, and held the home team without an offensive rebound. One of the trends for the Wildcats in its recent struggles has been its second half efforts and it returned in this one. Following a Brandon Slater three 59 seconds into the second half, Villanova missed eight of its next nine and Jordan Riley stepped up to lead the charge. Riley scored seven straight over the next 63 seconds to tie the score at 42. Riley's run was cur short with back to back fouls within one second of each other at the 17:24 mark, and he had only one shot attempt the remainder of the game. Villanova struggled mightily to get good shots. As the Wildcats continued to stumble, Georgetown began to step up. Baskets by Ezewiro and Akok, and a three from Mozone, gave GU a 52-46 lead midway in the second half, as Georgetown shot 13 for 18 to open the half. To its credit, Villanova stuck to its game plan, and took advantage of a long-held asset: free throw shooting. Entering the bonus with 10:15 to play, the Wildcats did at the foul line what it was not doing in the field: keeping the game close. Free throws by the Wildcats closed to 62-61 at the 6:49 mark, part of a run where Villanova connected 18 for 22 in the second half. The same could not be said for Georgetown. Brandon Murray split a pair at the line up one, 62-61, and missed the front end of a one and one at the six minute mark that Villanova converted at the line for the lead, 65-63. The Wildcats led by as many as five, 68-63, before Georgetown went to work at the line, hitting four of four and following it up with back to back baskets from Primo Spears to lead 71-69 with 2:16 left. The prospect of an upset win to break the losing streak was as strong as it has been all season. The Hoyas were not able to close the door. Georgetown gave up a Brandon Slater layup to tie the score, 71-71, whereupon Brandon Murray was blocked by Eric Dixon and fouled Dixon driving to the basket for a three point play, 74-71. A pair of Spears free throws closed to 74-73 with 52 seconds to play but Spears lost the ball on the next Georgetown possession, as Brandon Slater fed freshman Cam Whitmore for the dunk, 76-73.
Holding for the last shot with seven seconds to play, Brandon Murray launched a quick three that was rebounded by Dixon and converted at the foul line. Georgetown shot 60 percent in the second half, but were just 2 for 7 in the final 7:52 of the game. Spears, with 12 second half points and 19 overall, led al scorers. "Jordan Riley did a great job of enabling us to get back in the game," said head coach Patrick Ewing, whose career record has dropped 25 games below .500 at 73-98. "Primo Spears, he also did a very good job of keeping us in the game. [But] when you give a team 31 free throws, it's hard to beat." "I give a lot of credit to our guys," said Villanova coach Kyle Neptune. "We've been in that spot a few times this year and it hasn't gone the way we wanted it to. But our guys hung in and it went our way." Prospects for Georgetown to break the streak in its next game appear considerably dimmer than what faced them in this one. The Hoyas travel Saturday to #8 Xavier, where the Musketeers have won 11 straight and are 10-1 at home. The Hoyas are winless (0-6) on the road this season. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Spears 40 8-12 0-1 3-3 3 7 1 19
Murray 37 2-6 0-2 6-9 5 1 2 10
Riley 29 6-9 2-3 0-0 6 0 4 18
Akok 27 2-3 0-2 0-0 3 0 3 4
Wahab 24 3-4 0-0 0-0 3 0 4 6
Reserves:
Mozone 17 0-2 3-5 0-0 4 0 3 9
Ezewiro 15 1-1 0-0 2-2 7 0 5 4
Bristol 11 1-1 0-1 1-2 0 0 2 3
Team Rebounds 2
DNP: Anglin, Heath, Bass, Mutombo, Wilson, Muresan
TOTALS 200 23-38 5-14 12-16 33 8 24 73
Big East Attendance
At the halfway point of the season, here are the Big East attendance averages by school:
Alumni Letter An Apparent Hoax
A message posted on Twitter calling for the dismissal of head coach Patrick Ewing appears to be false.The web site Thompson's Towel published the image of a letter sent to the president's office calling for Ewing's dismissal from "the former presidents of the University's Alumni Association." The letter was unsigned, leading to questions as to who authored any such letter among the 15 living former presidents of the association.Apparently, it's none of them. In a follow-up, former president George Peacock (C'84) wrote that "I've spoken to nearly all of the past presidents of the Alumni Association and none have signed such a letter. And as far as I know, no one has sent such a letter to Jack. I guess it's up to you if you want to leave the tweet up, but it's false." Thompson's Towel amended its message to say the letter was merely "from committed alumni" and was actually never sent. A request by this site to Thompson's Towel to identify the signatories, if any, has not been returned. Seton Hall 65, Georgetown 51
Al-Amir Dawes joins a growing number of Big East guards who reached a career high versus Georgetown, scoring 21 of his 24 points after halftime in a 66-51 win for Seton Hall before an announced crowd of 4,189 at Capital One Arena.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The less said about the first half of this game, the better. Georgetown opened with a Qudus Wahab layup but neither team seemed comfortable on offense. Tied at 5-5 four minutes into the game, the teams combined for one field goal over the following four minutes and a total of 26 points between in the first 13. Both teams struggled mightily from inside and outside to open the game, combining to shoot 10 for 44 my the midway point of the half, with Georgetown holding a 15-11 lead. What the Pirates could not do inside they could from outside, with four three pointers to keep the Pirates close when nothing else was working.
The Hoyas led by as many as six at 17-11, but entered the locker room at halftime tied at 27, the victim of a futile effort to take over the game at the perimeter, failing at every turn. Shooting 8 for 18 from inside the arc, Georgetown was just 2 of 16 outside it, offering a struggling Seton Hall team an opportunity to hang around entering the second half, one which they eventually took advantage of."What in mercy is happening at halftime? What adjustments are being made? What message is being conveyed?"--Mike Hume @MikeHumePostThe presence of Dawes allowed the Pirates to recommit on defense, something it had largely avoided in a first half when Georgetown was getting good looks, albeit without much success. Georgetown closed to 47-42 midway in the second half before they were held to 1 for 4 shooting and a turnover in its next five possessions, converted by the Hall into a 54-44 margin at the 8:26 mark and a 10 point margin which the Hoyas were not able to crack. Both teams struggled to shoot down the stretch, but the poor shooting was particularly critical for Georgetown, who missed eight of their final nine shot attempts of the game over the final 5:32 of play. Seton Hall did not score a basket of its own in the final 4:20, but had the margin needed to prevail. Had the Pirates shot better in the second half (outside of Dawes, Seton Hall shot 31 percent and 1 of 9 from three in the second half), this game would have been out of hand much sooner. ""First time in several years (aside from the COVID season) that I didn't make the trip. The environment in the arena was downright depressing. Hoyas are like a low-major at this point."--Jerry Carino, Asbury Park PressThree point shooting doomed the team yet again, missing 20 of 24 attempts from three point range, its worst performance in a game dating back to its 3 for 18 shooting in the overtime loss to South Carolina. The Hoyas added only four points from fast break opportunities, two in each half. Down two players due to injury, head coach Patrick Ewing emphasized their absences as a contributing factor in the game. "When you're missing an integral part of your team in Brandon Murray, I think that hurt us in terms of manufacturing offense," Ewing said. "Defensively, I didn't think we were locked in enough to be able to get the stops that we needed to." Without Murray and Jay Heath, Georgetown cannot manufacture a consistent offense. Primo Spears has been held under ten points in four of his last five games owing to better defensive sets in Big East play, while Qudus Wahab is not getting touches inside. The 6-11 senior scored the opening basket of the game and got one shot thereafter in the first half, finishing with just six points overall. With an off day this weekend, the Hoyas go one the road next week, beginning at Villanova for a MLK afternoon game on Fox. The game will be heavy on nostalgia in lieu of recent performance by both teams. The Wildcats were upset at DePaul last night for its first loss to the Blue Demons in 22 games dating to 2008, and have fallen under .500 in January for the first time since the 2011-12 season. For Georgetown, now at 27 consecutive Big East losses and 31 consecutive losses to major college opponents, the descent continues. Neither the Associated Press nor the Washington Post sent reporters to cover the game. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Spears 34 3-15 0-0 3-3 2 2 0 9
Riley 31 4-7 0-2 1-2 1 1 0 9
Mozone 27 2-4 1-5 0-0 5 2 3 7
Akok 33 3-4 1-5 0-0 6 1 3 9
Wahab 24 3-5 0-0 0-0 10 0 0 6
Reserves:
Anglin 17 0-0 2-9 0-0 2 0 0 6
Ezewiro 13 1-5 0-0 0-0 7 0 0 2
Bristol 19 0-0 0-3 3-3 2 2 1 3
Team Rebounds 8
DNP: Mutombo, Muresan, Wilson
Injured: Heath, Murray, Bass
TOTALS 200 16-40 4-24 7-9 43 8 7 51
Second Half Blues
When was the last time a Georgetown team gave up 60 or more points in a half? It's been awhile.Georgetown was outscored 61-37 after halftime in Saturday's game at Marquette. A review of box scores dating back to 1954 indicated only 11 such games where an opponent scored 60 or more points in a half, and just two since 1975.One of these was against Tuesday's opponent. On January 22, 1977, Seton Hall trailed Georgetown 39-32 at halftime. The Prates proceeded to shoot 23 for 29 (.792) to open the second half, with guard Randy Duffin shooting 9 for 9 after halftime as the Pirates won at McDonough Gymnasium, 94-82. The only such game Georgetown gave up as many points in the Big East era before Saturday came at Providence on February 10, 2001, as the Friars hit nine threes in the first half en route to a 61-35 halftime lead and a 103-79 win. Hoyas Struggling After Halftime
Marquette 95, Georgetown 73
Down two at the half, the Marquette Warriors ran past the Georgetown Hoyas, 95-73, at Fiserv Forum.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The final score obscures a competitive game by the Hoyas for much of the first 30 minutes of the game. When the bottom drops out for this team, however, it's a steep decline.
Continued injuries to three former starers in Brandon Murray, Jay Heath and Bryson Mozone necessitated some changes to the starting lineup, which elevated junior forward Wayne Bristol to his third start on the season and sophomore guard Jordan Riley to the first start of his college career. Georgetown got good scoring from across its starters to open the first half, with baskets distributed among four starters and a pair of threes from Bristol to open a 15-14 lead seven minutes into the first half. Marquette enjoyed success in the paint but little outside it. The Warriors scored its first 18 points inside until a three tied the score at the 10:21 mark, 21-21, and six minutes later at 28-28. These were the only successful outside shots of the half as Marquette was a woeful 2 for 14 from outside the arc, giving Georgetown ample opportunities to stay close early. Riley enjoyed a strong first half, joining with Primo SPears and Wayne Bristol in combining for 24 points at the break. His four point play with 4:14 to halftime was one of four threes for Georgetown in a first half where it shot 53 percent from the field and took a 36-34 lead at the break. Despite 10 first half turnovers and some spotty foul shooting from Qudus Wahab (1 for 4 from the libne), Marquette's poor outside shooting kept this a competitive effort. The Warriors sent a sign at the start of the second half that it was ready to compete from the perimeter, hitting three threes in a 70 second stretch which outscored the Hoyas 11-2 to open the half, 45-38. Despite Marquette scoring on seven of its first nine shots of the second half, Georgetown still seemed up for the fight. baskets from Riley and Akok kept the Hoyas within four, 50-46, soon to be answered by two baskets in the paint, 54-46. A basket and a pair of free throws from Primo Sears closed to 56-50, and a Spears jumper brought Georgetown to 59-55 with 12:18 to play. And then the bottom dropped out. Marquette scored on its next four possessions, Georgetown missed four straight, and the game was suddenly out of reach. A dunk from reserve center Ben Gold put the Warriors up six, 61-55. Off an Akok miss from outside, Gold answered with a three, 64-55. Inside misses by Brad Ezewiro and Primo Spears were converted into baskets, and within three minutes of play, Marquette was up 13. A minute later, the lead was 16. "We have to continue to work and continue to try and get better."--Patrick EwingKam Jones, held to two points at the break on 1 for 7 shooting, finished with 17 points to lead all Marquette scorers, where the Warriors shot 68 percent in the second half. Four players were in double figures, aided by ten second half three pointers in 15 attempts. The star of the game was senior guard Tyler Kolek. The senior guard scored just seven points on 3-05 shooting, but set a Georgetown opponent record with 15 assists, two short of the Marquette school record, in just 27 minutes of play. Kolek's 15 assists also came with no turnovers in the game. Ball control and team defense continue to be major problems with this team. Georgetown coughed up 20 turnovers, 15 by Marquette steals, which resulted in 26 points. The Warriors picked up 52 points in the paint and 26 points on the fast break. While Heath and Murray were not able to play, defense has been a problem all season and it's not inconceivable that Marquette would have achieved the same outcome with them in the game. Spears led Georgetown's scoring sheet with 18, followed by 16 from Riley and Bristol, season's best for each. Ten of 11 available scholarship players saw action, with Ryan Mutombo remaining a visible exception. "It's hard to play without one of your best players), but I thought our guys fought hard in the first half but made too many mistakes," said head coach Patrick Ewing in post game comments. "They made them in the first half but they didn't hurt us as much but it hurt us tremendously in the second half." The loss is Georgetown's fifth in 2022-23 when leading at the half, its seventh straight loss overall, and extends its Big East losing streak to 26. Another long week awaits. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Spears 35 6-14 1-3 3-4 5 7 0 18
Riley 31 4-7 1-2 5-5 3 3 1 16
Bristol 32 2-3 4-4 0-0 1 2 1 16
Akok 33 3-4 1-4 1-1 7 3 1 10
Wahab 20 2-4 0-0 2-6 5 4 1 6
Reserves:
Anglin 20 1-2 0-1 0-0 1 3 1 2
Ezewiro 17 2-3 0-0 1-3 4 1 1 5
Bass 10 0-1 0-0 0-2 1 0 1 0
Wilson 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Team Rebounds 2
DNP: Mutombo, Muresan
Injured: Heath, Murray, Mozone
TOTALS 200 20-38 7-14 12-21 29 23 7 73
It's Happening Again
Nearly two decades ago, a quote from former head coach Craig Esherick was a lasting memory of the 13-win 2003-2004 season. In 2022-23, a promise from Patrick Ewing seems to be hanging over the program at the halfway point of this season.On March 4, 2004, following a loss to Virginia Tech, Esherick told the Associated Press, "I ain't going anywhere. I may be here for another 30 years. And you can quote me on that." This past summer, it was Patrick Ewing who told Fox Sports' John Fanta "With the way that things happened last year, it can never happen again on my watch."At the halfway point of the season, the past two seasons are tracking at an eerily familiar pace. After 16 games of the 2021-22 season, Georgetown was 6-10 and on a six game losing streak. The Hoyas averaged 74.1 points per game and allowed 76.4 for the season. In Big East play, at 0-5 following a loss to Villanova on January 20, 2022, the Hoyas averaged 68.0 points a game in conference play and allowed 84.0. After 16 games of the 2022-23 season, Georgetown is 5-11 and on a six game losing streak. The Hoyas average 72.4 points per game and allow 77.3 for the season. In Big East play, at 0-5 following a loss to Villanova on January 4, 2023, the Hoyas average 69.2 points a game in conference play and allow 84.4. In terms of total points Georgetown has allowed in Big East play between the past two seasons after five games, the difference is just two points: 422 (in 2022-23) to 420 (2021-22). Some other points of comparison between the two seasons:
A Historic Streak ESPN: Can Georgetown be Fixed?
For the better part of a decade, ESPN has taken a hands-off approach to the Big East, but asks three of its writers Friday morning the operative question: is this the end?"When you've lost the ability to defend and your team is also scoring less than a point per possession in its own right, it is exceedingly difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel," said columnist Jeff Gasaway."The buzz is gone, so Georgetown has to be willing to move forward in a respectable way that acknowledges Thompson but also allows the program and school to move into modern college basketball with the way it recruits, plays and connects with its supporters," writes Myron Medcalf. Adds Jeff Borzello: "Georgetown will have to go outside the John Thompson tree with its next hire, for the first time since the legendary head coach took over in 1972. But it needs to find a way to bring excitement back to the fanbase, especially at a time when Villanova, one of its biggest rivals, from a regional recruiting perspective, is in a state of transition." Ewing Not Resigning
Head coach Patrick Ewing is not planning to resign, per comments made at Wednesday night's post-game press conference.
With Wednesday's loss, Ewing's record fell to 73-95.
Reed: "A Challenging And Frustrating Time"
Athletic director Lee Reed has sent a vote of support for head coach Patrick Ewing."We recognize this is a challenging and frustrating time for the men's basketball team and our fans," Reed told the Associated Press. "Coach Ewing understands that it is imperative to get the program back on track and no one is more committed than he is to making that happen."A similar comment was made last year, which said, in part, "Coach Ewing's dedication as well as his success in last year's Big East Tournament is a testament to his leadership. This gives us confidence that he can strengthen our program going forward." Reed was not made available for further comment, according to the Washington Post. Villanova 73, Georgetown 57
A solid first half of basketball withered down the stretch as Villanova defeated Georgetown 73-57, Georgetown's fifth conference loss of the season and a record setting 25th consecutive loss dating to the 2020-21 season.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Early returns for the Hoyas were promising. Scoring three point field goals on its first two possessions of the game, Georgetown led for all but 44 seconds of the first half, employing 20 points in the paint and a solid 50 percent shooting, with a shakier Villanova team hanging on at the foul line. The Wildcats opened the game shooting just 25 percent from the field, and hung close on a pair of threes from Jordan Longino and Caleb Daniels, but little else.Georgetown responded with a thunderous dunk form Brandon Murray that may the be the lone highlight on the season ending video:
The Wildcats lacked consistent shooting in the half, with Daniels and freshman Cam Whitmore combining to shoot 5 of 16 early. Georgetown was as getting contributions across the lineup, with seven different players scoring in the half. Back to back baskets by Murray put the Hoyas up 27-22 a the 5:09 mark, matched over the next two possessions with a pair of baskets inside from Brad Ezewiro. over a four minute stretch, the teams combined to shoot 80 percent (4 for 5 each) and Georgetown was playing its best 20 minutes of the season since their second half run against Texas Tech. Down four, a serious leg injury to Villanova's Jordan Longino with 1:59 in the first half put the pressure on the Wildcats to step up, and they did just that. Villanova finished the half with back to back threes and went into halftime tied at 35, despite shooting just 38 percent from the field. The second half was a story of attrition. Georgetown entered the game without Jay Health for a previous injury and concussion-like symptoms from Wayne Bristol, but soon found themselves down two key contributors. Brandon Murray, who led the first half with nine points, went out four minutes into the second half with what appeared to be an arm injury, and did not return. Two minutes later, Bryson Mozone appeared to injure his hip and he also went to the locker room; both later returned to the bench but did not see action thereafter. The injuries intersected with a deflating shooting effort. From its 50 percent clip in the first half, GU opened the second shooting 2 for 12, while the Wildcats stayed patient and began to pick off the Hoyas from the perimeter. Three threes in a five minute stretch extended the Wildcats to a 50-41 with 12:13 left, and that's as close as the Hoyas would be the rest of the evening.
With a young lineup which included Denver Anglin and Jordan Riley, Georgetown simply didn't have the experience to stay in this game. By the midpoint of the half, Georgetown trailed by 12, with one glaring statistic. By halftime, Georgetown had 20 of its 35 points in the paint. With 8:51 to play in the second, down 12, Georgetown had no points in the paint after the break. They finished with just two points inside thereafter. These are not the Villanova teams of old, and the Wildcats shot just 46 percent in the second half, 4 for 15 from three. That may not be enough against stronger Big East competition but it was more than enough to maintain distance in this game, as the Wildcats salted the game away at the foul line, shooting 10 for 10 in the second half and 18 for 18 overall. Caleb Daniels led Villanova scorers with 20 points, including six three pointers and joining a growing list of Big East guards with season high numbers against Georgetown's porous perimeter defense. Across the sideline, Georgetown simply ran out of gas. The Hoyas shot 21 percent in the second half, with Primo Spears held to 3 for 12 for the game. Jordan Riley led all scorers with 12 points off the bench, but Riley and Denver Anglin were completely ineffective from outside, combining to shoot 0 for 7 from there point range. "I thought [Riley] came in and gave us a spark," said head coach Patrick Ewing after the game. "He hustled, got a few rebounds and made a few plays." "The guys that are coming off the bench are going to have to give us a lift until these guys get back." That may be a while. So too, a productive second half for a team which has now been outscored by an average of 12.2 points per game after halftime in each of its five Big East games this season, and face one of the hottest teams in the nation in Marquette on Saturday, where Georgetown has lost 10 of its last 12 in Milwaukee. For those counting, Georgetown's women's team lost to Villanova 71-64. The men's and women's teams are a combined 1-10 this season in conference play. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Spears 38 2-9 1-3 1-2 3 9 1 8
Murray 23 4-8 0-2 1-1 3 1 0 9
Mozone 18 0-2 2-5 0-0 5 1 3 6
Akok 36 4-6 1-3 0-0 10 0 2 11
Wahab 17 1-2 0-0 3-4 0 1 3 5
Reserves:
Anglin 20 0-1 0-4 0-0 0 0 3 0
Riley 27 4-7 0-3 4-5 5 0 1 12
Mutombo 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Ezewiro 14 2-4 0-0 1-2 3 0 1 5
Bass 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Wilson 2 0-1 0-0 1-2 2 0 0 1
Team Rebounds 5
DNP: Muresan
Injured: Heath, Bristol
TOTALS 200 17-39 4-20 11-16 36 12 14 57
Dawg Talk On Instagram Former Georgetown guard Chris Wright (C'11) held a two hour Instagram call Monday morning to discuss the state of the program."The people able to make change are not willing to make change happen," Wright said. "Patrick Ewing is a great guy, a legend. I don't think he's the right guy for the job.""These aren't bad players, but we don't have the right instruction." Of Commanders And Hoyas NBC Washington reporter J.P. Finlay tore into the Washington Commanders Sunday after their deflating loss to the Browns, but his comments echoed a lot of Georgetown fans just a few hours later.
Willie Taylor (1980-2022) Willie Taylor, a 6-6 forward who played one season at Georgetown from 1997 to 1998, died Saturday at the age of 42.Playing in one of John Thompson's last recruiting classes, Taylor played in 13 games as a freshman, with a season high 17 in a win over Southern-New Orleans, an NAIA school, but only played in two games thereafter. He transferred at season's end to Virginia Commonwealth, averaging 15.7 points per game over three seasons, and was a two time all-CAA selection, with a career high of 41 points versus Evansville.A cause of death was not announced. National Writers Weigh In On Butler Loss
What's The Streak At Georgetown Now?In case you're wondering, this number: Largest Margin Of Defeat, Home Games
Butler 80, Georgetown 51 Butler University, a team averaging just 51.3 points per game in three Big East games to date, ran over the Georgetown Hoyas in an 80-51 romp before 6,140 at Capital One Arena this evening, sending the Hoyas to an 0-4 start in conference play.
POST-GAME ARTICLES
Butler's first three games in Big East plays were crushing defeats: 68-46 to Connecticut, 78-56 to Creighton, 72-52 to Providence. Ranked last in the Big East in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, three point shooting, rebounds, rebounds allowed, and assists. The Bulldogs entered Sunday's game shooting 23 percent from outside the arc and carried a rebounding deficit of -19 per game.For reasons unexplained, Georgetown came out in its blue road jerseys, perhaps to shake off a there game losing streak when wearing the traditional colors. There was little to shake off in a slow, plodding opener to the game between two teams lacking much of a punch. Neither team led by more than two points for the first eight minutes of action, with the Bulldogs taking a 13-12 lead at the 11:29 mark. With guard Jalen Thomas in early foul trouble, coach Thad Matta went to his bench for 6-4 sophomore Jayden Taylor, who entered the game 4 for 19 in his last three games and who lost his starting role after an 0 for 5 effort against Providence last week. Taylor scored the Bulldogs' first three of the evening, 16-12, but Georgetown answered inside with seven straight to take a 19-16 lead at the 7:52 mark. From there, he scored eight of the next 13 for the Bulldogs in a 13-2 run, with baskets over four different Georgetown defenders, each of whom seem to lose him on the perimeter. The Hoyas closed to a margin to four when the Bulldogs went inside, scoring on a Manny Bates dunk and a Simas Lukocius jumper before a Chuck Harris jumper, Butler's fifth three pointer of the half, extended the lead to 11, cut to eight at the break with a Bryson Mozone three pointer, 38-30. It was the moat points scored by the Bulldogs in a first half since an 82-58 win over California on December 10, and had already passed its three point shooting in any of the prior three conference games. Despite its earlier setbacks, Butler entered the game 8-0 when leading games at the half, and Georgetown was 0-5 when trailing. Both numbers were upheld in the second half, but what was surprising was how easily Georgetown fell. After a rough start for both teams after the break. Taylor got his first touch of the second half and went to work: a three pointer to open the scoring, a fast break layup, and an assist to Harris that quickly extended the margin to 15, 45-30. Following a Harris three, he returned the favor, feeding Taylor for another open three, 51-33.
The Bulldogs were relentless from outside, with an Ali Ali three, his fourth all season, 54-35, a Taylor three, 57-39, and Ali's second three of the night, 60-39 at the 12:15 mark. Georgetown shot just 3 for 15 to open the second half and allowed the Bulldogs 9 for 14 from the field, six of which were behind the arc. With the announcement that guard Jay Heath would be out of action with a broken finger suffered in the DePaul game, it was apparent that Ewing did not have any suitable backup. Various combinations of Wayne Bristol, Denver Anglin, and Jordan Riley were all ineffective, and the second half coincided with a general collapse by Brandon Murray and Primo Spears, who were shut down defensively and combined for 1 for 7 from the field after halftime. The Hoyas managed only two three pointers after the break, the last one coming midway in the second half to close to 22, 64-42. The larger problem was that it was being embarrassed defensively. Butler scored layups on four of its next five scoring possessions, an 11-2 run which put Butler up 29 with 7:05 to play, 73-44. With the outcome well out of reach, both teams sputtered down the stretch, with Butler finishing the game 3 for 11 and Georgetown ending the game connecting on two of its final ten, none in the final 3:59 of play. Had the Bulldogs put on the afterburners, the outcome could have been even worse. Taylor finished with a career high 24 points, on 9 for 11 shooting. Center Manny Bates was 7 for 11 from the field inside, while Eric Hunter had 11 points and eight rebounds. Butler shot 50 percent with 12 threes, its second most of the season. Georgetown's numbers were grim. Murray and Spears combined to shoot 5 for 19, the starters as a whole just 13 for 42. Georgetown's bench, which saw extra time by necessity, was humbled. Excepting sixth man Bryson Mozone, a quartet of Denver Anglin, Jordan Riley, Bradley Ezewiro, and Malcolm Wilson shot 2 for 14, while as a team Georgetown allowed 12 layups and 36 points in the paint. "We have to just keep on working at it and keep on watching tape," said Ewing in a brief statement. "We as coaches have to do a better job of giving them a better game plan to execute to take away these shots and paint points." Ewing later disputed a question about the Big East losing streak, saying it was only four games and the others were last year. Unfortunately for this team, past is prologue. The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Spears 33 1-4 0-1 0-0 4 5 1 2
Murray 32 3-11 1-3 2-4 2 4 1 11
Bristol 15 1-2 0-5 0-0 3 1 0 2
Akok 30 1-2 2-5 4-4 9 2 1 12
Wahab 28 4-9 0-0 1-2 5 1 0 9
Reserves:
Anglin 13 1-1 0-3 0-0 1 0 2 2
Riley 13 0-3 0-2 1-2 3 1 2 1
Mozone 23 2-6 2-4 0-0 5 0 0 10
Ezewiro 4 1-3 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 2
Bass 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Wilson 5 0-2 0-0 0-0 4 0 1 0
Team Rebounds 1
DNP: Heath, Mutombo, Muresan
TOTALS 200 14-43 5-23 8-12 38 14 9 51
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||