Ask a Washington Redskins fan how it is that no matter the odds or the situation, the Dallas Cowboys seem to find a way to win time and time again in that storied NFL series. Such is the case with the Georgetown Hoyas, which dropped its fourth straight game to Villanova, each by less than six points or in overtime.

Villanova's 83-72 overtime win adds another painful chapter in the story line between these two schools, a game which featured a number of impressive comebacks and a familiar pattern seen last week against Notre Dame--when Mike Sweetney is on, the Hoyas roll forward. When he sits or doesn't get the ball, the Hoyas grind to a halt.

Georgetown opened the game as a victim of tight officiating--Wesley Wilson went to the bench with two fouls in the first 1:58 of the game, while Sweetney picked up two fouls by the 13 minute mark. Without Sweetney or Wilson, a four point Georgetown lead with 9:38 to play began an incredible stretch where the Hoyas (the Big East's second rated offense) went eight minutes without a field goal. The G-men missed 15 straight field goal attempts as Villanova built an 11 point lead. A Harvey Thomas field goal with 0:26 left broke the ice, but the Cats answered with a shot at the buzzer to lead by 11, 31-20. The Hoyas finished 6-28 from the field and 1-12 from three point range.

The second half was much of the same early. Villanova held a 14 point lead at 41-27 before the hoyas began to claw back. As was the case against Notre Dame and Seton Hall, Mike Sweetney led the charge. Georgetown's game plan was to go inside and Sweetney was close to unstoppable inside. Fouled often, Sweetney scored 11 of his game high 31 points at the line, though he was only 11-15 from the line.

The lead slowly narrowed and with 3:34 to play the Hoyas took a lead at 60-59. The Hoyas added two free throws and a Harvey Thomas jumper to lead 64-59, whereupon Villanova scored on its last five second half possessions to claw their way back into contention.

The key play of the game came in the final minute of regulation. At 66-65, a Villanova miss was rebounded and fed to Kevin Braswell, contained in the backcourt. He threw the ball long to Harvey Thomas, who went to the basket instead of passing it back to a trailing Mike Sweetney. Fouled on the play, Thomas went 1 of 2, and the Cats answered with Derrick Snowden driving the length of the court to tie the game at 67 with two seconds to play.

In the overtime, the wheels came off. Villanova scored the first eight points of the period, the G-men missed 14 of 16 attempts, most in desperation, and when Sweetney fouled out with :53 to play, the die was cast.

The Hoyas are now 0-3 in overtime games this year, 1-4 in games settled by less than five points or in OT, have lost three straight OT games to Villanova since 1994, and are 3-11 in overtime games in the regular season since 1992.

More importantly, its 15-9 record and 6-6 conference mark leaves its NCAA hopes are just that--hopes. A win over Connecticut would do well to jump-start those ambitions, but for now, the Hoyas are sitting with Villanova and BC as teams that are just too far out of the race to merit NCAA consideration at this time.

Outside of Sweetney, Georgetown's shooting was at a season low. Gerald Riley shot 0-8, the Bethel and Hall tandem combined for 3-17, and when Kevin Braswell is 3-13, that's trouble. While the Hoyas shot well from the line and committed only 12 turnovers, its late game woes continue. Of its six Big East losses, four came within the final minute.

Post-game links:

• GUHoyas.com
• Villanova.com
• Associated Press
• Washington Post
• Washington Times
• Philadelphia Inquirer

The recent losses to Villanova have come with various combinations of inspired comebacks and some bad luck:

• 12/3/97, Villanova 73, GU 69: The Hoyas lose by four in the MCI Center opener, thanks to an 8-22 free throw shooting performance.
• 1/30/99: Down 17 in the second half, the outmanned Hoyas engineered a remarkable 19-0 run to take the lead and take game into OT and double OT, despite three players fouling out and leaving Rhese Gibson as the tallest Hoya left on the court. In the second OT, Georgetown leads 90-87 with 14 seconds to play. Anthony Perry misses a free throw, and Villanova has one chance--a three pointer. To everyone's dismay, Nova's Howard Brown gets away from Rhese Gibson in the zone and hits a 22 footer with 2.6 seconds remaining. Daymond Jackson lobs the ball in the direction of Anthony Perry, which is promptly stolen by Brooks Sales, flipped to Jermaine Medley, who launches a 28 footer at the buzzer to win, 93-90.
• 2/5/00: The Hoyas battle back from a 15 point deficit to lead in the final minute, whereupon Jermaine Medley hits a three pointer with :45 to play, Lee Scruggs' pass to Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje sails through his hands, and Kevin Braswell's three point attempt is blocked by Malik Allen at the buzzer, 72-69.
• 2/13/01: Faced with a tie game with 3:44 to play, Georgetown misses 10 of its final eleven field goal attempts and loses by three, 59-56. The backcourt trio of Hunter, Braswell, and Perry missed 23 of 30 attempts, and the fans who campaigned for Lee Scruggs' return to the active lineup saw him miss 13 of 15 shots.

In an evening that looked more like three games in one, the Georgetown Hoyas drew new life in their uphill climb for an NCAA berth, a hard fought 84-77 win at Seton Hall before 8,624 at the Meadowlands.

In the first ten minutes of the game, the Hoyas roared past the Pirates. Despite some early three point shooting, the Pirates simply couldn't stay with the Hoyas, as Georgetown built a 32-17 lead midway through the first half. Shooting 54% from the field and 6-9 from three point range, the Hoyas looked on their way to a rout when the team hit the "runner's wall" after Saturday's four overtime marathon versus Notre Dame.

Down the final stretch of the first half, the lead dropped from 15 to six as the Hoyas seemed tired and often out of position. GU managed just two field goals down the stretch to lead 43-36 at the half, and continued the slumber as Seton Hall outscored the G-men 26-9 in the first ten minutes of the second half. With Mike Sweetney scoreless from the field, and SHU dominating the boards, the lights were dimming on the Hoyas' post-season aspirations, down 62-52 to a Seton Hall team struggling for a .500 record.

In the last ten minutes, the Hoyas caught a second wind. While Sweetney contained to struggle, he was getting to the line more often, and the Hoyas' free throw shooting was superb. Tony Bethel's play keyed a 10-0 Georgetown run to tie the score, Kevin Braswell controlled the court, and and when Sweetney found Wesley Wilson for a turnaround jumper with :45 to play to lead 78-71, the Hoyas had pulled off the comeback. Wilson scored the final four field goals of the game while Braswell's free throws shooting kept the Pirates out of contention late.

Sweetney managed a season low one field goal but contributed a team-high seven assists, while five Hoyas shared the scoring load with double figures. The Hoyas' first half shooting cooled considerably in the second (10 for 27, 2-8 from three) but the Hoya spirit kept this team alive when they could have easily given up on the game, and perhaps the season.

"I looked at [Sweetney] early tonight, and he looked tired. And I knew how I felt, " said Kevin Braswell in the Washington Times. "My legs were gone with 10 minutes left in the second half. ... We pulled it out because other guys grew up out there tonight."

The key to the Hoyas' comeback was its free throw shooting, which is approaching historic team highs this season. The G-men were 90% (28-31) from the line, and 19 of 21 for the second half. Without the free throws, the game was surely lost. Sweetney and Braswell combined to go 18 of 19 from the line.

Fans also enjoyed another solid game by Wesley Wilson. While still not a consistent defensive presence, Wilson's offensive game is beginning to show the kind of consistency that will be essential for the Hoyas heading down the stretch. Wilson finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Post game recaps follow below:

• Associated Press
• GUHoyas.com
• SHUPirates.com
• Washington Times
• Washington Post
• Bergen Record
• Newark Star Ledger

On February 9, 1907, Georgetown began its basketball history. Ninety-five years later, it made some history, too.

In a game that featured 190 shots, 108 rebounds and 72 free throw shots over four overtimes, Georgetown fell to Notre Dame 116-111 at MCI Center. Each team played inspired basketball and each had more than its share of opportunities to win. In the end, Notre Dame was able to maintain its key players on the floor while Georgetown fouled out four of its starting five. Notre Dame took control in the final minute, but for 59 of those 60 minutes, it was a game with more tosses and turns than anyone could have expected.

Both teams started out crisp in the first half. Georgetown's offensive plan was to punch the ball inside to Mike Sweetney (18 first half points) and Wesley Wilson (10 first half points), both of which were huge. Notre Dame's plan was to shoot well and hit the boards, and they did that as well: at nearly a 60% shooting mark for much of the first half, the Irish led by as many as 12 in the first half, yet the Hoyas parlayed a 7-0 run into intermission to trail 48-43. Of GU's 43 points, 35 came inside the paint.

The game tightened in the second half, and Georgetown tied the score at 61-all with 13:24 to play. A 7-0 ND run extended the lead to seven, 68-61, but the Hoyas fought back to four with 8:00 to play and tied the game on a three pointer by Drew Hall (3-3 from three) and a foul shot with 7:29 to play. From there defense kicked in on both teams, as both teams combined for 3-20 (15% shooting) the rest of regulation, much of them the result of fierce defense on both sides of the ball. GU led late 84-82 when Matt Carroll tied the score late and the Hoyas held off a late rally to force the game into overtime...the first overtime, that is.

The first three overtimes were strikingly similar. ND built an early lead, withstood a GU drive, than forged ahead in the last two minutes, only to see the resilient Hoyas bounce back and tie the score. Then, following a defensive stand, Georgetown held the ball for a final shot. Three times the Hoyas could have closed the door, three times they failed.

In the first OT, Georgetown had the ball with 17 seconds left. Kevin Braswell brought the ball up the court but did not pass the ball, settling for a long shot that rimmed away. In the second, Braswell fared even more poorly, ignoring options in Mike Sweetney and Tony Bethel and launching up a 30 footer that had little chance. In the third OT, Gerald Riley had the ball and a chance to win, but his shot was blocked by Ryan Humphrey and deflected to Kevin Braswell, who sank a 20 footer at the buzzer, only to be waived off for a shot clock violation (the shot clock expired at 0.7 seconds to play).

The Hoyas were beginning to deplete its resources by the 4th OT. Wesley Wilson had fouled out, Courtland Freeman had been injured, and before too long, Gerald Riley and Kevin Braswell followed. Yet the Hoyas led in the fourth OT when the amazing Mike Sweetney fouled out and with it, Notre Dame took the momentum and built its lead for good. By game's end, the rotation of Hall, Bethel, Freeman, Thomas, and Hillier were no match for the Irish, who ascended into a tie for second in the division and won their fifth straight game since falling to Georgetown on Jan. 21.

The loss could not have come at a worse time for the Hoyas, now tied with Rutgers at a distant fourth in the division and with four of its next five on the road. The players gave all that they had, and with it, the loss cannot diminish the efforts of some great individual and team performances.

Chief among those accomplishments was Mike Sweetney, achieving the first "30/20" in GU and Big East history with 35 points, 20 rebounds, six blocks, and six assists. Wesley Wilson turned in a career high 26 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks. Freshman Drew Hall played 46 minutes and collected ten points on 3-3 three point shooting, without a single turnover.

On the other side of the ledger, Kevin Braswell will get much of the blame for the loss. Despite contributing 10 assists and committing no turnovers, his 5 for 19 shooting (including 0-4 from three) were crucial missteps. In Georgetown's last four games, Braswell's scoring has suffered:

                        FG    3FG     
Jan. 26 vs. Pitt        3-14  1-8     
Jan. 28 vs. Syracuse    6-12  1-3  
Feb. 2  vs. W.Virginia  1-5   0-2
Feb. 9  vs. Notre Dame  5-19  0-4
Totals                 15-50  2-17
                       30.0%  11.7%