Georgetown Basketball: February 2016 Archives

Allen Iverson (ex '98), a two time All-American at Georgetown from 1994-96 and a 14 year NBA veteran, was selected as a finalist to the 2016 class for the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame.

His accomplishments via NBA.com are as follows: "A nine-time NBA All-Star (2000-06, 2008, 2009), Iverson played 14 NBA seasons averaging 26.7 points and 6.2 assists per game. A three-time All-NBA First Team selection (1999, 2001, 2005), he led the league in scoring average four times (1999, 2001, 2002, 2005), steals per game three times (2001-03) and minutes per game seven times (1999, 2001-04, 2006-08). Iverson was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1997 and NBA MVP in 2001. The Hampton, Virginia native attended Georgetown University (1994-1996) where he set the school record for career scoring average and earned consensus First Team All-America honors (1996)."

The awardees will be announced April 4.

Allen Iverson, on a stage of Hall of Famers & the newest nominees: "I feel like somebody." https://t.co/zEalyuuinf pic.twitter.com/GQZwtqqxjY

— J.A. Adande (@jadande) February 12, 2016

Senior Bradley Hayes still remembers his first visit to McDonough Gymnasium. "I was imagining my jersey being up there one day. This was something that was a really big deal to me, to be up the with all of the pros who have come through here."

After three seasons, such dreams seemed wholly unlikely, but Hayes' senior year is much more hopeful, reports the Florida Times-Union.

"My mentality changed a lot," he said. "As a freshman, sophomore and a junior, I was worried about making mistakes, playing scared, afraid to mess up. If you play like that, you're going to be prone to making mistakes. It's a never-ending cycle."

"I hope to take basketball as far as it will let me go," he said. "I've always dreamed of the NBA and I think I can make that a reality. I know that you can't coach height and you can't coach heart. I've got those things. I think the sky is the limit."

Writes Patrick Stevens:

"The Hoyas (14-11) aren't in as bad a shape as many would assume, but they're also out of games against DePaul and St. John's. The closing six games in Big East play are a brute (at Providence, Seton Hall, Xavier, Butler, at Marquette and at Villanova), but the upshot is Georgetown has plenty of chances to claim quality victories. But it needs a strong finish to play its way into the field of 68."

Monday's lack of student turnout figured prominently into a historic low attendance for a Georgetown Big East home game.

Just 5,369 attended the nationally telecast game, the lowest home attendance for a Georgetown-St. John's game since games were played at 4,200 seat McDonough Gymnasium. Since games were moved off-campus in 1981, only one Big East home game, a January 17, 2006 game with South Florida, drew a smaller crowd.

With the turnout, Georgetown is averaging 8,919 a game this season, with three home games remaining.

A quick start was all Georgetown needed in a 92-67 walkover of St. John's Monday before a poorly attended game of just 5,369 at Verizon Center.

The Georgetown student section resembled a game over the Christmas holidays, with no more than 100 students choosing to show their support to a team which had dropped three of four. To its credit, the team never gave up itself, and sent a message early in this one that it was ready to go.

The Hoyas started strong and nevr let up. A three pointer by D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera opened the scoring and moved DSR past David Wingate for sixth place on the career scoring list. The Hoyas started off six for its first eight, but a remarkable four for four, taking an 18-8 lead in a game they never trailed. Early foul trouble hampered the Redmen, while the hoyas took full advantage of sophomores L.J. Peak and Isaac Copeland, each scoring 14 points in the first half. and combining for 13 of 14 Georgetown points over a five minute stretch of the half that put the Hoyas up 15, 35-20, with 7:18 in the first half. Georgetown led by as many as 20 in the half and carried a 48-32 lead into intermission, shooting 56 percent from the field and 7-12 from three point range. Thanks to some spotty GU defense, the Redmen shot 46 percent from the field but its 2-10 three point shooting was no match for the Hoyas' hot hand.

Two quick fouls in a 34 second run to open the second half sent Bradley Hayes to the bench, but St. John's could not get any closer than 14 as a result. Points from Smith-Rivera, Copeland, Jessie Govan, and Marcus Derrickson pushed the lead back to 20, The St. John's offense struggled in the second half, shooting just 37 percent from the field and missing its share of easy shots and setting up the Hoyas for a 39-27 advantage on rebounds. The redmen picked up only four second chance points all evening, trailing by 25 with 7:32 to play and never challenging thereafter.

Georgetown finished the game shooting 54 percent from the field, 10-22 from three point range, and 18-24 from the free throw line, including 11-12 in the second half. Three different Georgetown players scored 20 or more points, the first time in five years since this was done. D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera led all scorers with 24, followed by 23 from Isaac Copeland and 20 from L.J. Peak. Reggie cameron added 12, while the rest of the team contributed just 13 points. St. John's shot 423 percent for the game but missed on 13 of 17 attempts from three point range.

The comfortable win, a close facsimile to the Hoyas' 93-73 win over the redmen on jan. 13, should be put in its proper context and then put away--St. John's has lost 15 straight and struggles to stay in Big East games this year. Saturday's game at Providence figures to be a much tougher game, and another gut check if the Hoyas are to make any case for a post-season future. For now, it's a welcome win.

The Georgetown half of the box score:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Campbell     15   0-1   0-1   0-0   0   2  1    0
Smith-Rivera 34   3-7   3-6   9-10  2   2  1   24
Copeland     32   6-8   2-3   5-6   8   3  3   23
Derrickson   19   0-1   1-1   0-0   4   1  3    3
Hayes        14   2-3   0-0   0-1   5   1  4    4
Reserves:
Peak         29   7-9   2-5   0-0   6   3  2   20 
Cameron      21   2-3   2-5   2-4   6   3  3   12
Govan        21   1-4   0-1   0-1   3   3  4    2
Williams      1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Johnson       9   1-1   0-0   2-2   2   3  3    4
Mourning      5   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  1    0
Team Rebounds                       3    
TOTALS          22-37 10-22  18-24 39  21 25   92

Additional coverage follows below.

GUHoyas.com

RedStormSports.com

Associated Press

Big East Coast Bias

Georgetown Voice

NY Daily News

Rumble In The Garden

Washington Post

Three key statistics tell the tale of the 2015-16 Georgetown Hoyas to date.

Following Saturday's game, Georgetown ranks 228th of 346 schools in turnovers per game, 276th in turnovers forced per game, and a woeful 335th in fouls committed per game. That's among the bottom 12 in all Division I--here are the schools with more fouls than Georgetown:

336. Wright St. (22.6)
337. Ark.-Pine Bluff (22.8)
338. Ga. Southern (22.9)
339. Morehead St. (23.0)
340. Bradley (23.0)
341. Detroit (23.5)
342. Lamar (23.5)
343. West Virginia (23.9)
344. NC-Wilmington (24.0)
345. Washington (24.7)
346. The Citadel (24.9)

Here's a look at these statistics in the John Thompson III era.

On Thursday, coach John Thompson III warned that "time is running out" on the Hoyas' chances for an NCAA bid. After Saturday's 69-61 loss at Seton Hall, let's state the obvious: time is out.

Both teams struggled early in this game. Georgetown opened the game 4 for 12 from the field, Seton Hall 3 for 12. Early foul trouble, a staple of Georgetown games this season, opened the door for substitutions, but it was the addition of sophomore L.J. Peak that provided an early boost to the Hoyas' efforts. Peak, an inconsistent threat from outside, caught fire midway in the first half: a three at the 12:30 mark, followed by consecutive threes at the midway point of the half to give Georgetown a 21-17 lead with 9:50 to halftime. Peak's shooting tailed off thereafter, finishing 2 for 9, but it provided a much needed spark for a Georgetown team shooting 30 percent in the game.

A basket from D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and free throws by Jessie Govan gave georgetown a 25-19 lead with under eight minutes to the break, but, like clockwork, the Hoyas again faded down the stretch. The Hoyas scored only one basket for the remainder of the first half as the Pirates, who had shooting problems of its own, finished with a 3 for 11 effort that gave them a 30-29 lead at the break. Georgetown missed its final six shots of the period and ended the first half 9 for 30 from the field, and 4 for 12 from there point range -- put another way, Peak was 3 for 4, the rest of the team was 1-8.

Georgetown continued its cold shooting ways to open the second half, missing five of its first six. As both team struggled at the basket, Georgetown took a 38-36 lead with 15;38 to play, but the Hall doubled-down on rebounding and began to build a lead. Picking up offensive rebounds on thee of its next four possessions, the Pirates went to work inside, with baskets by Khadeen Carrington and Angel Delgado gave the homestanding Pirates its largest lead of the game, 43-38, with 12:52 to play. By the midway point of the second half, Georgetown had three field goals, four turnovers, and seven fouls.

The Hoyas trailed by as many as seven, 48-41, before an unexpected boost followed from sophomore Isaac Copeland, who turned in a strong effort down the stretch. Copeland scored nine straight to close the deficit to two, 54-52, at the 5:44 mark. The teams traded baskets into the 4:00 mark when Seton hall's Isaiah Whitehead, fighting through a horrid run of 12 straight misses in the game, hit a three pointer to put the Pirates up five, 57-52, with 3:44 to play. The Hoyas responded with turnovers on its next two possessions, and the Hall never looked back.

Isaac Copeland and L.J. Peak led the Hoyas with a combined 35 points, accounting for 11 of the team's 19 field goals. The sophomores were a combined 6 for 10 from three point range, the remainder of the team combined for 0 for 10. The team had 30 fouls against 19 field goals.

Angel Delgado led the Pirates with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Whitehead, the team's leading scorer, finished 3 for 15 but his late three proved the turning point of the game. along with four assists.

"I think the light bulb has gone off with [Whitehead] and he realizes that he's a pretty good passer," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said in post-game remarks. "They are so much harder to guard because he's distributing the ball, and he's always going to be an offensive threat."

The loss, a function of 33 percent shooting and continuing late game misfires (two field goals in the final 5:04) marked Georgetown's third straight loss and fourth in its last five for a team with no momentum entering the last seven games of the conference race. Thirty fouls and 15 turnovers, the latter accounting for 12 Seton Hall points, again proved Georgetown's undoing. And with continued problem in these areas, more late game setbacks await.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Campbell          0-2   0-1   0-0   1   1  2    0
Smith-Rivera      4-5   0-5   3-4   6   4  3   11
Copeland          3-7   3-5   3-4   9   0  4   18
Derrickson        1-2   0-1   2-2   6   1  5    4
Hayes             2-8   0-0   1-2   6   2  5    5
Reserves:
Peak              2-7   3-5   4-7   8   0  3   17 
Cameron           0-1   0-1   0-0   2   0  1    0
Govan             1-3   0-2   4-6   3   1  4    6
Williams          0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  1    0
Johnson           0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  1    0
Mourning          0-1   0-0   0-0   1   0  1    0
Team Rebounds                       6    
TOTALS          13-36  6-20  17-25 46   9 30   61

Additional coverage follows below. The Washington dailies apparently did not send reporters to cover the game.

• GUHoyas.com
• SHUPirates.com
• Associated Press
• Georgetown Voice
• Newark Star-Ledger
• NY Post
• Paterson Herald News
• The Setonian

Georgetown has three players in the top 5 of Fouls Committed/40. That's not great. Have to be more disciplined. pic.twitter.com/zZ07X4RNrf

— Big East Coast Bias (@becb_sbn) February 7, 2016

Hoyas fall to 13-11 after losing at Seton Hall. Its the worst Hoyas record after 24 games since 2003-04. I like to forget that season.

— Bobby Bancroft (@BobbyBancroft) February 7, 2016

Seton Hall according to my VBDI wraps up bid with win over disappointing Hoyas/ playing hustling team hoops . @HoopsWeiss @NYPost_Brazille

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) February 7, 2016

An article at FoxSports.com notes ten teams with something to prove in February for the post-season. At #3, Georgetown:

"This talented bunch seems primed to miss the NCAA tournament altogether, with its 10 losses including some stinkers against Radford (189th in KenPom) and UNC-Asheville (135th in KenPom). Yet plenty of its losses have been close ones to good teams: Maryland, Duke, Villanova, Providence. The Hoyas have a long way to go in the regular season and in the Big East tournament if they want to prove they belong. But their talent absolutely belongs. It's just the results that don't so far."

The lights are going out on Georgetown's 2016 NCAA tournament aspirations.

Another struggling effort on the court was all Butler needed in a convincing 87-76 win over Georgetown at Hinkle Fieldhouse Tuesday, the first conference win for Butler this season against a team not named St. John's or DePaul. The win was an emotional one for Butler following the post-game disclosure of the death of the infant son of a former Butler player, now on the BU staff.

By contrast, Tuesday's game was anything but emotional for a Georgetown team which desparately needed a win, and the Hoyas showed little in the way of drive at key stretches of the game.

Head coach John Thompson III made a change in the starting lineup, with freshman Kaleb Johnson starting in place of Tre Campbell, where Johnson helped the Hoyas earn an early 9-5 lead. From then on, old habits returned for the Hoyas--too many fouls, not enough rebounds. Within the first five minutes, GU was outrebounded 6-1 as the Bulldogs, specifically Kelan Martin, went to work. Martin scored 13 of the Bulldogs' first 18 points as Butler went on a 13-0 run to lead 18-9 at the 12:50 mark of the half.

Georgetown was out of sync in this game, late off screens, a step slow on defense, and caught a bit of bad luck here and there. When Butler coach Chris Holtmann was issued a technical foul at the 4:50 mark, the normally free throw sure touch of D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera failed him--he missed both shots.

Martin had 19 by halftime as Georgetown trailed by as many as 15 before a late run of three inside baskets in the final 1:24 closed the GU deficit to nine at the break, 40-31. Both teams shot the identical amount from the field - 12 of 26, 46 percent -- but Butler carried an 17-8 advantage on the boards that gave it the room it needed. And by recent trends (Butler was 9-2 when leading at the half, Georgetown was 1-8), the Hoyas needed a rally early in the second half to contend. It didn't happen.

Instead, more of the same. Martin continued to excel, scoring six of the Bulldogs' first ten of the half. Guard Kellen Dunham wowed the Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd with a pair of acrobatic layups that drove a 50-36 lead. While Georgetown struggled as a team, the Hoyas got a strong second half effort from sophomore L.J. Peak, who picked up the intensity that lagged from other teammates this evening. Peak scored 18 of his game high 22 points in the second half, keeping the Hoyas in range.

Showing better signs of defense, the Hoyas closed to 10 midway in the second half, 58-48. A pair of free throws put Butler up 60-48 with 8:42 left, and off a missed three by Peak, Butler looked to put away the game for good when Dunham, with one second on the shot clock, was fouled on a long three point shot by Smith-Rivera for a rare four point play and a 64-48 lead. Peak and DSR continued to answer, with a 10-5 run that closed the gap to 69-58 at the 4:00 mark, but Butler's defense and Martin's drives inside maintained a 13 point lead entering the final two minutes.

Much like the end of the previous two games, the Hoyas had some gas left in the tank, and picked up the pace where they had not done so before. Having shot 4-12 from three point range in the second half to date, Georgetown sank three consecutive threes over a 39 second period, closing the lead to 80-71 with 1:11 remaining. An Isaac Copeland steal, basket and foul got the Hoyas to 80-74, but a miss inside by Copeland with 50 seconds remaining and a block on Smith-Rivers ten seconds later closed the door on this one.

Kelan Martin finished with a career high 35 points on the evening, with 19 from Roosevelt Jones and 18 from Kellen Dunham. The Butler starters accounted for all but one point on the Bulldogs' stat sheet. Butler maintained a 33-25 edge on the boards, a 38-16 edge on free throws taken, and a statistic rarely seen in Georgetown annuals--the opponent held a 10-1 advantage in blocked shots.

The loss drops Georgetown to 6-4 in the conference--still good enough for third in the conference standings but maybe not enough for the post-season. At 4-6 in the Big East, this was a big win for Butler, which has a uphill climb for the NCAA's, but a 15-7 record overall gives it hope. Not so for Georgetown, which crossed double digits in losses at the earliest point of the season since 1998-99, when it finished 15-16.

The Georgetown half of the box score:

            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:                                 
Johnson      26   1-4   1-1   0-0   1   0  4    5
Smith-Rivera 40   2-7   5-9   2-4   2   7  3   21
Copeland     31   4-9   0-4   3-4   3   1  2   11
Derrickson   14   0-2   0-1   0-0   5   1  4    0
Hayes        26   5-6   0-0   2-3   5   1  4   12
Reserves:
Peak         22   6-9   2-4   4-5   2   2  4   22 
Campbell     14   0-0   0-1   0-0   0   0  2    0
Cameron      11   0-0   0-1   0-0   0   2  0    0
Govan        12   1-3   1-1   0-0   2   1  4    5
Williams      4   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  2    0
Team Rebounds                       5    
DNP: Mourning
TOTALS          19-40  9-22  11-16 25  15  29  76

• GUHoyas.com
• ButlerSports.com
• Associated Press
• Big East Coast Bias
• Casual Hoya
• Indianapolis Star

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Casual Hoya (@CasualHoya) January 28, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Additional coverage follows below:

GUHoyas.com

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Associated Press

Big East Coast Bias

ESPN.com

Omaha World Herald

Washington Post

White & Blue Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GUHoyas.com

UConnHuskies.com

Associated Press

Daily Campus

CBS Sports.com

Georgetown Voice

Hartford Courant

Hartford Courant (2)

New Haven Register

New London Day

UConn Blog

Yahoo Sports

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— FS1 (@FS1) January 20, 2016

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

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

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:

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

GUHoyas.com

GoXavier.com

Associated Press

Banners On The Parkway

Big East Coast Bias

Cincinnati Enquirer

Georgetown Voice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Georgetown half of the box score:

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

Additional coverage follows below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Georgetown half of the box score:

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

GUHoyas.com

RedStormSports.com

Associated Press

Big East Coast Bias

Georgetown Voice

NY Daily News

NY Post

Washington Post

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

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

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

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

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

White commented on social media following the surgery:

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

— Paul White (@Numba13_) January 13, 2016

And from a teammate:

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

— Tre Campbell (@TreTC3) January 14, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Georgetown half of the box score:

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

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

GUHoyas.com

DePaulBlueDemons.com

Associated Press

Big East Coast Bias

CSN Mid-Atlantic

The DePaulia

Washington Post

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Georgetown half of the box score:

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

Additional coverage follows below:

GUHoyas.com

GoCreighton.com

Associated Press

ESPN.com

Georgetown Voice

Omaha World Herald

Omaha World Herald (2)

White & Blue Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Hoyas247 (@Hoyas247) January 2, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Georgetown half of the box score:

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

GUHoyas.com

GoMarquette.com

Associated Press

Big East Coast Bias

Casual Hoya

Georgetown Voice

The HOYA

Marquette Wire

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Washington Post