Entering Wednesday's game ranked last (351st) in Division I in shooting, Coppin State needed perimeter defense and rebounds as its firewall against Georgetown, and failed on both counts.
Fourteen three pointers and 55 rebounds later, the Hoyas roared past the Eagles, 96-44, before just 3,996 at Verizon Center. Unlike previous games where the Hoyas failed to maintain a lead, the early knockout afforded coach John Thompson III valuable time to reserves who will be called upon in key game situations later this year.
From an early 3-3 tie two minutes into play, the Hoyas took command with a 13-4 run, led a by a pair of three pointers from graduate transfer Rodney Pryor. Coppin State struggled to keep up and got into early foul trouble, committing 10 fouls within the first five minutes of play. From a 16-7 score with 14:18 to halftime, the Hoyas stepped up the offensive effort, building a 23 point lead with a 16-2 run over the next five minutes. Georgetown soon matched the Coppin State foul production and the game threatened to be a foul shooting contest, but Georgetown did not commit another foul for the final 9:28 of the half as the offense kicked it into high gear and the Coppin State defenses withered. With only one player taller than 6-4, Coppin State could not control the boards and suffered in second chance points. Midway through the first half, Georgetown owned a 16-0 advantage in second chance points, 16-2 in points off turnovers, and 16-4 in points in the paint.
From a 40-10 deficit at the 8:10 mark, Coppin got three consecutive threes from guard Tre Thomas, who led the Eagles with 16 points on the evening. The margin closed, ever so briefly, to 45-19, but the Eagles were completely ineffective down the stretch to intermission. Coppin missed its last seven shots of the half as Georgetown connected on seven of its final 10, a 16-1 run that extended the lead to an impenetrable 61-20 lead at the half. The Hoyas were 9 of 14 from three point range and outrebounded Coppin State by 19, contributing to an 18 point advantage in points in the paint and 18 in points off turnovers, to which Coppin had 12 to Georgetown's five.
Pryor had 16 points at the half but quickly added to his totals to open the second. He opened play with three threes in as many attempts to push the lead to 70-20, and left the game with 15:35 to play having scored 30, and the Hoyas now up 77-24. By the time Coppin had made its first basket of the second half, it had been outscored 27-1 over a 11 minute period dating back to Thomas' threes in the first half.
The game opened up opportunities for the reserves. Guards Tre Campbell and Jonathan Mulmore saw action for much of the second half, while Marcus Derrickson and Jessie Govan also picked up experience in the game. Senior Reggie Cameron saw his return to the lineup with a three to end the first half and 11 minutes overall, with junior Tre Mourning following in the final minutes. Georgetown shot 50 percent for the half and for the game, with just six turnovers for the second half and 11 overall. Coppin State had just three turnovers after halftime but simply could not mount an offense, shooting 29 percent and watching the lead grow to as many as 58 into the final minutes.
Despite entering the game averaging 37 rebounds a game, one statistic tells the story: second chance points. Georgetown owned a 31-3 advantage thanks to 55 rebounds, its most in five seasons.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Mosely 28 1-4 1-3 1-2 5 3 2 6
Pryor 16 3-5 7-8 3-3 4 0 1 30
Peak 23 2-2 1-4 0-0 3 10 3 7
Agau 19 1-2 0-2 3-3 6 1 3 5
Hayes 15 4-5 0-0 2-3 7 5 0 10
Reserves:
Campbell 21 2-4 1-2 0-0 2 1 0 7
Mulmore 21 2-4 1-5 1-2 0 0 1 8
Cameron 11 0-0 1-3 0-0 3 0 1 3
Hines 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Govan 15 3-4 0-0 2-2 11 1 4 8
Muresan 2 0-0 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
Derrickson 18 1-5 1-2 1-2 8 1 2 6
Johnson 6 0-0 1-1 1-2 1 0 1 4
Mourning 3 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2
Team Rebounds 5
DNP: Copeland
TOTALS 200 21-37 14-31 14-19 55 22 20 96
Georgetown's 96-44 win over Coppin State was witnessed by the smallest regular season crowd ever to see a Georgetown game at Verizon Center.
The game drew just 3,996 in attendance, despite an online campaign to award a free ticket to anyone who would post a message to social media. Student attendance was noticeably thin, but the crowd in general just wasn't there.
Excepting a crowd that attended a 2005 NIT game with Boston University, Wednesday's turnout was the smallest since Georgetown moved to Verizon Center in 1997. The 10 smallest off-campus home crowds since 1981:
| No. | Date | Opponent | Score | Venue | Att. |
| 1 | 12/21/1983 | Western Kentucky | 53-41 | Capital Centre | 2,958 |
| 2 | 12/5/1984 | St. Leo | 76-56 | Capital Centre | 3,082 |
| 3 | 12/19/1984 | Morgan St. | 89-62 | Capital Centre | 3,954 |
| 4 | 11/30/2016 | Coppin St. | 96-44 | Verizon Center | 3,996 |
| 5 | 12/1/2015 | Maryland-Eastern Shore | 68-49 | Verizon Center | 4,062 |
| 6 | 11/25/2003 | Coastal Carolina | 81-68 | MCI Center | 4,189 |
| 7 | 12/2/2002 | Coastal Carolina | 87-60 | MCI Center | 4,366 |
| 8 | 12/20/2003 | Howard | 89-58 | MCI Center | 4,412 |
| 9 | 12/21/1987 | Rice | 90-63 | Capital Centre | 4,477 |
| 10 | 12/12/1987 | St. Leo | 78-40 | Capital Centre | 4,789 |
If the Georgetown Hoyas needed a signature game to alleviate growing concerns that the 2016-17 season may be far worse than last season, Sunday's 85-72 win over Howard before an announced crowd of 5,258 did not assuage these concerns.
Instead, 18 turnovers and an erratic defense against a winless Howard team raise as many questions as answers.
Howard (0-5) was without its two of its top starters, including James Daniel III, averaging 27 ppg last season. The Bison opened the game without any organization, committing two turnovers in the first 29 seconds and giving up eight straight points to Georgetown in under a minute. Nine early points from Akoy Agau led the Hoyas to a 16-0 score, leading Howard coach Kevin Nickleberry to sit his entire starting five to send a message.
The starters responded, but the damage had been done. A 13-6 run by the Bison closed the deficit to nine, 22-13, but Howard could not get any closer for the remainder of the half. Georgetown answered Howard's rally with a 15-5 run that increased the lead to 19, 37-18, but Howard found easy access inside the paint and scored on layups in each of its next four possessions. With three three-pointers from junior Tre Campbell(his best scoring effort in almost a year), Georgetown seemed on the precipice of a blowout, but Howard picked up 13 of its 35 first half points via turnovers, and 22 in the paint, as Georgetown was often out of position on defensive sets.
A Rodney Pryor basket was Georgetown's only field goal in the last five minutes as Howard cut the halftime lead to ten, 45-35. The Hoyas shot 51 percent from the field with seven threes, but gave up ten turnovers.
The second half was more of the same. Pryor scored seven straight as the Hoyas jumped to a 16 point lead, 56-40, but the Bison refused to go away. A pair of baskets by Solomon Mangham closed the lead back to 11, and the Bison could not narrow the lead inside nine as the second half hit the halfway point. Georgetown pushed the lead back to 14 but its defense was haphazard and allowed Howard to close to eight with 7:26 left, answered by a pair of L.J. Peak free throws, 69-59. A Peak dunk and a Pryor three pushed out the lead again, but the margin still hovered at ten until Marcus Derrickson, having missed all six attempts on the afternoon, hit two three pointers in the final three minutes to put the game out of reach.
Pryor led all scorers with 26 but no player turned in a complete game. Akoy Agau scored 11 points in the first ten minutes of the first half, but finished with just 14 points and four turnovers. Bradley Hayes was surprisingly ineffective given a smaller interior line for the Bison, shooting 2 for 6 at close range. Jessie Govan sat for most of the game, while Jagan Mosely was scoreless from the field and added two free throws in 10 minutes. Isaac Copeland sat out the game with a facial injury as reported before gametime.
Georgetown has not lost to Howard in seven previous meetings but one got the sense that if Daniel was able to suit up, this might have been a game that the Hoyas would be especially vulnerable.
The Bison were led by James Miller, who scored 30. The Bison entered the game ranked 332nd in field goal percentage and managed to shoot 43 percent on the Hoyas; ranked 310th in rebounds, they trailed GU by just one on the boards, 33-32, despite just three players taller than 6-7 compared to eight for Georgetown.
Next up for Georgetown: Coppin State, who ranks last in Division I in shooting, averaging 30 percent from the field. The Eagles are winless at 0-7 heading into a Monday meeting with a Division II opponent before Wednesday's game at Verizon Center.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Mosely 10 0-0 0-2 2-2 1 3 3 2
Pryor 35 4-4 5-8 3-3 6 3 1 26
Peak 35 3-7 2-3 2-2 3 3 2 14
Agau 29 4-5 0-1 6-8 6 5 3 14
Hayes 23 2-6 0-0 0-2 6 2 3 4
Reserves:
Campbell 30 0-2 4-6 0-1 2 3 3 12
Mulmore 8 1-1 0-1 2-2 0 0 1 4
Govan 5 0-0 0-0 1-2 1 1 0 1
Derrickson 21 0-2 2-6 2-2 6 1 4 8
Johnson 4 0-0 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
Team Rebounds 2
DNP: Cameron, Hines, Copeland, Muresan, Mourning
TOTALS 200 14-27 13-28 18-24 33 21 20 85
Not even close.
Despite shooting 50 percent for the game, 28 Georgetown turnovers led to 41 Oklahoma State points in a 97-70 rout in the 3rd place game of the Maui Invitational Wednesday.
The 28 turnovers is the most allowed by any Georgetown team since 1994. The margin of defeat is the largest suffered on a neutral court since 1974. After six games, the 2-4 record is its worst since the ill-fated 1971-72 season.
As befits a struggling team, head coach John Thompson made a starting lineup change, benching Isaac Copeland and Jessie Govan for Akoy Agau and Bradley Hayes. Georgetown opened up a quick 8-0 lead, but the Cowboys called time out, replaced four starters, and got things going. As the Cowboys regrouped, the Georgetown turnovers began. OSU finally grabbed the lead at 14-13 with 13:42 to halftime; by that time Georgetown had committed seven turnovers to just one for Oklahoma State. The Hoyas suffered early at the foul line, missing five of its first eight as OSU built a 12 point lead at the 8:53 mark, 33-21. While the Hoyas were shooting 53% for the half, the turnovers were unmistakable - 14 by halftime, leading to 18 OSU points as the Cowboys rode a 50-35 lead into intermission.
If Georgetown had any hopes of a turnaround, it needed to come right after halftime, and that didn't happen. Instead, the Cowboys scored the first seven points of the second half and never looked back. OSU led by 21 at the 16 minute time out, and while Georgetown closed to 12 at the 12:20 mark, it never mounted a serious challenge thereafter. Second chance points fed an OSU team that was not playing exceptionally well after halftime, but had too many gifts not to extend its lead. The Hoyas topped 22 turnovers at the 8:49 mark, down 20, and its 25th came with 6:33 to play, part of an 11-2 OSU run that extended the run to 87-58.
Even in garbage time, with Oklahoma State having emptied its bench with 1:20 to play, Georgetown managed just two field goals in the final five minutes. Trey Campbell ended the GU scoring with a three pointer with 34 seconds to play. The game had opened with two threes, and ended with one--for the remaining 38 minutes, GU was 0 for 6.
Georgetown shot a robust 54 percent in the second half and were still outscored by a dozen. Rodney Pryor led all Georgetown scorers with 15, but efforts inside from Bradley Hayes (13 pts., 9 rebounds) and Akoy Agau (11 points) prevented even more carnage. OSU's Jawun Evans, averaging 30 points in two prior Maui games, was held to 5 for 15 shooting and 13 points overall.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Mosely 29 3-4 0-0 0-0 3 4 1 6
Pryor 33 5-9 1-2 2-2 4 0 2 15
Peak 36 3-6 0-3 3-3 2 3 2 9
Agau 18 2-2 1-2 4-4 3 1 5 11
Hayes 27 5-9 0-0 3-8 9 1 2 13
Reserves:
Campbell 14 0-0 1-1 0-1 1 0 0 3
Mulmore 17 0-3 0-1 3-4 1 1 4 3
Hines 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0
Copeland 3 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2
Govan 6 1-2 0-0 0-1 1 0 1 2
Muresan 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Johnson 14 1-2 0-0 4-4 4 0 1 6
Mourning 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Team Rebounds 6
DNP: Cameron, Derrickson
TOTALS 200 21-38 3-9 19-27 34 12 18 70
Last night we wrote that "What a difference a half can make in the Maui Invitational." Let's say it again: What a difference a half can make in the Maui Invitational.
From a three point difference at intermission, the Wisconsin Badgers outhustled the Georgetown Hoyas at every turn, holding the Hoyas to just one offensive rebound in 40 minutes in a 73-57 win in the Maui Invitational semifinals. The Hoyas were outrebounded overall by an astounding count of 50-21.
Georgetown led for just 14 seconds in this game, 3-2, but that was as close as Georgetown would get thereafter. The first half belonged to guard Bronson Koenig, who scored 10 of Wisconsin's first 15 points to put the Badgers up 15-8 at the 14 minute mark, and picked up baskets at two key points in the first half when Georgetown was closing in. A 6-0 Georgetown run closed to 21-20 before Koenig sank a jumper to keep the Badgers ahead, and upon Georgetown closing closing to 26-25 with 2:27 remaining, Koenig sank another jumper, 28-25. Wisconsin ended the half up three, 32-29, despite the Hoyas giving up only one turnover.
The second half belonged to Wisconsin's Ethan Happ, who outhustled and outmuscled Georgetown up and down the court. Happ picked up steals, assists and rebounds--lots of rebounds. Within the first four minutes of the second half he had collected 13 points and 13 revbounds as UW scored the first six points of the half and led 38-29. A pair of baskets by L.J Peak closed the Hoyas to 40-36, but Wisconsin was allowing no second chance opportunities and was opening up a huge advantage on the boards. Conecutive offensive rebounds converted to inside baskets extended the Badger lead to 48-36 midway in the second half, the by-product of a 35-17 advantage on the boards. And it would get worse. For the remainder of the game, Wisconsin added 15 more rebounds, while Georgetown would pick up just four rebounds in the final ten minutes.
The Hoyas connected on one field goal in the final 8:32 as Wisconsin, whose shooting had slowed considerably, was well on its way to the win. Despite shooting just 5-22 from three point range and 43 percent overall, the Badgers were never threatened. Koenig led all scorers with 20 points while Happ finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
L.J. Peak led all Georgetown scorers with 18 points. Rodney Pryor continues to show difficulty in second halves of games, scoring 12 in the first half but with just two free throws afer halftime. Isaac Copeland continued his poor play, shooting 0 for 5 and contributing one rebound. Bradley Hayes finished with eight points and eight rebounds in his first game action of the season.
If rebounding wasn't the stat of the game, here's another one: second chance points. Wisconsin 19, Georgetown 1.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Mosely 14 1-1 0-1 1-2 0 0 1 3
Pryor 38 1-4 3-6 3-4 3 1 2 14
Peak 39 5-8 2-5 2-2 3 2 1 18
Copeland 17 0-4 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0
Govan 7 1-2 0-0 1-1 0 0 3 3
Reserves:
Campbell 12 0-2 0-1 0-0 1 1 1 0
Mulmore 18 1-3 0-0 6-7 0 1 2 8
Agau 17 0-0 0-1 2-2 2 0 2 2
Johnson 13 1-2 0-0 1-2 2 0 3 3
Hayes 25 3-6 0-0 0-0 8 1 1 6
DNP: Cameron, Hines, Muresan, Derrickson, Mourning
Team Rebounds 2
TOTALS 200 13-32 5-15 16-20 21 7 16 57
Georgetown lost a 17 point halftime lead but recovered to stretch past #13-ranked Oregon in opening round play at the Maui Invitational Monday evening. Rodney Pryor had 18 first half points and 26 overall, while L.J. Peak had 17, including the fateful five free throws that decided the game.
Georgetown opened the game with intensity, with Pryor scoring the first six of the half. Oregon missed its first nine attempts and 15 of its first 17, but stayed close as the Hoyas failed to execute from outside, leading by just 12-8 at the midway point of the half. With a stronger defensive effort, Georgetown maintained a five point lead for much of the first half and turned on the gas in the final four minutes of the half.
Rodney Pryor had not scored since the opening minutes of the game but returned to his USC-Upstate form approaching the break. A Pryor basket at the 4;16 mark put the Hoyas up seven, 24-17, followed by a three pointer and foul from Peak, 28-17. Georgetown connected on six of its final seven shots of the half and Pryor led the way, scoring the final 10 points of the half, including a 30 foot three pointer with 0.5 seconds remaining to put the Hoyas up 17, 38-21. The Ducks were held to 1 for 9 from three point range and 28 percent shooting overall.
The second half proved to be as predictable as the next word from Bill Walton's mouth.
Georgetown began the second half with a lack of intensity and a heavy dose of halftime rust. The Hoyas missed their first three shots of the half, then six, then nine. By the time of the first media time out, the Hoyas had shockingly missed all 11 attempts in the second half, while the Ducks were still trailing by double digits. Oregon rallied behind guard Payton Pritchard, who scored five straight to close to 40-30. An inside basket by Akoy Agau was Georgetown's only field goal for the first nine minutes of the second half as the Hoyas 1 for 17 shooting was for all to see.
A Pritchard three pointer closed the score to 40-35 as the Hoyas' ship was not only sinking, it was on fire doing so.
L.J. Peak's basket increased the lead to six, 42-36, but more inattention by the G-man followed. Off a missed free throw, Oregon's Dillon Brooks went untouched to pick up the offensive rebound and putback, and the lead dropped to three, 42-39. A wild three from Pryor missed and was converted via a lob pass, 42-41; an Isaac Copeland turnover was answered by a driving layup by Dillon with 8:51 to play, 43-42. The 17 point lead was gone.
The next reversal of fortune followed. Better defense by Georgetown and an inattention to its own offensive sets let Oregon lose its way. Georgetown went on as 14-2 run over the next 6:18 that rallied the Blue and Gray from another crushing defeat.
Baskets by Pryor and Agau put the Hoyas up four, 47-43. GU led by five, 50-45, when Agau and Pryor picked up blocks on consecutive possessions, answered by a basket and foul from Govan to go up 53-45. Oregon had their own brain freeze when it allowed Tre Campbell to drive untouched into the lane on an inbound play for a basket and foul, 56-45, with 2:31 to play.
But it was far from over. Georgetown has struggled mightily this season with inbound plays deep in a corner that they do not have the good sense to avoid. Up 58-51 with 1:32 to play, Georgetown suffered backcourt turnovers on each of its next two possessions, and Oregon was within four with 42 seconds left, 58-54.
"Shame, embarrassment, disappointment!" remarked the wheels-off Walton, who at various times in the game would shout "Play on!", often for no apparent reason. At this point, the game really was on.
Georgetown's free throw shooting won the game. Two from Pryor at the 24 second mark increased the lead to six, quickly matched by a Pritchard score, 60-56. Peak made one of two at the 15 second mark, answered by another Pritchard basket with nine seconds to play, 61-58. The Hoyas nearly found themselves caught in the corner once again, but Peak maneuvered out of the Oregon trap, and sank his final four free throws to seal the win.
Peak and Pryor accounted for 43 of the team's 65 points, with solid defensive efforts from Jessie Govan and Akoy Agau with 13 points and five blocks between them. Isaac Copeland was a fading 1 for 8.
Both teams shot poorly from the field: Georgetown shot 20 percent for the second half and 34 percent overall, while Oregon was 4 percent in the first half and 39 percent overall. The two teams combined for 20 blocked shots, but the outcome turned on the foul line, with GU's 17 for 22 outpointing a spotty 11 for 20 outcome by the Ducks.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Mosely 28 0-3 0-0 0-0 1 3 3 0
Pryor 39 7-10 2-7 6-8 10 1 3 26
Peak 38 1-8 3-7 6-7 6 4 2 17
Copeland 24 1-5 0-3 0-0 3 0 3 2
Govan 25 3-7 0-1 3-4 8 1 4 9
Reserves:
Campbell 16 1-1 1-3 1-1 2 1 0 6
Mulmore 4 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 0 3 1
Agau 22 2-6 0-0 0-0 3 0 1 4
Johnson 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 2 0
DNP: Cameron, Hines, Muresan, Derrickson, Mourning, Hayes
Team Rebounds 6
TOTALS 200 15-40 6-21 17-22 40 10 21 65
If Georgetown basketball was a stock, the exchange would halt trading.
Following a baffling finish versus Maryland, Georgetown pulled out the playbook from its 2013 Florida Gulf coast debacle and put together the worst 20 minutes of the John Thompson III era, or any Hoya era.
And with a second late game meltdown by the home team, Arkansas State's 78-72 win was punctuated by an angry chant from a corner of the old gymnasium, not heard since Jack Magee's waning days.
For an Arkansas State team which won eight Division I games last season and had not defeated a D-I team since Feb. 4, 2016, they came to play basketball. Georgetown came to play pick-up ball, and it showed.
One would think John Thompson III would have his troops roaring out of the gate following Tuesday's late game follies versus Maryland. This was McDonough Gymnasium, after all, where the likes of Don Haskins and Bob Huggins once complained vociferously of Georgetown's unfair advantage. Instead, the FoxSports 1 camera showed large chunks of the seating open at game time, as if this was a Christmas game. There would soon be no such gifts.
To the contrary, the Hoyas showed all the drive and discipline of a midnight pick-up game at Yates Field House. The game was tied for the first 56 seconds and from the Red Wolves' first score at the 19:03 mark, Georgetown never led. A-State gained early leads of 5-0 and 8-2 following back to back threes by Devin Carter. The Hoyas closed to 11-8 on a basket by Akoy Agau, who for whatever reason saw no time thereafter.
The Red Wolves began to feast on the Hoyas' inattentive defense, going on a 23-4 run thanks for 8 for 10 shooting. Two missed layups, two missed threes, and two turnovers later, Georgetown was suddenly down 15, then 17, then 20...in its own gym! Free throws seemed georgetown's only weapon in a first half where they were picked apart with surgical precision by an under manned opponent, not unlike Ohio, or VCU, or Florida Gulf coast. In each of those games, the staff was visibly slow to react. Such was the case in this game, where just one time out was called and substitution patterns were ineffective at best and contributing at worse to a disorganized, dysfunctional Georgetown attack.
Consecutive baskets by Jessie Govan were the first GU baskets in nearly five minutes as the hole was dug ever deeper. Back to back scores by Rashad Lindsey and Devin Carter pushed the lead to 23, a number unseen in McDonough Gym dating back to John Thompson's first two seasons as a head coach, and against ranked opponents, not against a team picked to finish near the bottom of the Sun Belt.
A 5-1 run closed the halftime gap to 19, 48-29, as the humbled Hoyas shot a woeful 35%, missed all six attempts from three and were sadly outrebounded 18-14 by a team featuring one regular player taller than 6-4.
If the Hoyas couldn't shoot their way out of the gym, some defense wouldn't hurt. The Red Wolves were stopped by turnovers on the first three possessions of the second half, and closed the deficit to 15. A pair of free throws by L.J. Peak closed the gap to 13 less than three minutes into the half, and the Hoyas were this close from a spirited comeback. But in the first of a series of lapses, they let the wobbly Red Wolves back on their feet. Down 13 with under 17 to play, consecutive turnovers from Rodney Pryor and Jonathan Mulmore were converted into five straight by A-State, now up 18. Down 13 with 11:33, only to allow layups on three straight possessions to fall behind by 17.
With 8:33 to play, Georgetown trailed on its own home floor by 16, and looked to junior L.J. Peak to rally the team. A pair of dunks brought the Hoyas within 12, 71-59, with 5:47 to play. The defense began to constrict A-State in the half court, and for the remainder of the game Arkansas State would earn just one more field goal. But was there enough time?
A pair of peak free throws cut the lead to 10 with 5;13 to play. A jumper from Pryor, his first meaningful contribution of the second half, brought the fans to their feet with an eight point difference with 4:26 to play. The comeback table was set before then, only that GU now reverted to bad outside shooting instead of the natural advantage with a taller team inside. A pair of missed threes and a crushing missed layup from Isaac Copeland could not narrow the score, and with A-State struggling to put together an offense, Georgetown needed a spark. A Jagan Mosely layup brought the Hoyas to seven at the 2:58 mark, but he missed a wild three thereafter. After ASU came up short on a jumper, Pryor hit a three to close to four at the 1:33 mark, 74-70, and then the follies came back to town.
On ASU's ensuing possession, Copeland reached in for a foul, but the Wolves missed both free throws. Peak drove the lane at the 1:00 mark and missed a layup. Off the change in possession, Peak stole the ball and was fouled, cutting the lead to two, 74-72, with 50 seconds to play. Arkansas State attempted a length of the court passed, but Peak was quick to the ball and swatted it out of bounds. A missed layup was batted back to the Wolves, the most painful of 10 offensive rebounds on the evening. A free throw increased the lead to 75-72, but the Hoyas still had hope. Off a Georgetown time out, no less, another blunder followed. Peak's inbound play was easily intercepted by ASU's Deven Simms, who added two free throws, 77-72 with 13 seconds left. Needing a quick score, Mosely instead collided into two ASU defenders for an offensive foul, ending hope.
The late game pratfalls of Tuesday's Maryland game were an eerie repeat on Thursday. This was a team with thee chances in the final minute and whiffed on all three, relying on erratic guard play.
So where was Jessie Govan? With 15 points at halftime, he did not get one shot attempt after halftime. Where was Tre Campbell? He sat the entire second half. Instead, the staff continued to go to Jagan Mosely (0-6 from three point range), the scoring lapses of Jonathan Mulmore (0-3) and the mercurial Rodney Pryor, who three rallied the effort but who finished 1 for 5 from three point range. For all the talk about how this was John Thompson III's most talented team in a decade, it has proven to be talent without execution, showmanship instead of genius.
Losing to Maryland was no virtue, but this loss was far more toxic, and will ring up sentiments in many quarters nationwide that Thompson is a struggling coach. His post-game coach speak reflected a certain sameness to the loss.
"We had an opponent that came in that played very well and we took too long to get going," said Thompson, failing to note that ASU's only win in the last 287 days was over an Bible school in northern Arkansas, enrollment 881.
Yes, it's come to this: Central Baptist College and Georgetown University finally have something in common.
"We have to learn and grow," Thompson said. gerogetown enters the Maui Invitational having lost 12 of its last 15 over the past two seasons, a program that has become a punch line in college basketball.
Live look at Georgetown basketball program pic.twitter.com/rLwsEwl0Lj
— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) November 18, 2016
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Mosely 30 2-3 0-6 1-3 3 5 4 5
Pryor 23 2-2 1-5 0-0 5 1 4 7
Peak 33 2-6 2-5 8-8 3 0 2 18
Copeland 32 3-6 0-2 5-6 4 1 4 11
Govan 31 7-10 0-0 6-9 8 1 3 20
Reserves:
Campbell 8 0-0 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0
Mulmore 24 0-2 0-1 2-2 1 4 5 2
Agau 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2
Johnson 17 3-6 0-0 1-4 2 1 2 7
DNP: Cameron, Hines, Muresan, Derrickson, Mourning, Hayes
Team Rebounds 4
TOTALS 200 20-36 3-20 23-32 30 14 25 72
John Thompson III has had his share of embarrassing defeats. Move over for Maryland.
A six point lead in the final thirty seconds was wiped away by three consecutive Georgetown mistakes in the final 19 seconds as Maryland stole a 76-75 win at Verizon Center. The 13th-year head coach stood with the rest of a smaller than expected crowd of 13,155 at Verizon Center and watched the Hoyas lose a game that was already won.
If there was a true game plan for Georgetown, it was hard to tell. Following an illusory blowout of USC-Upstate on Saturday, Thompson's approach seemed to engage in a track meet, as if to prove to his critics in college basketball that he was capable of change. The Hoyas started with a flurry, missing four of five but taking a a 7-4 lead before the Terrapins steadied their attack. A layup by Justin Jackson exposed a soft underbelly of interior defense exploited all evening, while consecutive threes ran up an early 10-0 run.
Fouls predominated in the first half. The Hoyas committed seven fouls in just over seven minutes of play, with the Terrapins giving up the bonus with over 11 minutes remaining to halftime. From a 14-9 deficit, the Hoyas scored its next nine from the foul line, with no consistent approach to scoring. Maryland was in a five minute drought of its own, allowing the Hoyas some breathing room. back to back baskets by Isaac Copeland built a three point lead for Georgetown with under five minutes to play, but the Hoyas made only one field goal down the stretch and settled for a 31-31 deadlock at the break. The hoyas shot a woeful 29 percent from the field but stayed close only from a 16 for 18 effort at the line.
Much of the second half was a serve and volley between two teams that couldn't generate consistent offense. The game was tied at the 10:47 mark when L.J. Peak scored the next seven points to give GU a 54-49 lead with 9:11 to play. The lead would hold for the next nine minutes.
A three from Pryor and three more from Peak pushed the lead to seven with 6:39 to play, and following a Jessie Govan three with 5:11 to play, Georgetown held a comfortable nine point lead into the final minutes. With 2:21 to play, the lead stood at nine, 68-59.
Never conceding, Maryland went to its star guard Melo Trimble, held to four points at the break but responsible for keeping the Turtles afloat in the second half. A layup at the 2:02 mark closed to seven, but Coach Thompson made no adjustments at midcourt to a full court press that trapped junior guard Jonathan Mulmore, who traveled and turned the ball over to maryland with 1:55 remaining. A pair of Trimble free throws followed with 1:35 remaining, closing to six.
Peak, scoring 19 of his game high 21 points in the second half, kept Georgetown in front. A driving Peak layup put the hoyas back up seven with 1:11 to play, but the Hoyas' perimeter defense was out of position again when Kevin Huerter responded with a three with 54 seconds, 70-6. Back came Peak with free throws, 72-66. As trimble went inside for a layup, Peak blocked the shot but it was ruled out of bounds on Georgetown, and on the ensuing inbound, Justin Jackson went unencumbered to the basket, 72-68.
A foul on Copeland resulted on one of two at the line, 73-68, and a held ball with 19 seconds was awarded to Maryland on the alternate possession. With no time having elapsed, Copeland committed a unnecessary holding foul which sent Anthony Cowan to the line. Two free throws later, the lead was three, 73-70. On the inbound, Pryor was trapped in the corner and traveled, slipping on the tepid Verizon Center floor. back went Cowan to the line, and the lead was now one, 73-72.
Campbell was sent to the foul line with 17 seconds left and made both, 75-72. But out of a Georgetown time out, a time out where the coaches stressed end-game plans, or should have, it fell on deaf ears. Trimble drove the lane for the basket, 75-74, Campbell stepped on the sideline when inbounding the ball. On the ensuing play, Peak was called for his fifth foul and Trimble made two more free throws, 76-75.
Where were the Georgetown big men? On the bench.
A last attempt by Georgetown was swatted away by Huerter as time expired and the Hoyas had suffered its most ignominious finish to a local opponent in a generation.
Georgetown ended the game shooting 32 percent from the field. Rodney Pryor was held to 4 for 12 shooting following his 32 point effort over the weekend; in the final seven minutes of the game he managed one shot, missed, and contributed three turnovers. Isaac Copeland had 10 points in the first half he failed to take any shots in the final seven minutes of the game. No Georgetown forward or center attempted a shot in the final 5:11 of the game, and Maryland played accordingly.The bench shot a combined 1 for 8 with six turnovers.
"We have to learn from our mistakes," he said.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Mosely 25 0-2 0-0 3-4 2 2 2 3
Pryor 36 1-6 3-6 3-5 6 0 1 14
Peak 20 4-6 1-2 10-12 2 1 5 21
Copeland 37 3-11 0-3 7-8 13 2 2 13
Govan 22 1-4 2-2 4-4 3 0 4 12
Reserves:
Campbell 21 1-2 0-2 2-2 1 0 4 4
Mulmore 16 0-2 0-0 2-2 1 1 3 2
Agau 10 0-0 0-0 2-2 3 1 2 2
Derrickson 10 0-1 0-0 4-4 0 0 1 4
Johnson 3 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0
DNP: Cameron, Hines, Muresan, Mourning, Hayes
Team Rebounds 3
TOTALS 200 10-35 6-15 37-42 35 7 24 75
Throughout the off-season, coach John Thompson III promised a team that would be able to run and lift the Hoyas out of the morass that enveloped it last season. For 20 minutes Saturday, Georgetown put on a show unseen in the annals of its program history.
Georgetown's 105-61 win over USC-Upstate was its largest margin of victory for an opener in 13 years, led by a record 32 point debut from fifth year senior Rodney Pryor.
The onslaught began early, with an opposing lineup not disclosed until hours before the start of the game: a pair of newcomers at guard in Pryor and freshman Jagan Mosely, along with junior L.J. Peak, junior Isaac Copeland, and sophomore Jessie Govan. It was Copeland that opened the show, scoring the team's first five points in a 31 second span. Upstate, returning 12 players from a 10-win club in 2015-16, would not be as close thereafter.
Pryor's first shot came at the 18:14 mark and would be perfect for the next 13 minutes. He scored three consecutive threes in a 11-3 run that blew the game open within the first five minutes and the team followed suit. As the Spartans labored through six turnovers in its first 10 possessions, the Hoyas went to a shoot first, ask questions later approach that overwhelmed the visitors and sent the score climbing.
Pryor scored on back to back possessions to put the Hoyas up 17 at the 14:19 mark, 27-10, and held the Spartans without a field goal for a four minute stretch that left the outcome of the game in no doubt thereafter. A three from Tre Campbell put the Hoyas up 20 at 37-17 midway through the first half, and added a three to put the G-men up 25 just two minutes later. Another five minute scoring drought followed for the Spartans, whose defense seemed a step slow all afternoon. layups from Peak and Pryor put the Hoyas up 30 with 5:42 to halftime, and consecutive threes by Pryor and Jonathan Mulmore brought the lead to 33, 57-24, part of an 8 for 11 run from three point range.
Thirteen first half fouls matched the Spartans' 13 first half fouls, allowing the Hoyas room at the line to extend the scoring. Following four free throws by L.J. Peak, a pair of layups closed the first half scoring and gave Georgetown a 33 point margin at the break, 68-35. The 68 point first half total is the most ever scored by a Georgetown team:
68-Georgetown versus USC-Upstate, 11/12/2016
65-Georgetown vs. UDC, 12/16/1989
64-Georgetown vs. Howard, 12/16/2000
62-Georgetown vs. St. Leo, 12/6/1986
For the half, Georgetown shot a blistering 77 percent on 24 of 31 attempts, 9 of 13 from three point range, and 16 assists, which topped its 2015-16 average of just 13.3 per game. Pryor's 26 first half points was three short of the school record for most points scored in a half.
Georgetown's jets cooled considerably after halftime. The Hoyas scored just six points in the opening eight minutes of the second half on just five attempts, thanks to five turnovers that nearly matched its total from the first half. Midway through the half, the Hoyas led 80-50, but had scored just 12 points after the break. With 9:01 remaining, Pryor summoned the troops back to form, with a jumper that opened a 14-0 run that pushed the lead to 94-50 with under seven minutes to play. Reserves did not see significant action until the final five minutes of play.
Pryor finished with 32 points, breaking the school record of most points in a debut game set by Brian Sheehan's 30 points in the 1958-59 season opener. One of five Hoyas in double figures, Pryor was joined by 14 from L.J. Peak, 11 from Jessie Govan, and 10 each from Isaac Copeland and tre Campbell. Georgetown shot 66 percent for the game and despite missing all four three point attempts after halftime, was 9 for 17 from outside the arc. Rebounding will be an area of concern in practices lading up to Tuesday's game with Maryland, as the Hoyas were even with Upstate at 33 rebounds each and were outworked on offensive rebounds 20 to 8.
"Twenty offensive rebounds, that's unacceptable," said Coach Thompson in pot-game remarks.
"It seemed to me that they had a lot more than eight offensive rebounds," said USC-Upstate coach Eddie Payne. "The stat for us was that they got 42 points off [26] turnovers."
Coach Thompson held out praise for freshman Jagan Mosely in his collegiate debut.
"He's poised, very poised and if you at it how it relates to steals, deflections, and rebounds, hustle plays he makes a lot of hustle plays... Six assists and zero turnovers, he does a lot of things that show up in the box score and some that don't but he is very poised."
Gerogetown held Upstate's guards shot to a combined 2 for 10 after halftime and that's not likely to continue against tougher opponents.
"Their style of play is going to be an interesting thing to watch as they get into playing better and longer opponents with better guard play," Payne added.
The margin of victory was the most by a John Thompson III-coached team since a 100-38 win over Savannah State in the 2008-09 season. Next up: a mid-week game with Maryland as part of the Big East-Big Ten Gavitt Games.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Mosely 19 2-2 0-0 2-2 3 6 3 6
Pryor 30 7-8 6-8 0-0 1 0 3 32
Peak 23 4-5 0-1 6-9 3 4 2 14
Copeland 19 3-3 0-0 4-5 3 2 2 10
Govan 22 5-8 0-0 1-2 6 2 3 11
Reserves:
Campbell 19 0-1 2-4 4-4 1 3 0 10
Mulmore 16 2-2 1-1 2-2 0 2 1 9
Hines 2 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 1
Muresan 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Agau 13 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 2 5 2
Derrickson 13 1-2 0-2 1-1 5 1 2 3
Johnson 18 2-3 0-1 1-3 2 0 1 5
Mourning 5 0-1 0-0 2-2 2 0 2 2
DNP: Cameron, Hayes
Team Rebounds 6
TOTALS 200 27-36 9-17 24-32 33 22 24 105