UNC-Greensboro 65, Georgetown 61"I told them, Who's going to go get it? I can't play anymore. I can't go out there and rebound and do the things we need to do to win. It's got to be them." - Patrick Ewing
A seven minute drought to open the second half set the holiday table for the Georgetown Hoyas in a frustrating 65-61 finish to UNC-Greensboro before 7,302 at Capital One Arena.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
For a team that played with considerable promise in the Empire Classic, its performance under the home lights has been anything but bright. As has been the case in earlier editions, the Hoyas opened strong, with a 10-2 lead before the first media time out. Georgetown led 16-7 when senior center Omer Yurtseven picked up a second personal foul and Georgetown responded with one field goal in the next six minutes of play. UNCG struggled well, with leading scorer Isaiah Miller injured midway through the first half and kaleb Hunter injured while driving for a dunk at the 7:43 mark to close to 18-17. The Spartans' bench held its own while the Hoya bench (6 points by halftime) did little in contrast. Georgetown led throughout the first half, even with concerns. Georgetown did not pick up an offensive rebound in the final 15:56 of the first half and ended the first half but shot 42 percent and carried a 32-29 lead at the break behind 12 from James Akinjo and five from Mac McClung. Their absence, along with that from Yurtseven, was noticeable down the stretch. UNCG opened the second half on a layup. The Spartans would tie the score on a three pointer and take the lead three minutes into the second half as Georgetown opened the second half shooting 0 for 7 and giving up four turnovers, allowing UNCG to take a 42-36 lead before Terrell Allen hit Georgetown's first two points of the second half at the 13:00 mark. Ewing opted to sit McClung and Josh LeBlanc for much of the second half but the remaining lineup was ineffective. James Akinjo showed minimal teamwork as he jacked up shots all half, missing all eight attempts. Yurtseven struggled at both ends of the court despite inferior opposition, and the bench seemed ill-prepared in a reserve role to fill in for McClung or LeBlanc. Despite it all, UNCG's short-handed lineups allowed Georgetown to hang around. The Hoyas' best run of the afternoon came midway in the second half, outscoring the Spartans 11-0 and forcing five turnovers. Three pointers by Jahvon Blair and Jamorko Pickett pushed the Hoyas to a 49-44 lead at the midway part of the half, but the Spartans responded with a layup and three pointer to tie the score at the 8:26 mark, 49-49. From a 54-54 tie at the 6:25 mark, UNCG turned up its defense and Georgetown tuned out. The Hoyas coughed up turnovers in three of its next four series. Down only two at the 4:09 mark, a Georgetown shot clock violation was answered by a shot from UNCG's James Dickey at the end of his own shot clock, 58-54. Baskets by Pickett and Jagan Mosely closed to 60-59 at the 2:19 mark, but on its next six possessions, Georgetown missed all six shots (including a missed dunk from Yurtseven) and the Spartans put the game away at the line. The second half numbers were awful: GU shot 9 for 29 with 11 turnovers. James Akinjo was 0-8 from the field, Omer Yurtseven 1-6. UNCG forced 14 second half steals which accounted for 23 of its 36 second half points. UNCG picked up 16 offensive rebounds for the game and forced 19 turnovers overall. Ewing was offering little of why McClung and LeBlanc sat during these extended periods. "I just didn't like what I was seeing, so I went with someone else [than McClung]," Ewing said, appearing alone at the post-game press conference. As for LeBlanc? "Well, that's on him," he said. "Right now, we're too selfish," he concluded. Georgetown's three losses are the most of any Big East team at this point of the season, with a pair of road games this week before returning to Washington on Dec. 14. The Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Akinjo 32 3-9 1-6 3-5 4 1 2 12
McClung 23 2-8 1-2 2-2 2 2 2 9
Mosely 25 1-1 1-2 1-1 3 2 1 6
Pickett 31 2-3 1-2 0-0 8 1 1 7
Yurtseven 24 3-12 0-0 4-6 9 0 2 10
Reserves:
Blair 7 0-0 1-4 0-0 0 2 2 3
Alexander 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0
Allen 15 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 3 0 2
Gardner 12 2-3 0-0 2-4 4 0 3 6
LeBlanc 11 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2
Wahab 16 1-3 0-0 2-2 3 0 0 4
Team Rebounds 5
DNP: Ighoefe, Azinge, Muresan, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 16-41 5-16 14-20 39 11 14 61
Dwight F. Datcher (1952-2019)
Dwight Datcher, a former assistant basketball coach at Georgetown, died November 23 while on vacation in Florida.Datcher grew up in Washington where he played on John Thompson's teams at St. Anthony's HS from 1967 to 1970, where the Tonies established themselves as one of the city's legendary teams. Following graduation in 1970, he played basketball at Roger Williams College, where he graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,486 points in three seasons and is one of three players in that school's history to have his jersey retired. Following college, he served as an assistant coach on John Thompson's Georgetown staff from 1974-76, and later coached at St. Anthony's, with a 144-40 record (.782) from 1976-83.In 1989, Datcher began a 30 year career in athletic administration. He served as athletic director at Roger Williams from 1989-92 and UDC from 1992-96 before joining the Georgetown athletic department as an assistant AD from 1997 to 2006, where he served as a sport administrator for six programs, supervised GU athletic facilities and served as event manager for all on-campus sports on the Hilltop. He later served as athletic director at Howard University (2006-09) and as vice president and athletic director at Wheelock (MA) College until the college's closing in 2018, when it was acquired by Boston University. "I am excited and honored to join Wheelock College as its new Director of Athletics," said Datcher in a statement at his hiring. "Getting to meet the faculty and staff solidified my perception of Wheelock as an institution that strives to create a just world for children and families, with a strong commitment to the total being of the student athletes." In his spare time, Datcher was a part-time vocalist for The Orioles, a Baltimore-based R&B group with roots dating back to its 1948 #1 hit "It's Too Soon to Know." The original members of The Orioles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Services are scheduled for December 7 at the Alexander Memorial Baptist Church in Upper Marlboro, MD. Third Verbal For 2020
A third verbal commitment for the Class of 2020 arrived Thursday with PF Jamari Sibley.Sibley, from Milwaukee, WI, averaged 19.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and two assists at Nicolet (WI) HS, but is headed to Oak Hill (VA) for a prep year. Sibley chose Georgetown over Iowa and is ranked #86 nationally.With a third signing in 2020, Georgetown may be expecting senior Omer Yurtseven not to exercise his last year of eligibility following his transfer. Georgetown Named to 2020 Wooden Legacy Field
Georgetown is one of four schools announced this week for the 2020 Wooden Legacy Tournament in Anaheim CA."The annual event will unveil a new format, becoming a two-day, four-school tournament played over Thanksgiving week, beginning in 2020," reads a press release. "The Paycom Wooden Legacy will feature Georgetown, Kansas, UCLA and Virginia. Games will be played at Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif, in conjunction with Visit Anaheim."Georgetown last participated in the tournament in 2009, with a 74-66 win over Washington in what was then called the John Wooden Classic. The Classic merged with a competing local tournament, the DirecTV Classic, to create the Wooden Legacy in 2013, which has been variously played at the Anaheim Arena and at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Gym. The 2017 and 2018 tournaments were exclusively at Titan Gym, and had been an eight game format since 2013. (Anaheim Arena, not to be confused with what is now the Honda Center, seats 7,400 as part of the Anaheim Convention Center, constructed in 1967.) The game would be Georgetown's first appearance in the Los Angeles area since the aforementioned Wooden Classic game in 2009. The tournament provides additional firepower on the pending Hoyas 2020-21 schedule, with an increase to 20 Big East games with the addition of Connecticut, plus a confirmed road game at Syracuse, a possible road game in the Big East-Big Ten Gavitt Games, a home game in the Big East-Big 12 Challenge, and reported but unconfirmed interests by Memphis and Notre Dame in adding the Hoyas next season. Duke 81, Georgetown 73"Everyone that we have on our team is capable of playing and playing well. We went toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the county and had our opportunities to win the ball game. We beat the No. 22-ranked team yesterday. There are a whole lot of things to build on and I think that our future is bright." - Patrick Ewing
A strong second half opening by the Duke Blue Devils led the nation's top ranked team to an 81-73 win over Georgetown in the finals of the Empire Classic Friday night. The outstanding play of both teams was dulled by incessant officials' calls which turned the second half of the game into a cacophony of ill timed whistles.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Georgetown got off to a strong start at both ends of the court, racing to a 9-2 lead while holding the Blue Devils to 1 for 4 shooting to open the game, including a Duke turnover and an offensive foul. A pair of threes from Mac McClung pushed the Hoyas to a 12-5 lead as the Hoyas opened 5 for 6 from the field, but two early fouls on Omer Yurtseven brought Qudus Wahab into the lineup just five minutes into the first half. The Hoyas stalled on its next four possessions, with two misses, a turnover, and a blocked shot that enabled Duke to close to 12-11. Following a Georgetown time out, a James Akinjo three pushed the score to 15-11, part of a 10-1 Georgetown run to push the lead to 22-12 at the 9:04 mark, as Duke had just four field goals and six turnovers at the midpoint of the first half An alert three pointer from Galen Alexander extended the Hoyas' lead to 11, 29-18, but six straight points from Vernon Carey stabilized the Blue Devils in an 8-4 run to close to 30-24 at the four minute time out. "Who besides Vernon Carey can score for Duke?" asked ESPN's Seth Greenberg. Joey Baker answered the call, with five straight to close the score to 31-29 during a run where Mac McClung was jobbed by a shoulder block from Tre Jones which resulted in McClung's third foul. Carey scored on the next two Duke possessions as part of an overall 11-1 run giving Duke a 33-31 lead with 1:37 to play. Three straight turnovers from Jagan Mosely hurt the Hoyas, but the Blue Devils committed offensive fouls on each of its next two possessions and turned the ball over with 30 seconds remaining, from which Akinjo tied the score on a strong drive to the basket with five seconds to the break. Georgetown could not ask for a better first half from the field, shooting 57 percent and leading for 17:06 of the half, but 13 turnovers and 15 fouls were a lot left on the floor, and Carey's 16 points revived what was a moribund Duke offense. The Blue Devils opened the first half shooting just 4 for 21 and ended it shooting 9 of its final 12 from the field. The teams combined for 27 fouls and 23 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play. The Hoyas opened the second half with a thud and Duke turned on the jets. Duke's Tre Jones stole Jamorko Pickett's opening pass of the half for a layup, blew past Akinjo on a layup 27 seconds later, and assisted on an alley-oop to Carey 24 seconds later to jump out to a 39-33 lead. The teams exchanged threes before Yurtseven picked up his third foul at the 17:42 mark. Carey picked up a dunk on the next possession, Cassius Stanley hit a three, and Stanley picked up a dunk off a out of bounds lob. For a team with just 33 points at the half, Duke shot 7 for 9 from the field and scored 18 points in the first four minutes of the second half, 51-40. From a 4 for 21 start, Duke had now scored on 16 of next 21 shots dating back to the late stretch of the first half. Georgetown had three field goals, four fouls and three turnovers in the same span. Omer Yurtseven drove for the three point play to close the Hoyas to six, 56-50, but the official's whistle returned to form and Yurtseven picked up his fourth foul 29 seconds later. Free throws pushed the Blue Devils' lead back to nine at the 11 minute mark, 59-50. A steal and dunk from Josh LeBlanc closed to 59-52, but the officials could not leave it alone. Wahab picked up his third at the 11:07 mark, while Duke's Moore picked up an offensive foul 15 seconds later. After Georgetown's 21st turnover of the evening, Patrick Ewing tossed his tie, but could do little more as McClung missed two shots and committed a turnover in three consecutive possessions at the midpoint of the game. Georgetown was not effective at the line, and LeBlanc's 1-2 at the 9:33 mark brought the Hoyas to seven, 60-53. Off the inbound, Duke's Cassius Stanley pushed off Akinjo but Akinjo was called for the foul, sending Ewing onto the court in protest, resulting in a technical foul. "That was a terrible call!" exclaimed ESPN2's Dan Dakich. Duke scored its next eight points from the line as whistles continued to rain down from the officials. Down 13, Yurtseven was called with his fifth foul at the 9:34 mark but the call was overturned on video review. Yurtseven answered with eight of Georgetown's next ten but GU still trailed by double digits heading into the final five minutes, 77-65. A Myron Gardner basket closed to 77-67 at the 3:51 mark. Yurtseven picked up a block and nearly sent the Hoyas skyward with a three pointer that fell short. Duke's Jack White looked to have picked up a foul at the 2:43 mark but the official missed the call and it resulted instead in a Georgetown turnover. The Hoyas closed to 77-73 on a 10-0 run, as the Blue Devils did not score a field goal in the last 4:59 of the game but Trey Jones converted on free throws at the 0:25 mark, 79-73. Georgetown missed its last three from the three point arc, finishing 2 for 9 for the second half. Omer Yurtseven led the Hoyas with 21 points, all in the second half, followed by 19 from James Akinjo. Georgetown shot 47 percent in the second half and was over 50 percent heading into the final minute, but 16 second half fouls and 11 second half turnovers were too much to overcome. Duke got 21 from Cassius Stanley, 20 in the second half, as Vernon Carey was held to four points after the break and finished with 20. From its hot start at the open of the second half Duke shot just 41 percent in the second half but owned the boards, outrebounding Georgetown 43-29 overall and 19-7 on the offensive boards. While Yurtseven soared, the Georgetown guards were all but ineffective. Akinjo and McClung combined for 2 for 13 after the break with five turnovers. Jagan Mosely and Terrell Allen combined for one shot in 13 minutes, a miss, and two turnovers. Jamorko Pickett played just two minutes after his opening pass of the half sent the Blue Devils skyward and failed to score. Georgetown's 24 turnovers resulted in 16 Duke points on the evening. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Akinjo 35 5-11 2-7 3-4 3 6 4 19
McClung 13 0-4 2-3 0-0 1 0 4 6
Mosely 25 0-0 0-1 0-0 5 4 2 0
Pickett 19 1-3 0-0 0-1 3 1 2 2
Yurtseven 23 9-12 0-1 3-5 5 2 4 21
Reserves:
Blair 8 0-0 1-2 0-0 0 0 2 3
Alexander 18 1-1 1-1 1-2 1 0 4 6
Allen 9 0-0 0-1 0-0 3 0 2 0
Gardner 13 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 1 1 2
LeBlanc 24 3-4 0-0 1-2 2 0 2 7
Wahab 12 2-3 0-0 3-4 1 0 3 7
Team Rebounds 3 1
DNP: Ighoefe, Azinge, Muresan, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 22-39 6-16 11-18 29 16 31 73
Georgetown 82, Texas 66
Three years to the day since its last non-conference win over a Top 25 opponent, the Georgetown Hoyas put together their best 40 minutes of the Patrick Ewing era in a 82-66 win over #22 Texas Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Having survived a three point shooting barrage by Texas in the first half, the Hoyas' second half adjustments sent the Longhorns to a game low 22 percent shooting after halftime.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Georgetown's ragged play in its first four games was a source of concern among many, and Texas was a widespread favorite in the game after its win over Purdue. Instead, the Hoyas surprised the Garden crowd with a patient offense and a solid defense, forcing Texas out of the middle and forcing them to the perimeter. Entering the game with just a 30 percent percentage on thee point field goals, the Longhorns wowed the New York audience with eight threes in the first 20 minutes. Neither team led by more than three throughout much of the first half. texas owned a 19-10 rebound edge in the first half and used it to its advantage in the final minutes of the first half, going on a late 9-2 run to lead by as many as seven before a the Hoyas closed to seven at the break, 42-35. Georgetown came out of the locker room and took control, thanks to senior Omer Yurtseven. Though hindered by foul trouble much of the game, Yurtseven opened the second half with four straight baskets to bring the Hoyas to one 46-45, whereupon a basket by Jamorko Pickett and four straight points by backup center Qudus Wahab put the Hoyas ahead for good, 54-52 at the 13:09 mark. With starting guards Mac McClung and James Akinjo struggling early in the half (a combined 0-5) the rest of the team shot 8 for 9 in return. Texas' run from the three was over at the break. The Longhorns were just 3-11 from three after halftime, but were equally constrained inside the three, shooting just 3 for 16 inside the arc. Starting Courtney Ramey and Jase Febres, who combined for 14 points at the half,w ere a combined 0-7 in the second half. Texas guard Matt Coleman was 3 for 6 in the half en route to a game high 22 but the rest of the team shot a combined 3 for 21 as Georgetown took control and never looked back. A 12-0 Georgetown run put the Hoyas up 62-52 at the 9:49 mark of the second half. Texas got no closer than eight as the Hoyas began a run to the free throw line, hitting 10 straight. The Longhorns missed all five of its shot attempts in the final five minutes as a boisterous Georgetown cheering section gave the Hoyas its just applause. This was a team effort across the board. Mac McClung led all scorers with 19 points, followed by 15 from Jamorko Pickett, 14 from james Akinjo (thanks to a 10-10 run from the line) and 10 from Yurtseven. Qudus Wahab had a strong nine points to support the inside game while Yurtseven sat with foul trouble, and senior forward Jagan Mosely had a game high seven rebounds. The Hoyas shot 57 percent from the field in the second half and owned the free throw line, with 12 more points at the line than Texas, who did not even attempt a free throw in the first half. It's a rarity that Georgetown has held a lead for over 13 minutes to end the game without a opponent run or a shooting freeze, but this was the kind of game where everything came together. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Akinjo 32 2-7 0-3 10-10 5 6 0 14
McClung 31 5-11 2-3 3-5 3 1 1 19
Mosely 29 1-4 0-0 2-2 7 2 1 4
Pickett 30 4-7 2-3 1-2 5 1 1 15
Yurtseven 12 5-6 0-0 0-0 4 0 5 10
Reserves:
Alexander 6 0-1 0-0 0-1 1 0 0 0
Allen 16 1-1 0-1 0-0 0 1 2 2
LeBlanc 22 3-5 1-1 0-2 4 1 1 9
Wahab 21 2-2 0-0 5-6 3 1 3 9
Team Rebounds 2
DNP: Blair, Ighoefe, Azinge, Gardner,
Muresan, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 23-44 5-11 21-28 34 13 14 82
Ewing Talks "24/7 Recruiting"
Head coach Patrick Ewing talked recruiting with WFAN radio in New York Tuesday, ahead of the Empire Classic doubleheader Thursday at Madison Square Garden."This gig is a year-round, 24/7, 365 day a year job," Ewing said. "You really don't get a break. The only break you get is the one you make yourself take. During the season, you have to practice and make sure they're going to class, not getting in any trouble. Offseason - you have to go recruiting all over the place, always trying to get the best players you can to help your program be successful. It's a year-round job but I love it."Ewing admitted that his name recognition isn't as successful to today's recruits. "I was talking to a parent that I was recruiting their kid and they're like, 'I love you! You're my favorite player!" I told them that I've been here for three years - I'm going on my third year - and every parent that has told me that they've loved me, I haven't gotten any of their kids." Teal Time: Georgetown 91, Georgia St. 83
A revitalized Mac McClung led the Georgetown Hoyas past a more than capable Georgia State team, 91-83, Sunday night before just 4,118 at Capital One Arena.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
McClung, who was 1 for 7 versus Penn State Thursday, doubled his season totals in just one game, scoring 25 points in 25 minutes as the Hoyas (3-1) shook off a rocky first half and pulled away late.Georgia State battled Duke for the first 30 minutes of its game Friday, and provided similar opposition in this one. McClung scored seven of Georgetown's first 11 points as the Hoyas took a four point lead at 11-7, but the first half freeze common in games this year blew a cold wind over the Capital One Arena floor again in this one. Georgetown missed 13 of its next 14 shots as a stingy Georgia State defense helped the Panthers go on an 18-2 run and lead by as many as six, 29-23, with Georgetown's points coming mostly at the free throw line. The Panthers hit eight of their final 10 shots of the half to take a 39-33 lead into the intermission, holding the Hoyas to 30 percent first half shooting and a 2 for 12 mark from three, with seven turnovers. Georgetown got back into this game at the free throw line, where they dominated the stat sheet. Three free throws from McClung tied the score at 43-43 four minutes into the half, and a pair of free throws from Josh leBlanc put the Hoyas up for good with 11:26 to play, 57-54. Georgetown scored half of its 58 second half points from the free throw line, helping cushion the blow of a poor 3 for 18 effort from three amidst a solid 48 percent shooting effort by the outmanned Panthers. But whereas the Hoyas had 37 attempts at the line in the second half, the Panthers managed only 18, and that proved the difference down the stretch. McClung led all scorers with 25, followed by 15 from Omer Yurtseven, 12 from Josh LeBlanc, 11 from James Akinjo and 10 from Jamorko Pickett. Georgetown ended the game hitting five of its final seven shots, but 11 of its final 15 points came from the line. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Akinjo 33 3-7 0-4 5-8 2 4 3 11
McClung 25 4-6 2-6 11-11 3 2 4 25
Mosely 29 1-1 0-2 7-8 4 2 1 9
Pickett 21 2-2 0-1 6-6 2 3 1 10
Yurtseven 27 5-12 0-1 5-5 13 1 4 15
Reserves:
Blair 11 0-0 0-2 0-0 1 0 1 0
Alexander 10 0-0 1-2 1-2 0 0 0 4
Allen 13 1-2 0-0 1-4 2 1 1 3
Gardner 3 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 2
LeBlanc 21 4-7 0-0 4-7 4 0 3 12
Wahab 8 0-3 0-0 0-0 3 1 2 0
Team Rebounds 4
DNP: Ighoefe, Azinge, Muresan, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 21-42 3-18 40-51 39 14 20 91
Mary Fenlon Joins GU Athletic Hall Of Fame
Mary Fenlon, a longtime member of the Georgetown basketball family, was inducted into the Georgetown University Athletic Hall of Fame in a special ceremony during Thursday's game versus Pennsylvania State.Fenlon, a former Catholic nun, taught at St. Anthony's HS during the tenure of John Thompson, who made Fenlon his first hire when he arrived at Georgetown in 1972 to serve as the team's full-time academic coordinator.Per a press release at GUHoyas.com, "Fenlon spent 27 years as the backbone of a program that saw overwhelming success winning the 1984 NCAA Championship, appearing in three Final Fours, making 25 post-season appearances including 20 in the NCAA Tournament and capturing six Big East Tournament titles. However, it was the achievements in the classroom that made Fenlon the inspiration she continues to be today. During her time on the Hilltop, student-athletes who stayed all four years maintained a 97 percent graduation rate." Fenlon retired in 1999. Members of her family accepted the award in her honor. Faulkner Announces Candidacy For U.S. Senate
Former Georgetown forward Omari Faulkner (C'04) has announced his candidacy for the 2020 U.S. Senate from the commonwealth of Virginia.Faulkner, 37, moved to Virginia following service in the U.S. Navy Reserves and currently works for Mantech International, a IT services firm in Herndon, VA."When we turn on the news, all we see is conflict that divides us, another crisis that discourages us, politicians who fail us," he said in a campaign video. "My four daughters, and all Virginians, deserve better." Faulkner is one of four announced candidates to date in the 2020 Republican primary to challenge Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), who will seek a third term next fall. Faulkner was an unsuccessful candidate for the Tennessee state house in 2005 before joining the U.S. Navy. Penn State 81, Georgetown 66
Twenty-one turnovers and a benching of the starters in the final two minutes says all that need be said about a frenetic Georgetown Hoyas effort Thursday, beaten soundly by Penn State in the final night of the 2019 Big East Big 10 Gavitt Games, 81-66.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
Penn State (3-0) never trailed in the game. Georgetown gave up turnovers on each of its first two possessions and Penn State proceeded to block three consecutive shots thereafter. As Georgetown started 1 for 6, PSU guard Myreon Jones scored 14 of the Nittany Lions' first 17 points over the first 5:08 of the first half, staking a 16-5 lead. With turnovers on one side of the court and spotty defense on the other, the Hoyas gave up a 9-0 run midway in the first half and trailed by as many as 18, 25-7 at the 9:36 mark on 3 for 14 shooting. The only thing that saved the Hoyas from a first half rout was equally undisciplined play by the Nittany Lions, who missed a layup to go up 20 and and then missed seven straight during a run where the Hoyas closed to 27-20, closing the half shooting 8 for its final 12 shots and trailing 42-34 at the break. Georgetown's porous perimeter defense allowed seven PSU three pointers by halftime competed to a mere two in four attempts for Georgetown. A Omer Yurtseven dunk and foul opened the second half to renewed hope for the downstairs crowd of 8,691 at Capital One Arena, 42-37, but no closer. The first of six second half threes by the Nittany Lions stabilized the lead, and after a second driving dunk by Yurtseven got the Hoyas back to six, 47-41, Penn State answered with a 9-2 run to go up 13, 56-43. A second Penn State run midway in the half extended the lead to 67-50 at the 9:31 mark. Georgetown closed to ten at 70-60 with 5:45 to play, but Penn State answered with threes on four of its next six possessions to put the game away, leaving coach Patrick Ewing to do little but send in five second teamers to finish out the final two minutes of play. Penn State did not score in the final 2:39 but cruised to the 15 point win, raising new doubts about how well this Georgetown team is prepared to play against the likes of Texas and Duke in a week's time. Yurtseven led all Georgetown scorers with 16 points and 10 rebounds, but got comparatively little from the rest of the team. Another slow start doomed Mac McClung, who finished with just one second half field goal, while Josh LeBlanc was 2 for 6 at close range. Georgetown shot 34 percent after halftime and missed seven of nine from three point range. The real bricks were on defense, allowing Penn State 13 threes and 15 second chance points. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Akinjo 27 4-8 1-4 2-2 3 2 2 13
McClung 20 1-4 0-3 0-0 2 2 1 2
Mosely 23 0-1 0-0 1-2 3 3 1 1
Pickett 21 2-4 1-2 0-0 3 1 2 7
Yurtseven 25 7-14 0-0 2-4 10 0 3 16
Reserves:
Blair 10 1-2 0-1 0-0 1 2 0 2
Alexander 17 1-3 1-2 2-2 3 0 0 7
Allen 13 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 1 4 2
Gardner 10 0-3 0-0 4-4 3 1 1 4
LeBlanc 20 1-4 1-1 2-2 6 1 2 7
Wahab 11 1-4 0-0 3-5 2 0 1 5
Team Rebounds 3
DNP: Ighoefe, Azinge, Muresan, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 19-48 4-13 16-21 41 13 17 66
Georgetown 89, Central Arkansas 78
Senior Omer Yurtseven led the Georgetown Hoyas to a 89-78 win over Central Arkansas Saturday at Capital One Arena.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
"We started off with a lot more energy and effort," said had coach Patrick Ewing in post-game remarks. "But in the second half we took a step back. We just kept trading baskets with them. We can't do that against good teams." Much of that first half energy came from Yurtseven, who provided the early offensive firepower. Yurtseven scored 12 of his game high 17 points in the first ten minutes of play as Georgetown steadied itself from a rough start not unlike that in the Mt. St. Mary's game. The two teams combined to shoot 33 percent in the first eight minutes, with Yurtseven accounting for 12 of Georgetown's 20 points and seven of its rebounds. On the other hand, the Hoyas surrendered seven turnovers in the first seven minutes. "It's looking like a pick-up game out there," said one exasperated Fox Sports announcer. After a slow start from outside, both teams began to heat up from the three point arc. back to back threes from Galen Alexander and Jagan Mosely extended a two point GU lead to eight, 33-25, only to be answered by back to back threes by UCA, 33-31. The Georgetown lead was no more than three points until late in the first half, when the Hoyas carried a 12-0 run to a 54-42 score at the break. After shooting just 20 percent from three (9 for 43) in its prior two games, UCA's eight first half threes versus the Hoyas kept them within range. Yurtseven opened the second half with consecutive baskets but it was his only points of the half before extended foul trouble. Both teams started strongly, making 10 of its first 12 attempts, but UCA could not close within nine and Georgetown could never pull away by more than 15. With starting guards James Akinjo and Mac McClung shooting a combined 2 for 11 in the first half and 3 for 18 overall, Yurtseven helped solidify the Georgetown defense that held a 55-31 lead in rebounding. Georgetown led by as many as 14 in second half that was ragged on both teams, with 20 missed three point attempts and 18 fouls between the teams. Each team made a total of three field goals in the final 9:17 of the game. Yurtseven led all georgetown scorers with 17 points, followed by 13 from Mosely and 10 from Jamorko Pickett. Central Arkansas got four threes and 21 points from center Hayden Koval, who only collected four rebounds in 39 minutes. UCA shot 38 percent but its 12 threes were a noticeable improvement over its prior efforts. On the other hand, GU has now allowed 20 three point shots in its last two games against teams without a demonstrated three point weapon. The win was a welcome but cautionary one for the Hoyas, whose schedule picks up Thursday with an improving Penn State team arriving at Capital One Arena as part of the Big East-Big 10 Gavitt Tip-Off Games series. Georgetown is 1-2 in the series to date, dropping two versus Maryland and defeating Illinois last season Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Akinjo 23 1-5 1-3 0-0 1 7 0 5
McClung 19 1-6 0-4 4-4 4 2 2 6
Mosely 26 2-2 2-2 3-3 3 2 1 13
Pickett 24 2-4 2-3 0-1 7 1 1 10
Yurtseven 20 7-10 0-0 3-5 15 2 3 17
Reserves:
Blair 16 2-5 1-3 2-3 1 2 1 9
Alexander 11 1-1 2-4 1-2 5 0 1 9
Allen 17 3-4 0-0 0-0 4 1 1 6
Gardner 7 2-4 0-1 0-0 3 0 3 4
LeBlanc 17 2-2 0-2 2-2 0 0 1 6
Wahab 20 2-2 0-0 0-0 7 2 2 4
Team Rebounds 5
DNP: Ighoefe, Azinge, Muresan, Robinson, Wilson
TOTALS 200 25-44 8-22 15-20 55 19 16 81
Georgetown 81, Mt. St. Mary's 68
A 20-1 run in the final 6:28 erased the taste of a bitter first half as Georgetown opened the 2019-20 season with an 81-68 win over Mt. St. Mary's before 5,214 at Capital One Arena.
POST-GAME COVERAGE
The Hoyas opened with the first five points of the game but its offensive attack was as disorganized as its defense, as the Mountaineers took the lead and held it for most of the game. A flurry of poor three point shooting by the Hoyas and spotty defense allowed the Mount to gain confidence in the first half, as MSM picked up four early threes to extend the lead to 23-14 midway through the half. Georgetown's shooting was bad and about to get much worse. Starting the game 6 for 10, the Hoyas missed 13 of its next 14 from all places on the floor--inside, outside, and everywhere in between. MSM wasn't much better, shooting 38 percent and missing five of six threes down the stretch, but Georgetown looked so undisciplined that even an inconsistent Mt. St. Mary's team could not help but take advantage. A late run by guard Vado Morse led the Mountaineers to a 37-25 halftime lead, as Georgetown finished the first half shooting 30 percent and missing on 17 of their final 20 attempts. With no particular urgency, Georgetown allowed MSM a 9-2 run to open the second half to trail by 19, 46-27, whereupon a time out by Patrick Ewing helped reset the seemingly fragile Hoyas and open the door for its guards to take command. Sophomore James Akinjo scored 13 points over a 20-7 run that brought GU within six at the 13:08 mark, 53-47. Six MSM turnovers over a six minute period gave Georgetown too many opportunities to ignore, and a Galen Alexander three tied the score at 56 at the 10:13 mark. The Mount rallied with a 9-2 run to lead 65-58 with 7:50 to play before a Mac McClung three woke up the faltering Hoya shooters. On its next series, the Mount called its final time out of the game and drove inside for the score, 67-61, but the bottom dropped out of its upset bid. A pair of Omer Yurtseven free throws and a McClung three closed the gap to 67-66, followed by a Yurtseven to Akinjo drive to put the Hoyas up for the first time since the 8:07 mark of the first half, 68-67. MSM was out of answers down the stretch as the Hoyas finished on a 13-1 run. The overwhelmed Mountaineers did not score a basket in the final 6:29 of the game. The Hoyas' offensive performance in the first 34 minutes of this game should be a source of concern against what may be one of the weakest opponents on the entire 2019-20 schedule. Its bench was a combined 3 for 18 this evening and allowed MSM 30 points in the paint despite no player taller than 6-9. Akinjo and Yurtseven combined for 40 in the game as Georgetown's second half run drove a strong 64 percent shooting effort. The Mountaineers were outrebounded 20-8 in the second half and shot just 38 percent, two numbers which opened the door for Georgetown's recovery. Here's the Georgetown half of the box score. Sophomore Josh LeBlanc was held out of the game for a violation of team rules, details of which were not disclosed.
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Akinjo 33 4-9 3-6 3-3 3 5 1 20
McClung 24 4-5 2-4 2-2 1 1 1 16
Mosely 21 0-0 2-2 1-3 3 4 3 7
Pickett 21 3-5 0-1 0-0 8 2 1 6
Yurtseven 29 7-9 0-0 6-6 12 1 2 20
Reserves:
Blair 14 0-1 0-4 0-0 3 1 0 0
Alexander 15 0-2 1-3 2-2 2 1 2 5
Allen 15 0-3 0-1 1-2 1 1 0 1
Gardner 11 1-3 0-0 2-2 3 0 1 4
Wahab 11 1-1 0-0 0-1 1 0 3 2
Team Rebounds 3
DNP: Ighoefe, Azinge, Muresan, Robinson, LeBlanc, Wilson
TOTALS 200 20-38 8-21 17-21 40 16 14 81
The HOYA Basketball Preview
Now on campus newsstands: The HOYA's annual basketball preview issue.Omer Yurtseven is the feature interview in the issue. The senior transfer told coach Ewing he wanted to make college a four year commitment."Once [Ewing] talked to me and once I expressed my concerns of staying in college for four years, it's a long time period, but just knowing that he's going to see the game from my perspective as a big man who's played there and also coached in the NBA, his experience on and off as a player and a coach is what drew me here," he said. The annual preview dates to the 1958-59 season. |