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Georgetown Basketball: December 2004 News Archive

Georgetown 79, Howard 56 12/30/04, 9:15 pm

Brandon Bowman scored 18 points as Georgetown cruised past Howard, 79-56, in the final non-conference game before Big East play.

Howard started off poorly, and the Hoyas took full advantages. With four blocks in the early going, Howard's shooting was off from the start> The Bison missed 5 of its first 6, then 12 of its next 13. By halftime, Howard had scored on only 5 of 33 attempts. Brandon Bowman and Ashanti Cook had scored 24 of the Hoyas' 33 points at the half, compensating for the loss of jeff green midway in the first half with foul trouble.

Though the Bison fared better with shooting in the second half, the game was out of reach at that point. Howard shot 50% in the second (13-26) but the hoyas countered with 65% shooting (17-26), with 21 of 28 field goals coming via assist.

The Georgetown bench was emptied with five minutes to play, seeing the first points of the season from freshman Cornelio Guibunda and sophomore Ken Izzo.

The Hoyas get a six day break before beginning Big East play next week at Pitt (10-0) and home versus UConn (8-1).

The Georgetown half of the box score follows below. 

         MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB   A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace   24   0-0  0-2   1-2   3   4   3    1
Cook      28   1-5  3-4   0-0   3   2   0   11    
Bowman    32   4-5  2-4   4-5   7   4   1   18
Green     15   2-4  0-1   3-4   6   0   3    7
Hibbert   26   5-6  0-0   2-3   4   1   1   12
Reserves:
Izzo       3   0-0  0-0   1-2   0   0   0    1
Reed      22   0-3  0-0   0-2   1   6   2    0
Ross       7   4-5  0-0   1-1   0   1   1    9
Owens     21   0-0  2-2   0-1   1   2   2    6
Guibunda   3   0-0  0-0   2-2   1   0   0    2
Crawford   9   2-2  1-2   0-0   0   0   5    7
Beal       3   0-0  0-0   0-0   0   0   2    0
Kilk.-Diaw 3   0-0  0-0   0-0   1   1   1    0
Dizdarevic 4   2-2  0-0   1-1   2   0   0    5
Team Rebounds                   9
TOTALS   200 20-32  8-15 15-23 38  21  21   79

Post-game reports follow below.

Did Georgetown lose to a MEAC team sixty years ago? The story continues, per Ken Wright's notes column in the Washington Times above.

However, Norfolk State was not a military academy as noted in the above link. The Georgetown media guide correctly identifies the opponent on Jan. 9, 1943 as "Norfolk Navy Base", a service team not unlike Aberdeen, Camp Lee, or Quantico, all of which were played during that wartime season. Service teams were active in scheduling college opponents into the 1950's--Norfolk even hired a young naval officer named Red Auerbach later that year to coach the Seabees.

Norfolk State University is not related to the Navy base and did not play Georgetown until 2001. In fact, the school (then known as Norfolk Polytechnic Institute) did not even sponsor basketball in 1943 and given the Jim Crow laws of Virginia in that era, historically black colleges such as NSU were not even allowed to play against teams such as Georgetown.

Georgetown 78, Norfolk State 70 (OT) 12/29/04

Brandon Bowman scored eight straight points in an overtime that saw Georgetown steer past the Norfolk State Spartans (3-6 and 312th in the RPI entering the game) 78-70, before 6,071 at MCI Center Tuesday. The Hoyas, 44-0 against opponents from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, actually trailed by three with 2:42 to play.

The score is even more surprising given the first half surge of the G-men, who shot 8 for 11 en route to a 14 point lead, 35-21, holding the Spartans to one rebound. Norfolk (3-6) closed the gap to 35-25 at the half, but there was little to suggest that the Hoyas would be struggling to stay alive twenty minutes later.

In the first four minutes of the second half, Norfolk closed the lead to five, 39-34, and took the lead at 46-45 with 10:27 to play. Georgetown's weak defense and weaker second half shooting (5-15 at one point in the second half) never allowed them to shake off the Spartans. Down 51-50 with 8:13 to play, both teams combined for two field goals in almost four minutes that saw the Hoyas lead only 54-51 with 3:49 to play. The Spartans then scored six straight to lead 57-54 with 2:42 to play until an Ashanti Cook three to tie the score, part of a seven point Georgetown run to lead 61-57 with 1:19 to play.

The Spartans answered with two free throws with 0:58 to play, 61-59, then watched Cook miss a long three with 0:26 to play, giving the Spartans a chance to tie or lead. Norfolk State's Chakowby Hicks scored a two pointer with :12 to play, 61-all, and Georgetown narrowly missed an call on its final possession when Cook collided with his defender with less than six seconds to play.

In the overtime, Georgetown's first ever against a MEAC opponent, Darrel Owens opened the scoring with a three pointer, 64-61, but the Spartans continued to hang around, trailing 68-66 with 2:40 to play. At that point, Brandon Bowman carried the Hoyas to the win, scoring on four consecutive possessions to extend the lead to 76-68.

Bowman led all scorers with 23 points, followed by Jeff Green with 14 and Darrel Owens with 14. The Georgetown half of the box score follows below. 

         MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB   A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace   32  0-0  1-4    4-5   2   6   3    7
Cook      40  1-5  3-7    2-2   2   4   3   13
Bowman    41 10-11 1-7    0-1  11   1   1   23
Green     44  6-9  0-2    3-5   8   4   2   15
Hibbert    9  1-1  0-0    2-2   2   0   3    4
Reserves:
Reed      20  1-3  0-0    0-0   2   4   3    2
Ross       2  0-0  0-0    0-0   0   0   0    0
Owens     36  1-1  4-8    0-0   7   2   1   14
Crawford   1  0-0  0-0    0-0   0   0   0    0
DNP: Izzo, Guibunda, Kilkenny-Diaw,
Beal, Dizdarevic
Team Rebounds                   3
Totals   200 20-30 9-28 11-15  37  21   16  78

Post-game reports follow below.

Georgetown 75, Clemson 60 12/24/04

An 80% shooting clinic in the second half powered the Georgetown Hoyas to a 75-60 win over Clemson in the consolation final of the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. Brandon Bowman scored 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Jeff Green added 15 points and 10 rebounds in the Hoyas' best overall effort to date in the 2004-05 season.

Georgetown opened the game 9-3 and extended its lead to as many as seven, 18-11, before Clemson (8-3) tied the score at 20 and 23 with five minutes in the first. Georgetown held the lead for the rest of the half, but its lead was tempered by an 8 for 26 (30%) shooting effort. Bowman led the Hoyas with 14 points and nine rebounds in the first half to help GU hold a 28-27 lead at the break.

Opening the second half, Georgetown went on a 20-5 run in the first five minutes, extending the lead to 48-32 with 14:24 to play. Despite losing Roy Hibbert and Brandon Bowman to foul trouble in the second half, the Tigers never got the lead under double digits thereafter and the G-men finished the second half shooting 16 of 20 from the field, a huge improvement over the 30% in the first half.

In addition to the efforts of Bowman and Green, Jonathan Wallace also had a strong game, scoring all of his 13 points in the second half. Ashanti Cook scored 12, while Ray Reed scored five points and picked up five steals.

Two key stats: 1) Clemson collected 30 rebounds, 10 fewer than their average, and 2) Georgetown collected 24 points off Clemson turnovers.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.


           MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace     28   1-1  2-4   5-6   0   1   1  13
Cook        31   3-6  2-4   0-0   2   3   1  12
Bowman      37  7-10  1-3   5-7  10   3   5  22
Green       40   3-6  1-1  6-12  10   3   4  15
Hibbert     20   2-5  0-0   2-4   3   1   5   6
Reserves:
Reed        28   2-3  0-1   1-1   1   5   1   5
Ross         2   0-0  0-0   0-0   0   0   0   0
Owens       14   0-0  0-2   2-2   3   0   2   2
DNP: Izzo, Guibunda, Crawford, Beal,
Kilkenny-Diaw, Dizdarevic
TOTALS     200 18-31 6-15  21-32  29  16  19  75

Post-game links follow below. The Washington Post is using Associated Press accounts from Hawaii this week and are not included in the links below.

Georgetown 57, Long Beach State 51 12/23/04

Jeff Green scored a career high 20 points and 10 rebounds, preserving Georgetown's 57-51 win over Long Beach State at the Rainbow Classic. Late in the game, it seemed that Green was all that separated Georgetown from an embarrassing setback to the 1-6 49ers, which posted one of its best shooting efforts of the young season.

A day removed from a difficult second half against Oral Roberts, the Hoyas came out flat, giving Long Beach a 17-14 lead midway through the first half. As Georgetown turned up the defensive pressure, the Long Beach run eroded, as the 49ers gave up 15 first half turnovers as Georgetown took a 14-3 run into the break, 28-20, and a 7-2 run to open the second half, 35-22. But instead of going into cruise control and putting the game out of reach, the Hoya engine sputtered as the 49ers caught new life.

The first LBSU run was a 15-6 run midway through the half, as the Hoyas managed only six points in a ten minute stretch. The 49ers cut the lead to four, 41-37, before a Ray Reed three extended the lead to 44-37 with seven minutes to play, en route to a 10 point Georgetown lead with 2:40 to play, 50-40. Three Long Beach threes in the final two minutes then cut the lead to 52-49, but a key offensive rebound from Green off a Jonathan Wallace free throw miss kept the Hoyas afloat. Instead of giving the ball back to the hot shooting Niners, Green snared the rebound and was immediately fouled with :09 left, hitting two free throws for a 55-49 lead. Long Beach answered with a quick basket, 55-51, but Green sank two more free throws to seal the victory. Green scored 10 of the Hoyas' final 13 points en route to a career effort for the freshman.

The other starters struggled on the stat sheet. Juniors Ashanti Cook and Brandon Bowman combined for a 3 for 17 shooting effort. Roy Hibbert, making his first start at center, scored two points and posted one rebound in 15 minutes of action. Though few reserves saw duty, Ray Reed's two threes and a solid effort by Darrel Owens were important additions to the Hoyas' scoring Wednesday.

The taller Hoyas were outrebounded 27-23, and allowed the 49ers to connect on 8 of 15 three point attempts, a sizable increase given that LBSU was shooting at a 27% clip prior to the Rainbow Classic. Long Beach's poor free throw shooting (7 of 17) did them in, while Georgetown connected on 18 of 21 for the game.

Despite the close call, progress is being seen by the coaching staff.

"The general public will never understand this, and it's hard for the general public to understand that regardless of their record, I think that it's a pretty good team," Coach Thompson told the Washington Times. "On a day where we did clearly not make shots, for us to figure out how to get stops when we needed them and come out with a win I felt was pretty good for us."

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.


           MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace     35   1-1  1-2   1-3   2   2   2   6
Cook        30   1-5  0-4   4-4   2   2   1   6
Bowman      22   1-5  1-3   3-4   4   1   4   8
Green       39  7-11  0-1   6-6  10   3   3  20
Hibbert     15   0-2  0-0   2-2   1   1   2   2
Reserves:
Reed        16   0-0  2-3   2-2   1   1   0   8
Ross         9   0-0  0-0   0-0   1   0   0   0
Owens       34   2-2  1-3   0-0   2   1   4   7
DNP: Izzo, Guibunda, Crawford, Beal,
Kilkenny-Diaw, Dizdarevic
TOTALS     200 12-26 5-6  18-21  23  11  16  57

Post-game links follow below. The Washington Post is using Associated Press accounts from Hawaii this week and are not included in the links below.

Cheyenne Moore: Talked Out Of Georgetown? 12/23/04

Some bulletin board material in the Dec. 23 issue of the Columbia (SC) State, where Clemson players Sherrod Ford and Cheyenne Moore speak about the Hoyas.

"They came to a couple of my high school games but never offered me a scholarship," said Ford, a native of Washington who played at Gwynn Park HS. "I’m a little bitter about that, but it’s all good. I've wanted this for a while. But I got it now so I've got to do something with."

Moore, who retracted his verbal commitment to attend Georgetown in December 2002 during his junior season at West Nottingham (MD) Prep, told The State that former Montrose Prep teammates Harvey Thomas, Drew Hall, and Tony Bethel advised him not to sign with Georgetown.

"They didn't think it was a good place I should go if I wanted to get better,” Moore said. “It was more of a big-man school. That’s the way [Georgetown] made the program. They didn't really help the guards to get better.”

TV Update 12/22/04

There's some news on Georgetown TV broadcasts, but from the Notre Dame athletics web site.

Notre Dame reports that five Big East games have been added to the broadcast schedule at ESPN Classic, including two Georgetown games previously listed without TV coverage. ESPN Classic will telecast the Hoyas' Feb. 2 home game with Seton Hall and its Feb. 16 road game at Notre Dame, both of which will start at 8:00 instead of 7:30. A full list of announced television games can be found at the 2004-05 TV Appearances link to the left.

Another article, this one from the Villanova athletics web site, discusses why fewer Big East games are getting on TV than in recent years.

The Will To Play 12/20/04

Monday's Washington Post has a feature on senior RaMell Ross, who is earning some recognition his senior year after nearly five years of injuries dating back to high school.

"He's had a lot of reasons to pack it in, but that's not in his make-up," Coach Thompson told the Post. "He has that stubbornness, and I say that in a positive light. He is not a quitter, he is not going to walk away. As I've gotten to know him, it's not surprising at all that he's still here."

Seats For Soldiers 12/20/04

Here's a holiday story from the Ft. Worth Star Telegram.

At Saturday's Dallas Mavericks-Atlanta Hawks game, 47 season ticket holders (including Mavericks owner Mark Cuban) donated their front row seats to injured soldiers recooperating at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The group was flown to the game, treated to dinner, and met with players and coaches for autographs and pictures.

Featured in the article: 24 year old Sgt. Matt McKane. McKane, a college student who left Texas A&M University on Sept. 12, 2001 to enlist in the Army, lost an arm and suffered two collapsed lungs when hit by a rocket propelled grenade in Iraq.

"It is very important for our troops to experience first hand the support from other Americans, not only while they are overseas but once they are back home," said season ticket holder Neal Hawks.

With soldiers in rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center just a few miles from the Hilltop, MCI Center would be a great place to reprise this idea later this season.

Hawaii's Other Tournament 12/19/04

In its 40th year, the Rainbow Classic is the oldest of its kind in Hawaii, but the tournament has been off TV since 1998 and is overshadowed by the Maui Invitational. An article in the The State (Columbia, SC) discusses the gap between the state's signature basketball events.

With a combined 2003-04 record of 112-120 between the eight teams, the Rainbow Classic is falling behind its neighboring event, which hosted teams such as North Carolina, Texas, Iowa, Louisville and Stanford last month.

"The reason Maui attracts the big-name teams is because they offer national TV," said Derek Inouchi, tournament director and assistant media relations director at Hawaii. In the article, Clemson will spend about $45,000 to attend the tournament but will be reimbursed for "most" of the costs. "It’s really hard to say if the [Rainbow Classic] is profitable," said Inouchi.

Oral Roberts 81, Georgetown 63 12/21/04

Caleb Green and Luke Spencer-Gardner combined for 51 points as Oral Roberts took a convincing 81-63 win over Georgetown in the opening round of the Rainbow Classic.

The Golden Eagles (8-0) benefited from a strong first half to open the game. Georgetown's only lead was at 5-4, whereupon Oral Roberts built the lead to double figures midway in the half. ORU forward Caleb Green was a perfect 7 for 7 from the field en route to 20 points, with his team shooting 60% in the half and 75% (12-16) from the foul line. ORU led by as many as 13 before the Hoyas closed to 10 at the half, behind 13 from Georgetown's Jeff Green.

The second half saw the Hoyas make two runs to close the lead to four at 52-48 and 55-51, but the Golden Eagles answered with a pair of Spencer-Gardner threes to key a 9-0 run at 66-51, and the Hoyas were never closer than 11 thereafter. With Jeff Green shut out in the second half and Brandon Bowman held to only two points in the second half, Georgetown had few weapons to battle Oral Roberts down the stretch, managing just 12 points in the final 12 minutes.

Roy Hibbert and Ashanti Cook led all Georgetown scorers with 14 points each. ORU's Green (26 points) and Spencer-Gardner (25) led the Golden Eagles with a combined 16 of 22 from the floor.

Oral Roberts outrebounded Georgetown 37-25 and went to the free throw line twice as much as Georgetown, building its largest lead of the game in the final minute. A key stat? Georgetown managed only four points in the paint.

"To beat a program like Georgetown, a Big East team and one of the most recognizable names in college basketball, really does a lot for our program," said Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton. "We knew they were going to make a run at us, but we had guys step up and make big shots."

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.


           MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace     33   0-0  2-3   0-0   2   1   3    6
Cook        34   2-7  3-4   0-0   2   1   1   13
Owens       15   0-0  2-3   0-0   1   1   3    6
Bowman      29   3-7  0-2   2-3   7   3   2    8
Green       30   4-9  0-1   5-8   5   0   3   13
Reserves:
Reed        10   0-0  0-1   0-0   0   1   1    0
Ross        18   0-1  1-4   0-0   2   1   4    3
Crawford     3   0-0  0-0   0-0   0   0   1    0
Kilk.-Diaw   3   0-0  0-0   0-0   0   0   2    0
Hibbert     25   6-9  0-0   2-4   5   2   3   14
DNP: Izzo, Guibunda, Beal, Dizdarevic
Team Rebounds                     1  
TOTALS     200 15-33 8-18  9-15  25  10  23   63

Post-game links follow below but are limited. The Tulsa World link is for subscribers only and not included, while the Washington Post used the Associated Press account below and the Washington Times online edition did not include a game recap at all, only its "Hoyas Report" feature.

Mourning To Toronto...Maybe Updated 12/19/04

In NBA news, Alonzo Mourning (C'92) was traded to Toronto Friday afternoon as part of a deal that sent Vince Carter to New Jersey. Details follow in this link to Canada.com.

On Sunday, however, the New York Post reports that Mourning may never play in Toronto, and suggests Mourning will ask for a buy out to return to Miami.

"That's a decision Alonzo Mourning has to make, you can't make it for him," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell told Sports Network.ca. "We hope and expect him to be professional and come do his job, if not, we'll cross that road when we get there.

"I'm not going to stand here and tell Alonzo Mourning what to do, I have too much respect for him." Mitchell said.

More On Faulkner, Freeman 12/16/04

As a follow-up to the story below on Omari Faulkner, the Memphis Commercial Appeal has published an editorial saluting Faulkner as well.

"Whatever he eventually ends up doing, Faulkner could serve as a great inspiration for thousands of Memphis youth who might recognize sports stardom as an opportunity, but fail to plan beyond the next season," writes the paper.

Note: the Commercial Appeal web site is registration-based. Visit www.bugmenot.com for temporary access.

The Myrtle Beach Sun News also has a feature on Courtland Freeman, who traveled with Faulkner in this fall's tour with the Department of State.

"It's really changed my life. I don't take things for granted anymore," said Freeman. "I wish more people could get the chance to travel and learn that people everywhere have the same struggles. We have more in common than we believe."

"I always dreamed of playing pro basketball, but that didn't turn out like I had hoped," he said. "But, after doing what I'm doing now, I wouldn't change anything. I got so much more out of [going to Georgetown] than just playing basketball."

SF Chronicle On "Sleeper" Players 12/15/04

The San Francisco Chronicle has an item in Wednesday's edition on "sleeper" players to watch in 2004-05> Among the list? Georgetown freshman Roy Hibbert.

Down the road, the San Jose Mercury News has named Jeff Green as one of its "players to watch".

Faulkner Featured In Hometown Paper 12/14/04

Recent graduate Omari Faulkner (C'04) is the subject in a feature in the Memphis Commercial Appeal following his international work this fall with the Department of State. The article discusses Faulkner's plans for law school and even a possible run for political office in the future.

Green Named Rookie Of The Week 12/14/04

Freshman Jeff Green was selected as Big East Rookie of the Week for his efforts against Illinois and San Jose State. Here's a link to GUHoyas.com with details.

Georgetown 58, San Jose State 40 12/12/04

"I actually like [playing at McDonough Gym], I don't know why. It felt pretty good to play where you practice." -Ray Reed

A balanced scoring effort powered Georgetown comfortably past San Jose State on Saturday, 58-40, before 2,154 in the present 2,200 seat configuration of the gymnasium. From the Hoyas' opening series, a three pointer by Brandon Bowman, the Hoyas were in control and shut down the Spartans across the board.

San Jose was held to its lowest point total in five years and did not post an offensive rebound in the first half versus 10 for Georgetown. With only one player taller than 6-7, the Spartans (who has lost 12 of its last 13 on the road) could not mount any counter attack.

"You have no idea how big they are until you stand next to them," said SJSU coach Phil Johnson. "I’m not sure if I felt more inept sitting over there as a coach about an inability to score, especially inside."

After a first half where Georgetown controlled the game, 32-16, a number of reserve players saw time in the second half. Although GU shot only 36% for the game and never ran away with the score, the second half served to provide reserves with important game time, among them Ray Reed, RaMell Ross and Roy Hibbert. Reed led all scorers with 10 points, while Ross added collected six rebounds and Hibbert eight.

While Hibbert's play received the kind of crowd cheers usually reserved for end of bench players, coach John Thompson cautioned that "Roy is not a mascot. For us to have success this year, he has to keep getting better."

Defensively, the Hoyas held Michael McFadden (12.8 ppg average) without a point, while GWU transfer Marquin Chandler led the Spartans, on their first Northeast road trip since 1972, with 15 points. The G-men will return the favor with a game in San Jose next season.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score. All players saw action in the game.


           MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace     30  0-4   2-6  0-0   2   1   1    6
Cook        20  1-1   1-4  0-0   2   2   0    5
Bowman      22  2-3   1-3  2-3   4   0   3    9
Owens       18  2-2   1-2  0-0   1   1   1    7
Green       25  1-4   1-4  2-2   5   2   2    7
Reserves:
Izzo         1  0-1   0-0  0-0   0   0   0    0
Reed        19  4-7   0-0  2-2   4   3   1   10
Ross        15  2-4   0-0  0-0   6   0   2    4
Guibunda     1  0-1   0-0  0-0   0   0   0    0
Crawford    13  0-2   0-1  0-0   2   0   1    0
Beal         1  0-0   0-0  0-0   0   0   1    0
Kilk.-Diaw   9  0-2   0-0  2-2   1   0   0    2
Dizdarevic   3  1-1   0-0  0-0   0   0   1    2
Hibbert     23  3-8   0-0  0-0   8   5   1    6
Team Rebounds:                   2     
TOTALS     200 16-40  6-20 8-9  37  14  14   58

Post-game links follow below.

Illinois 74, Georgetown 59 12/10/04

"I don’t want any moral victories. What we did in the first half is irrelevant because we lost the game.”--Brandon Bowman, in The HOYA

Despite a first half run that had the Georgetown Hoyas leading #1-ranked Illinois 22-17 with six minutes to play in the half, a 24-3 run paced the Fighting Illini to a 74-59 win Thursday night at MCI Center.

Much as it has done in earlier wins against Penn State and Davidson, the Hoyas roared out to start the game, making 10 of its first 16 shots and holding Illinois to 7 for 22 shooting to lead by five with 6:35 in the half. Various Illinois papers made reference to Georgetown students chanting "Overrated!" as a turning point, but it was a change in Illinois' offensive sets, using more screens and pounding the ball inside, that turned the tide. The Hoyas missed its last six three point attempts of the half and as Jeff Green picked up a second foul, the the Hoyas' momentum just evaporated.

Georgetown managed only one field goal the rest of the half as Illinois took a 31-24 lead at intermission. The Hoyas' next field goal did not come until a Jonathan Wallace three pointer with 16:43 to play, cutting the lead to 41-28. The Illini answered with a layup eight seconds later, and the Hoyas would not be closer than 12 the rest of the way.

Illinois' effort in the second half was exemplary, shooting 65% from the field and holding the Hoyas to a season low 25 rebounds. Jeff Green led all Georgetown scorers with a career high 20 points, including nine straight in the second half. Brandon Bowman fared poorly in his key matchup with Illinois' Roger Powell Jr. Bowman finished only 2-8 compared to an 8-11 effort by Powell. Another key stat was the Illini's efforts in the paint, outscoring Georgetown by a 18 point margin, 42-24.

Even in defeat, Georgetown was able to put pressure on an Illini team early and keep the game competitive. The sizable Illinois contingent went home happy on Thursday night, but mindful that they had been tested by a underrated Georgetown team whose better days are still ahead of them.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


           MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace     32  2-2  2-5   0-0    3   2  1   10
Cook        31  3-3  1-4   0-0    1   2  2    9
Owens       20  0-2  0-2   0-0    1   1  0    0      
Bowman      36  1-5  1-3   2-2    5   3  2    7
Green       28 6-10  2-3   2-4    6   1  3   20
Reserves:
Reed        16  0-2  0-1   0-0    1   1  3    0
Ross        24  3-7  0-1   1-1    0   1  3    9
Crawford     1  0-0  0-0   0-0    0   0  0    0
Kilk.-Diaw   2  0-0  0-0   0-0    0   0  0    0
Hibbert     10  2-4  0-0   0-0    3   0  0    4
DNP: Izzo, Guibunda, Beal, Dizdarevic
Team Rebounds                     5
TOTALS     200 18-35 6-19  5-7   25  11 14   59

Post-game links follow below.

Downsizing MCI? 12/10/04

As noted in the Washington Post link above, tickets will no longer be sold in the upper deck of MCI Center for Georgetown games, reducing the effective capacity to 12,401. No formal announcement was made on GUHoyas.com, other than announcing the attendance as a sellout.

Fewer seats may not be enough to counter the continuing ease to which opponents' fans can turn the MCI seating to its advantage. The Post reported that up to one-third of the fans were wearing Illinois' colors, while the Chicago Tribune referred to Georgetown's "diminishing fan base" at the game amidst the Orange-clad visitors.

A Storied Program 12/10/04

Friday's San Jose Mercury News has a feature on the Hoyas' tradition, with some unusual comparisons between McDonough Gym and UCLA's Pauley Pavilion.

"During my tenure here, one of the things I wanted to do is play a storied program," said coach Phil Johnson. "We might have played higher-ranked teams, but nobody with the lore and tradition of Georgetown."

Hoyas Vs. #1-Ranked Teams? Updated 12/10/04

Georgetown's record versus #1-ranked teams is updated below following the Illinois loss.

Date Opponent Site
12/27/63 69 58 Loyola-Chicago Philadelphia, PA
12/11/79 69 76 Indiana Bloomington, IN
12/29/80 67 72 DePaul San Diego, CA
3/30/82 62 63 North Carolina  New Orleans, LA (NCAA Tourn.)
12/11/82 63 68 Virginia Landover, MD
2/27/85 85 69 St. John's New York, NY
3/21/88 53 74 Temple  Hartford, CT (NCAA Tourn.)
3/17/91 54 62 UNLV  Tucson, AZ (NCAA Tourn.)
11/27/94 79 97 Arkansas Memphis, TN
2/14/95 85 91 Connecticut Landover, MD
3/23/96 62 86 Massachusetts  Atlanta, GA (NCAA Tourn.)
1/2/99 64 87 Connecticut Hartford, CT
1/25/99 71 78 Connecticut Washington, DC
1/8/03 86 93 Duke Durham, NC
1/14/04 70 94 Connecticut Storrs, CT
1/24/04 66 85 Duke Washington, DC
12/9/04 59 74 Illinois Washington, DC
Hoya Blue, Meet Orange Krush 12/9/04

While the Georgetown community is warming to the gray t-shirts now being promoted by Hoya Blue (but which had its origins on the HoyaTalk message board), Georgetown students can look to Illinois' student group as a blueprint... or maybe orange-print on building some long term ties to the program.

In addition to its loyal support at Illinois' Assembly Hall, the student-based "Orange Krush" has been active in raising money for charity. Students participate in a program where members solicit pledges for every three point shot made at Illinois games. During home games in 2003-04, the group raised over $250,000 for charitable gifts to the university and to a local foundation. Orange Krush is part of a larger organization of 1,800 students known as Illini Pride.

More on the Krush follows in this link to the Daily Illini

Georgetown 66, Penn State 53 12/6/04 10:00 pm

A 17-0 start in the first eight minutes of the first half powered the Georgetown Hoyas to a 66-53 win over Penn State before 6,127 at MCI Center on Monday night.

The Hoyas scored on seven of its first ten shots for the early lead, helped by eight Penn State turnovers in its first ten possessions. The scoring cooled considerably for Georgetown later in the half, allowing Penn State (6-3) to close to 31-21 at the half.

Penn State's Marlon Smith, who had started in six games earlier this season but had only one point at halftime, poured in eight of PSU's first ten points, and led the Lions to as close as 42-39 following an intentional foul by Ashanti Cook. At that point, when the Hoyas' defense seemed about to bend, Brandon Bowman and Jeff Green took over. Bowman led all scorers with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals, while Green scored 18 points (12 in the second half), along with 10 rebounds and 5 assists. From the 42-39 count, Bowman and Green led a 9-0 run to break the game open and pull away for the win.

Bowman's 11 for 15 effort and Green's 6 for 11 shooting helped give the Hoyas an edge when the shooting of Ashanti Cook (2-9) and Darrel Owens (1-5, 0-4 from three) slumped. Georgetown shot 55% in the second half and 46% overall.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


           MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Wallace    35   2-3   2-4   0-0   4   1   4   10
Cook       38   2-4   0-5   0-0   4   2   3    4
Owens      26   1-1   0-4   0-0   3   4   0    2
Bowman     38  8-10   3-5   3-3   6   2   3   28
Green      37   5-8   1-3   5-6  10   3   1   18
Reserves:
Reed        3   0-0   0-1   0-0   0   0   2    0
Ross       16   2-5   0-0   0-0   4   2   0    4
Kilk.-Diaw  1   0-1   0-0   0-0   0   0   1    0
Hibbert     6   0-3   0-0   0-0   0   0   1    0
DNP: Izzo, Crawford, Guibunda, Beal, Dizdarevic
TOTALS         20-35  6-22  8-9  31  14  15   66

Post-game reports:

Williams: No BB&T Expansion 12/6/04

Mike Wise's column in Monday's Washington Post shines a light on a roadblock to Georgetown's participation in a local basketball tournament: not event promoter John Feinstein, but Maryland coach Gary Williams.

Williams told the Post he is opposed to an expansion of the BB&T Classic to accommodate Georgetown and other local teams.

"It's tough playing local teams when you're supposed to be the best team, to be honest with you," Williams said. His team lost to George Washington 102-91 before 13,343 at MCI Center Sunday.

"What does [an expanded tournament] do? It makes the basketball fans of Washington happy, but we have to do what's best for our program. That's not being selfish...But I'm not sure a tournament format with just local schools would be best for us. I remember Georgetown wouldn't do that for 20 years."

Williams, a 1968 Maryland alumnus, is 3-12 lifetime against Georgetown as a coach but 2-0 while at Maryland, including a win in the 2001 NCAA's. Williams has long maintained that he will not play Georgetown again unless it is in College Park, and has resisted all talk of reviving a home and away series between the schools that existed from 1935 through 1980, and which even included meeting twice a year from 1949 through 1964.

Time Change For Norfolk St. Game 12/3/04

A time change for the Dec. 28 game with Norfolk State has been announced at GUHoyas.com.

The non-conference game, originally scheduled for 1:00 pm to avoid a scheduling conflict with a Washington Capitals game, has been moved up to 7:30 due to the continuing NHL work stoppage.

Local Rivalries: Lost Opportunities 12/3/04

Saturday marks the 50th anniversary of one of college basketball's great traditions. Once known as the City Series, better known as the Big Five, fans of Villanova, Penn, Temple, LaSalle, and St. Joseph's have rallied around the tradition like none other in the sport. Saturday, the storied Palestra holds a sold-out tripleheader with the five Philadelphia schools and Drexel. The Philadelphia Inquirer talks to the Big Five's coaches about the special nature of this alliance.

But there is no Big Five in Washington.

Decades of hard feelings among local coaches never built a city series in the Nation's Capital. DC's answer to the Palestra tripleheader, the BB&T Classic, is best known for the team that it never invites--Georgetown.

The BB&T's chief promoter, John Feinstein, has little use for Georgetown. "They apparently haven't realized that Patrick Ewing isn't on the team anymore and think they can still dictate to people," said Feinstein in this 2003 link to TerpTown.com, adding that "Maryland and George Washington will be in as long as they want."

With six local teams in six different conferences (Georgetown, Maryland, George Washington, American, George Mason, and Howard), there are more than enough opportunities for a local series. It just won't be in this invitational.

Here's a review of some local opponents and their last meting with Georgetown. The only local school on the 2004-05 schedule is Howard, a recent series only begun after other rivalries were long gone.

 
Opponent Series Record Last In-Season Game
American 40-8 1986-87
Catholic 16-1 1969-70
George Washington 54-39 1981-82
George Mason 1-0 1985-86
Loyola 35-7 1974-75
Maryland 26-36 Once since 1979-80
Mt. St. Mary's 19-5 1961-62
Navy 17-37 1977-78
 
 

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