Home  >  >


Georgetown Basketball: Top 10 Games Of Craig Esherick's Tenure
(From HoyaSaxa.com game reports)

Note: not all web links may be active. Also, see the Bottom 10 Games Of Craig Esherick's Tenure

1. March 15, 2000: Georgetown 115, Virginia 111 (3OT)
Georgetown University and the University of Virginia competed in the greatest toe-to-toe battle in NIT basketball history, broadcast nationally on ESPN for over three hours.

Georgetown started the first half at a decided disadvantage. Center Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje was sidelined with a foot injury and Victor Samnick was still out from injury, leaving the Hoyas with only nine scholarship players. The Hoyas had every reason to be flat coming into the game, and it showed early. Kevin Braswell started 1 for 6 and missed his first two free throws while Lee Scruggs had two early fouls.

On the other side of the ledger, Virginia was scoring at will, inside and outside. Virginia went on a 14-0 run, and GU might have been run off the court had Demetrius Hunter not connected on four three pointers in the first half. Georgetown was able to tie the score at 29 with 6:36 to play. Still, Virginia surged late and took a comfortable nine point lead at intermission, the most first half points given up by Georgetown all year. Kevin Braswell, with only eight points, had to step it up. Score: Virginia 48, Georgetown 39.

Five minutes into the second half, Virginia had built its lead to 58-43. Out of nowhere, the Hoyas pulled together a 17-2 run on the favored Cavaliers to tie the score at 60-all with under 11 minutes to play. U.Va. took the lead with 7:48 to play and watched as three Hoyas-Hunter, Freeman, and Watkins--foul out late. Amazingly, Virginia's shooting failed them, missing six of seven shots in the final 3:39 of regulation.

Down four with less than two minutes to play, Nat Burton connected on two free throws with 1:48 to play. After stopping the Wahoos on the next possession, Anthony Perry drove to a layup to tie the score with 1:14 to play. In the final moments of the second half, Virginia drove to the basket but was blocked by Lee Scruggs with less than two seconds remaining, and Nat Burton's 50-foot shot bounced off the backboard. Score: Georgetown 77, Virginia 77.

The First Overtime: Virginia opened up strong but allowed Georgetown to hang in there. The Hoyas took the lead 84-83 on a tip-in by Nat Burton, then added two Kevin Braswell free throws to take a three point lead. With center Lee Scruggs limping noticeably and perhaps dehydrating, Georgetown turned to Braswell at nearly every turn. Down to just four scholarship players (Braswell, Perry, Burton, Gibson) and walk-on Hester, the Hoyas took an 88-85 lead to the last moments of overtime, where Hester fouled U.Va's Roger Mason driving to the basket with 14 seconds to play. Mason made the free throw, and the Hoyas could not get off a shot at game's end. Score: Georgetown 88, Virginia 88.

The Second Overtime: In the intermission, Coach Esherick was tagged with a technical foul for complaining about what the TV cameras picked out: when Virginia retrieved the rebound with one second left, a guard called time out in front of the official, yet the wahoos had no time outs. No technical was called on the player, but they called one on Esherick.

With 2:51 to play, Virginia took a 96-93 lead, as an exhausted Scruggs was sent to the bench. What followed brought the crowd to its feet: Anthony Perry hits a three to tie the game at 96, then Virginia's Donald Hand answers with a three. Next possession, Braswell drains the third three pointer in a minute and the game was tied at 99-99. The crowd couldn't believe it. Neither could anyone else!

After a Virginia miss on the following possession, Virginia fouls senior Rhese Gibson, who calmly sinks two free throws among the raucous home crowd for GU to lead 101-99. On its last possession, Chris Williams drove and connected on a bank shot with 24 seconds to play. Holding for one shot, Georgetown could not get Braswell open and his 24 foot shot was short as the horn sounded.

Not only was Georgetown entering its first triple overtime game since 1955, but Virginia became the first team in 24 years to score 100 points on the Hoyas, a record formerly held by Seton Hall in a 102-91 win over the Hoyas in January, 1976. Score: Georgetown 101, Virginia 101.

The Third Overtime: How much was left in the Hoyas? After nearly three hours, the Hoya road warriors were walking a tightrope: three of its remaining five players had four fouls, and any slip up could put them in a bind. Taking advantage of GU's hesitancy to pick up a cheap foul, Virginia's Chris Williams gave the Cavaliers a 105-101 lead with 3:38 to play. But in a two minute stretch, the Hoyas stopped three U.Va. possessions, allowing Hester, Burton, and Braswell all connected on shots to give GU a 107-105 lead with 2:20 to play.

The teams traded free throws when Virginia drove inside to tie the score at 109 with about 0:40 to play. Coming out of a timeout, Braswell found Hester alone in the corner with 31 seconds left, who unloaded a 22 foot three point stunner, 112-109. It was the first 3 point shot connected by Hester in his two year Georgetown career.

Virginia wasn't done, however. U.Va. had an open look at a three pointer which went around and out, and after 1 of 2 GU free throws, picked up a quick basket on the next possession to close to 113-111. After missing a three point attempt with 6.8 seconds, Virginia fouled Braswell. Braswell missed the second of two free throws, still leaving Virginia a chance at quadruple overtime at 114-111. On the ensuing possession, the Cavaliers threw the ball out of bounds. Anthony Perry took the inbounds pass, was fouled, and made one of two free throws to seal the victory. Final: Georgetown 115, Virginia 111.

Here's the box score. While you're checking Braswell, Scruggs, and Hester, don't overlook 49 percent field goal shooting, a career high 13 rebounds from senior Rhese Gibson (in 38 minutes of play), and 12 big points down the stretch from Anthony Perry.

Among the records tied or broken in the game:

    Team Records:
  • Most Points Combined In One Georgetown Game: 226, ties record held by GU-Holy Cross (1972-73)
  • Most Points Combined In Any NIT Game: 226, breaks record held by UConn-Holy Cross (213, 1955 NIT)
  • Three point field goals made: 12, ties record held by GU-Providence and GU-Miami (both in 1995-96)
  • Most Points In A Georgetown Post-Season Game: 115, breaks record of 98 vs. Texas Tech (1996 NCAA)
  • Most Combined Points In A Georgetown Post-Season Game: 226, breaks record of 188 vs. Texas Tech (98-90, 1996 NCAA)

    Individual Records:
  • Most minutes by one player in a single game: Kevin Braswell (49 minutes)
  • Career high in scoring by Kevin Braswell (40). Braswell joins Allen Iverson (who scored 40 against Seton Hall in 1996) as the only players to score 40 or more points in a game since 1970. The record is 46 by Jim Barry in 1965.
  • Career highs in scoring and rebounding by Gharun Hester (9 pts., 10 rebs.)
  • Tied career high in rebounding by Rhese Gibson (13)
 

2. March 15, 2001: Georgetown 63, Arkansas 61
"Eight seconds, Burton waits, Burton waits, Burton drives.. "It's Good! "It's Good! "It's Good! "It's Good! "It's Good! "It's Good! "It's Good! "My God, It's Good! "My God, It's...So...Good!" --Rich Chvotkin's call on WRC-AM

Georgetown fans are no stranger to last moment NCAA heartbreak over the years, which makes a game like Thursday's 63-61 win over #7 Arkansas all the more amazing. The Hoyas overcame a seven point second half deficit with a buzzer-beater to defeat Arkansas 63-61, thanks to a defensive stand and a buzzer beater that required official review before the Hoyas headed to the locker room with their first NCAA win since March 17, 1996.

The game marked only the third time in 22 NCAA tournament appearances that a lower seeded Georgetown team defeated a higher seeded opponent since the introduction of tournament seeding in 1979. The other two were the #9 Hoyas defeating #8 Illinois in the first round of the 1994 tournament, and #3 Georgetown defeating #2 Maryland in the 1980 Eastern regional semifinal.

Thursday's game was billed as featuring Arkansas' vaunted press against Georgetown's height inside, but neither were the factor many had thought. The Hoyas performed well against the press, while the inside game stalled early with bad passing and shot selection. In fact, following a back and forth first half which saw the Razorbacks (20-11) lead 31-30, the trio of Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, Mike Sweetney, and Wesley Wilson were a combined 0-4. Instead, guard play from Kevin Braswell and Anthony Perry helped keep the Hoyas astride with the Hogs in what announcers called "ugly" despite relatively good shooting on both sides.

A key moment of the game occurred near the end of halftime, where a malfunctioning buzzer delayed play for almost ten minutes. The problems forced Boise State and NCAA officials to dismantle the horn and the red light over the basket which signals the end of a half. Little did anyone know that these two factors would be so important just twenty minutes later.

In the second half, Georgetown's inside game reawakened while Arkansas began to drive inside as well. Arkansas took a 47-43 lead midway through the half and extended the lead to 52-45, which was closed to 57-all with just over five minutes to play. Arkansas held a narrowing until the final two minutes, where Kevin Braswell's coast to coast drive gave the Hoyas a 61-59 lead with 1:43 to play. Arkansas' Joe Johnson tied the score at 61 with 0:35.8 seconds remaining, and that .8 was the final act to an improbable finish.

After a timeout and a pass from Victor Samnick, Burton held the ball with the intent of finding Kevin Braswell for a last second shot, which is practically mandatory for any last second attempt this year. With Braswell contained, Burton opted to go himself, with the senior guard attempting a left handed drive down the stretch as the clock wound down. The shot rolled in at the buzzer...er, horn, and the Hoyas had won.

Or had they?

Arkansas officials protested that the shot clock had gone off before the ball left Burton's hand (remember, there were 35.8 seconds left). A two minute review by the officials confirmed that Burton's shot was indeed good.

"We looked to see if it was a shot clock violation [and] it was not," referee Ted Hillary. "The ball was out of his hand [before the shot clock expired]. Time had expired before the ball went through the net."

The decision set off a second wild celebration by the team en route to the locker room, while the Razorbacks could only stand stunned, victims of an eighth loss this year after holding a second half lead.

"We were in position," said Arkansas Nolan Richardson, recalling the 520-45 lead that evaporated down the stretch. "I felt like if we could have made another play or two ... but we made some bad decisions. Basketball is game of decisions, and we made some real bad ones at the wrong time."

"We did everything we were supposed to do, except the kid made the right decision in taking the ball to the basket. The kid just made a very good play, and you've got to praise him for that."

Post-game links follow below:

 

3. February 24, 2002: Georgetown 75, Syracuse 69
The Jim Boeheim Court is officially...open. But not they way 29,215 had in mind.

The most unpredictable team in college basketball has done it again, as the Georgetown Hoyas held off three second half runs and upset the #25-ranked Syracuse Orangemen 75-69. The win was the fourth in the last five games by the Hoyas against the Orange, and marks the first season sweep by the G-men over the Saltine Warriors since 1987-88.

Syracuse started each half with a odd combination of poor shooting and good rebounding, allowing Georgetown to build a small but not insurmountable lead. For the first half, the Hoyas led 14-8 and 26-19 despite the fact that Syracuse held an 11-0 run on the offensive boards. The Orangemen closed to 26-25 until the Hoyas weathered some last minute jitters with a Kevin Braswell jumper that gave the Hoyas a 35-30 halftime lead. Georgetown shot 56% for the half to Syracuse's 32%, including 80% from the foul line.

The second half intensity picked up after a stretch where Syracuse went four minutes without a field goal and the hoyas extended its lead to 45-38 with 11:15 to play. Syracuse's offense wore into the GU lead and held its own brief lead at 51-49 with 7:02 to play, whereupon the Hoyas answered with a Braswell jumper and a Gerald Riley three pointer at 5:56, the first of two huge plays from Riley in the game.

A number of turning points in the game followed. With the Hoyas leading 58-55 with under 4:00 to play, Syracuse's DeShaun Williams narrowly missed a three pointer that would have tied the game, followed by a clutch three pointer by Braswell to extend the lead to six, 61-55. Syracuse's James Thues scored on back to back threes to close quickly to 63-61 with 2:28 to play.

Leading 65-63 with 1:44 to play, the Hoyas' offense took a turn for the worse when Wesley Wilson missed a shot under the basket and the Orange took possession. The Orangemen were stopped on the next possession and with :58 to play, Gerald Riley hit a huge three point shot to lead 68-63. After two more Braswell free throws, SU answered with a 3 to reduce the lead to 70-66. but failed on a three after freshman Drew Hall missed two free throws. Gerald Riley and Tony Bethel each added two free throws as the clock wore down, and a Syracuse three at the buzzer closed the final margin to six.

The game featured solid games for Riley, Braswell, and the entire team. Mike Sweetney was bottled up inside but finished with his 20th career double-double at 13 points, ten rebounds, along with five assists. Two other items of note: Georgetown had only one player (Gerald Riley) with as many as four fouls and the Hoyas only committed 17 fouls. At the line the Orange made 11 of 17 free throws compared to Georgetown's 23 for 29.

The Hoyas are still on the outside looking in for NCAA hopes, but games like this help make the Syracuse rivalry what it is--the best series in Eastern basketball, no matter if it's at McDonough, MCI, Manley....or the Jim Boeheim Court.

Post-game reports follow:

 

2. January 6, 2001: Georgetown 78, Seton Hall 66
Memo to the Post's Tony Kornheiser: There's a new Bandwagon in town.

With a mighty defensive stand in the second half, the Georgetown Hoyas shut down Seton Hall (10-3) for an impressive 78-66 win at MCI Center Saturday. The Hall's previous losses were to former #1 Michigan State and #9 Illinois.

Both teams started off with intensity. The teams traded runs in the first half as turnovers mounted on both sides. Georgetown's defense held Seton Hall to 33 percent shooting, but the Hoyas 17 first half turnovers kept the score close throughout. A 33-30 first half score gave Hoya fans hope, but Seton Hall's leading scorer Darius Lane was scoreless and the Hoyas couldn't be expected to be shut out in the second half.

Or could they?

The defense rose to the occasion early in the second half. Down 43-42, the Hoyas went on a 9-0 run. As the pressure mounted, Seton Hall struggled mightily. Emblematic of the cold shooting was Lane, who missed 14 consecutive shots before a late basket with under a minute to play. On the other hand, the symbol of the Hoyas success was forward Lee Scruggs, who drained two consecutive three pointers from the top of the circle to send the lead skyward, part of a 17-4 run.

"Georgetown had great momentum and confidence in the second half," Seton Hall coach Tommy Amaker said. "We rebounded well but we had only eight assists as a team, which shows we did not work well together offensively.

Andre Barrett led the Pirates with 16 points. His 2 for 6 outside shooting provided the only three pointers of the game--the rest of his team was 0 for 14. Freshman Eddie Griffin was impressive in his Washington debut (15 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks and four steals), but he too was held in check in the second half.

Five Hoyas finished in double figures. Georgetown's 53 percent second half shooting is a little deceptive, especially when the Hoyas missed five layups in that stretch. However, one stat tells the adjustments this team made when it counted--from 17 first half turnovers, the Hoyas committed only six in the second. Similarly, Kevin Braswell

"This was our first really big game, first real contest to let us know we're good, and I got out of control in the first half, Said Braswell. "Coach came in here and said, 'Kevin, you've got to calm down.'" Braswell had six turnovers in the first half but only one in the second. and tied a career high in assists (12) set just three days ago at West Virginia.

According to the Associated Press polls, this is the first victory by Georgetown over a ranked team in the regular season since its 78-67 win over #14 Villanova on Jan. 27, 1997; however, many press accounts have inaccurately called it the first win since the 106-68 rout of #6 Villanova on Senior Day, March 2, 1996.

Finally, some post-game links follow below.

 

5. March 17, 2001: Georgetown 76, Hampton 57
For the first time in five years, Georgetown University returns to the "Sweet 16" of college basketball following a 76-57 win over Hampton University in the NCAA western sub-regional in Boise, Idaho.

The Hoyas (25-7) faced a young Hampton team that was the talk of the nation, and the clear crowd favorite in faraway Boise.The Pirates (25-7) played the Hoyas close early, and when the Pirates tied the score at 16 with 10:47 to play, the Boise crowd roared for more. Georgetown needed to get the crowd out of the game, and did so with perhaps its best single run of the season, a 26-6 run over the rest of the first half that propelled the Hoyas to a 20 point halftime lead, 42-22.

In the second half, early foul trouble on Mike Sweetney allowed the Pirates to close the gap to 50-35 with 13:45 to play, and the crowd again rose to its feet for the underdog Pirates. In a crucial stretch, Hampton failed on two possessions and Georgetown countered with a dunk by Wesley Wilson to increase the lead. The Hoyas answered every Hampton charge, and the Pirates were not able to close within 15 the rest of the way.

Post-game links follow below:

 

6. March 4, 2001: Georgetown 78, Notre Dame 72
Six days and counting for the loneliest banner in McDonough Gym.

A copy of an NIT banner continues hangs perilously in the Georgetown locker room, due to be destroyed next Sunday to exorcise the demons of three straight NIT bids. Sunday's convincing victory over #13 Notre Dame serves notice to the conference that when Georgetown can combine its inside and outside games, well, to borrow a phrase from two decades ago, "this could be the most dangerous team in the tournament."

The stakes could not have been higher for the Hoyas entering the game. As Barker Davis of the Washington Times put it, "Beat West division champion Notre Dame (19-8, 11-5) in front of its sellout senior day crowd and earn a Big East bye and some serious respect from the NCAA tournament selection committee. Lose and face a first-round Big East game against NCAA-desperate Connecticut, drop out of the AP rankings and finish the regular season without a road victory over a team headed to the big bracket."

Georgetown started off slowly but did not wilt in the face of the traditionally tough ND crowd. Strong inside work by Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje and Mike Sweetney helped neutralize ND's strength inside, keeping all-American Troy Murphy contained after an early start. A pair of three pointers by Lee Scruggs reignited the Hoyas' outside game, and Georgetown's 37-34 halftime lead was both surprising as well as prescient--Notre Dame had not lost a game this season while leading at halftime, but was 5-7 when trailing at the break.

Georgetown opened the second half strong, increasing its lead to 56-40 early in the half. Notre Dame answered with a volley of three pointers through much of the half, knocking the lead to as little as six but no closer. Time and again, big plays came from everyone--defensive stops by Boumtje-Boumtje, back to back threes by Demetrius Hunter, strong inside play by Sweetney, or a key play by Kevin Braswell. Although a pair of Hoyas in Gerald Riley and Anthony Perry suffered from the field (combining for 0 for 12 shooting), it seemed everyone else was on top of their game. The Hoyas were also strong on the free throw line: 16 for 21 shooting, including 10 of its final 12 attempts.

Georgetown's defense kept the rallies at bay. The Hoyas outrebounded the Irish 53-36, held Ryan Humphrey to five points, and limited Murphy to 5 for 17 shooting after starting the game 3 for 4. Notre Dame was able to shoot 23-28 from the foul line to power past Georgetown on Jan. 27, but was only 7-12 from the line Sunday, thanks to fewer fouls and the Hoyas' efficient defense.

Still, the Irish peppered the basket with long range shooting to keep them close. Hunter's back to back three pointers extended a six point lead with 8:39 to play, and with less than two minutes to play the Hoyas led by as little as five at 66-61. Kevin Braswell's three pointer sealed the deal and brought Georgetown the coveted bye in the first round. And with all the teams fighting for at-large berths, a bye sends a strong message to the NCAA tournament committee that this team belongs in the field of 65.

For senior Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, the regular season finale marked a huge turnaround from Jan. 27. Here's his box score in the first ND game and the second:



                MIN   FG    FT  REB  A PF PTS
January 27       14   0-3   0-0   1  0  3   0 
March 4          31  6-10   4-5   9  2  2  16

"Our focus was on getting the bye," Sweetney said to the Times. "And this was really important because we accomplished that and we ended the season by beating two ranked teams. Notre Dame and Syracuse are both very good, and I think beating those teams gives us a good name going into the post season."

Three weeks ago Georgetown was reeling after a 24 point loss at Providence and a crushing loss at home to Villanova. The Hoyas have now won four of five, and have earned a day off on Wednesday. Well done!

Post-game links follow below.

 

7. March 26, 2003: Georgetown 79, North Carolina 74
In its best game of the season, the Georgetown Hoyas advanced to the NIT semifinals with a 79-74 win at North Carolina. The game not only marked Georgetown's sixth straight road win and third straight in post-season play, but provided a rare upset at the home of the Tar Heels, where UNC was 88-10 (.898) in non-conference games since the Dean Smith Center opened in 1986.

As was the case in wins over Tennessee and Providence, the Hoyas' solid defense kept them in the game, where solid end-game strategy put the Hoyas in position to win.

Carolina fans had high hopes for the game, which would have marked UNC's 32nd 20-win season in 33 years. Its up-tempo guard play and execution against Georgetown's man to man defense paid off early, with the Tar Heels leading by eight, 20-12, midway through the first half.

"Early on I was worried that we were going to be blown out," said Coach Esherick in post-game quotes. "I decided, 'let's start trapping them and see if we can disrupt some of their shooting,' and I think we did do that."

The Hoyas forced UNC into turnovers on its next three possessions, closing the gap to two at 22-18. With 6:00 to play, down 31-27, the Georgetown defense went to work, as the Tar Heels failed to score a field goal for the rest of the first half as the Hoyas took a 34-32 lead at the break.

The second half saw each team approach season-highs in shooting, with Georgetown shooting 57% from the field, North Carolina 56%. The Hoyas' accuracy would be crucial early in the half, when forward Jawad Williams scored ten points in a four minute stretch that saw the Tar Heels break open to a 48-40 lead. Georgetown then connected on five of its next six shots as the Heels were kept in check and the Hoyas took a 52-50 lead with 13:12 to play. The rally continued as the Heels were held to one field goal in an 8:49 stretch, allowing Gerald Riley to go to work. Riley scored 11 points that keyed an incredible 22-4 run to give GU a 62-52 lead with 8:04 to play.

North Carolina needed a spark, and got it from Rashad McCants. The 6-4 forward went to work, scoring 14 of the Heels' next 16 points, taking over the game and pulling the Tar Heels even at 70-70 with 2:05 to play. Fouled on the tying basket, Esherick called a time out to freeze McCants at the line. McCants missed the free throw and Carolina never regained the lead.

"It was a smart play by their coach," McCants told the Greensboro News & Record. "He froze me out. I lost my rhythm. Sometimes when you're out there playing your heart out, you're exhausted when you get to the free-throw line." McCants also missed his next jumper with 1:07 left.

On Georgetown's next possession, a pass into Sweetney was kicked back to Drew Hall, who took the open three and connected to give GU the lead, 73-70. Carolina missed a three on its next possession and the Hoyas proceeded to shoot 6 for 6 from the line, its only foul shots of the entire second half, to secure the win. Overall, Georgetown was 14-17 from the line.

Georgetown's zone defense really put the Tar Heels in a bind. "That's been our problem all year," said center David Noel. "We haven't been able to penetrate a zone and make shots, and think we've been laying back on our threes - we can't do that."

As was noted on this site's Pre-Game Report, North Carolina tends to play better when fewer, not more three point attempts are launched. While shooting 62% from inside the arc, the Heels were only 41% (9-22) from three.

Another big stat? Turnovers. Against Wyoming, UNC gave up only eight turnovers. Against Georgetown, the Heels gave up 18, and the Hoyas held a 25-9 advantage scoring off turnovers.

It seemed as if every Georgetown player came up big in the game at the right time. Brandon Bowman scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half, while Gerald Riley did his part by scoring 19 of his 22 in the second. Courtland Freeman, playing in the place of injured Victor Samnick, scored five points and collected six rebounds in 21 minutes of action. And while each bench scored only seven points, Drew Hall's three will be the lasting memory of a close, hard fought game that can take its place among many legendary Georgetown post-season performances, especially among the loyal and partisan UNC crowd.

Georgetown advances to its third-ever NIT championship bracket, having played in the 1978 and 1993 semifinals.

"I admire what they've done," Coach Doherty told the Associated Press. "They got home late after the Providence game, they bused in here and got in at 2 a.m., didn't have a shoot-around and came with a lot of energy. I'm real impressed with what Georgetown accomplished."

Georgetown's half of the box score is below. (The official stats list 6-5 walk-on Ryan Beal with a block in less than one minute of play, but this may be in error.)


           MIN  2FG  3FG    FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Bowman      31   6-9  0-2  0-0   2   3   2   12
Sweetney    32  8-14  0-0  6-7   7   3   4   22
Freeman     21   2-3  0-0  1-2   6   0   2    5
Bethel      32  3-10  1-4  2-2   1   3   2    9
Riley       33  8-12  3-5  3-4   4   4   2   22
Reserves:
Hall        18   2-2  1-1  2-2   2   1   3    7
Owens       12   0-4  0-0  0-0   5   0   3    0
Cook        20   1-5  0-2  0-0   0   1   1    2
Beal         1   0-0  0-0  0-0   0   0   0    0
DNP/Coach's Decision:  Faulkner, Ross, Hillier
DNP/Ill: Samnick 
TOTALS     200 30-59 5-15 14-17  27  15  19  79

Post-game articles follow below.

 

8. January 12, 2002: Georgetown 70, Boston College 43
"This," said BC All-American Troy Bell, "was the most embarrassing game I've ever been a part of in my life".

Four Hoyas scored in double figures as the Hoyas ended a four game losing streak in surprising fashion, dominating the defending Big East champions 70-43 before a sold out crowd at Conte Forum. BC's Bell, averaging 24.0 ppg, was held to 4-16 shooting (0-5 from three point range) and a season low eight points.

In its four prior games, Georgetown was prone to starting the game in a slump--not so Saturday. The Hoyas raced out to a 12-3 lead as BC missed 10 of its first 11 shots. The Georgetown defense was keyed by a resurgent Wesley Wilson, with five blocked shots on the game. The Eagles' early hopes were damaged when guard Ryan Sydney (averaging 15.0 ppg) left the game in the first half with a sprained ankle and did not return. The Hoyas led by as many as 13 in the first half and at 11, 37-26, at intermission, thanks to 57% FG shooting compared to just 28% for the Eagles.

Another trouble for the Hoyas in recent games was allowing an opponent to sneak up on them in the second. The Hoyas opened the half on a 12-2 run to get the lead to 49-28, and the Eagles could not close the gap.

Georgetown's offense was crisp throughout the game. Michael Sweetney continues to excel, with 15 points on 6-7 shooting and 11 rebounds. Kevin Braswell turned in a solid effort with 6-12 shooting and seven assists, while Gerald Riley turned in a impressive 13 points on 4-5 shooting and 2-2 from three. Defensively, the Hoyas forced 18 turnovers and held BC (a team averaging seven three pointers a game) to 3-18 from beyond the arc and 24 % shooting overall.

"It didn't surprise me how aggressively we came out. " said Coach Esherick. "I couldn't be more pleased than with the overall effort. I think everybody played well today."

The loss was only the second home setback in nearly two years for the Eagles, both within a week, and the worst home court loss since Conte Forum opened in 1988. For the Hoyas, the 23 point win is the largest margin of victory in conference play since March 3, 1996, a 106-68 rout of Villanova.

Post game recaps follow below:

 

9. February 24, 2001: Georgetown 72, Syracuse 61
The last time Georgetown had a win this important in February, they closed a field house.

Twenty one years later, in a game that could have sealed the fate of the 2000-01 season, an inspired team effort propelled the Hoyas to a 72-61 win over Syracuse at MCI Center Saturday, the first win at home over Syracuse in four years and reconfirming the Hoyas' 2001 NCAA tournament hopes.

Many of the Hoyas' most frustrating losses this season have come as a result of poor starts early in the game, but the G-men opened the game by scoring the game's first seven points. SU closed the gap to 10-9 before Demetrius Hunter's three pointer renewed the Georgetown offense, one of a number of key plays by Hunter that afternoon, despite a nagging injury to his Achilles tendon. Syracuse took a lead at 15-14 that was answered by a three pointer by Lee Scruggs, part of a consistent pattern where the Hoyas would match a Syracuse run throughout the game. The Hoyas took a 36-33 lead at intermission, which could have been more pronounced if not for some poor free throw shooting that dogged the team all afternoon.

The teams were even through much of the early second half. Georgetown's defense was holding Syracuse down, but while the orange were hitting 90 percent of their free throws, Georgetown's shots were woefully off. The Hoyas shot 3 for 9 in one stretch and 12 of 28 for the game, a season low 42 percent. But Hunter (21 points) set the Hoyas to the lead with back to back three pointers with 11:10 to play, and with foul trouble inside, Syracuse had to play from behind.

The lead bounced around six to eight points for the next five minutes, and with 5:04 to play Damone Brown's field goal cut the lead to 63-57. It was the last field goal of the afternoon for Syracuse. With expert use of the clock, tough defense, and three consecutive offensive rebounds, the Hoyas built its six point lead to 12 with 2:39 to play. A steal and dunk by Hunter capped the win with 0:38 to play, and Kevin Braswell dribbled out the last 32 seconds of the clock before students overwhelmed the MCI Center security to flood the court--the first such demonstration at a Big East home game ever for the Hoyas.

With the notable exception of the free throws, every other key indicator was a positive. The starting five shot 56 percent, Georgetown outrebounded its opponent 47-27, and the Hoyas connected on 18 assists of their 27 field goals. Defensively, Georgetown held Preston Schumpert and Allen Griffin to 1 of 14 shooting and the Orange managed only 11 defensive rebounds.

Maybe the most memorable moment of the game was at game's end, with 18,000 fans on their feet and hundreds of students running inside, outside, over and under MCI Center guards to be a part of the half court excitement. Even as fans were filing out onto 7th Street, the sounds of "Hoya!...Saxa!" could be heard throughout the concourse. For a generation of students who have no memory of Patrick Ewing in a GU uniform, and whose only memories of Alonzo, Dikembe, or Allen are from on TV, this was their moment to be a part the Big East's greatest rivalry.

I'm so happy right now," said Kevin Braswell to the Washington Post. "Fans rushing the floor...we needed to give [students] a win because we hadn't beaten a good team in front of our fans."

Syracuse's Jim Boeheim didn't think much of the post-game revelry. "It used to mean something. "It don't mean (bleep) anymore," he told the Syracuse Post Standard. "I don't know what that's all about. I really don't."

Ask the students.

Here are links to post-game coverage. And although it's not on its web site, be sure to check the print edition for a photo of the Hoyas' post game celebration, complete with HoyaTalk's "Buffalo Hoya" whooping it up with Nat Burton and Lee Scruggs.

 

10. January 15, 2001: Georgetown 99, Seton Hall 91
Kevin Braswell's season high 26 points led Georgetown to a hard fought 99-91 win over #19 Seton Hall at the Meadowlands Monday night, extending the Hoyas' win streak to sixteen and building a 4-0 conference record, its first such mark in six years. The Hoyas held Seton Hall, a powerful team shooting 45% from the field, to 38 percent shooting and denied them at numerous runs during the game.

Seton Hall took advantage of early foul trouble on Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (two fouls in the first 1:45 of the game) to lead by six at 14-8. The Hoyas answered this with a thunderous dunk by sophomore Demetrius Hunter that was featured across sportscasts nationwide on Monday. Seton hall's last lead was at 33-31, whereupon Georgetown went on a 14-0 run to lead 45-33 with 5:18 to play and 53-47 at the half. Braswell led all scorers with 15 points, aided by three three-pointers from Lee Scruggs that maintained the lead.

The Pirates fought throughout the game and narrowed the lead when Boumtje-Boumtje and Scruggs each picked up a third foul. A 9-0 Pirate run narrowed the lead to 71-69 and to 75-74, where Braswell answered with a long three pointer to build back the lead and quiet the crowd.

The game may have turned for good with 5:45 to play and the Pirates trailing by five, 84-79. On three straight possessions, Seton Hall took long and somewhat ill-advised three point shots, hoping to rapidly cut into the lead. All three missed, and the Hoyas went on a 9-2 run to put the game away. The Hall did not score a field goal until 1:45 to play.

Five Hoyas scored in double figures and, as fans nationwide are beginning to understand, this is a team effort. Joining Braswell with game honors would include Demetrius Hunter (5-5 from the field, 11 points), Lee Scruggs (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 17 minutes), and Mike Sweetney (14 points, 14 rebounds). The unsung hero might have been senior Nat Burton. Despite not taking a single shot, Burton blanketed the Pirates' Darius Lane, holding him to 4 for 12 shooting and preventing numerous pass plays inside. A 43 percent shooter averaging 19 points per game, Lane is now 5 for 27 (19 percent) in his two games against Burton and the Hoya defense.

But the team's MVP was Braswell. "At the beginning of the year I didn't think we'd be this good on the road," Coach Esherick told Jim O'Connell of the Associated Press. "I didn't think we had that much experience coming back, but they've done a good job of playing well on the road when teams make runs at us, and that's a tribute to Kevin Braswell."

Post-game links follow below:

Editor's Note: With this win, Georgetown was 16-0. Following its loss to Pittsburgh five days later, the Hoyas split its remaining 12 Big East games that season. In its next three seasons, Georgetown finished a combined ten games udner .500 (19-29) in Big East play.

 

HoyaSaxa.com: The One-Stop Web Site For Hoya Basketball™
An independent web site not affiliated with Georgetown University. All rights reserved.