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L.J. Peak made the shots. Tre'Darius McCallum did not.

Georgetown's post-season remains on life support after L.J. Peak, held to two points in the second half under foul trouble, scored the final five points of the game as Georgetown defeated DePaul 76-73 before 5,455 at Allstate Arena Tuesday. McCallum missed a layup with 37 seconds that would have given DePaul (8-14) the lead and saw his tying three at the buzzer go up and out.

The game opened with much promise for the Hoyas, seeking to win a third straight game in conference play for the first time in two years. Georgetown scored on each of its first four possessions to roar to a 10-0 lead, but scored just one field goal over the next 8:22 as DePaul, short on depth but aggressive inside, whittled down the Georgetown advantage with inside play. Scoring six points from offensive rebounds, the Blue Demons gained a 19-18 lead midway through the first half until an L.J. Peak three regained the lead with 8:20 to play.

The Hoyas shot 58 percent from the field in the first half but foul shooting did them no favors, shooting 58 percent as well and giving up lots of points inside. DePaul owned the lane, outscoring GU 18 to 6 in points in the paint and taking a 33-27 lead into the final three minutes of the half. Georgetown ended the half on a 8-0 run to lead at the break, 35-33. Put another way, in the interval between the first two minutes and the last two minutes of the half, DePaul had outworked and outscored the Hoyas 33-17, despite shooting 39 percent from the field, but still trailed.

Georgetown got off to another strong start to open the second half, increasing its lead to 43-36 with 15:29 to play. Turnovers, and still more turnovers ground the Hoyas down, while DePaul guards Billy Garrett and Eli Cain were successful in getting inside on numerous opportunities. Down nine with 12:28 to play, Garrett and Cain scored the next 14 DePaul points in a 14-5 run that gave DePaul a 55-54 advantage with 8:21 to play. Strong play from Rodney Pryor and Jessie Govan steadied the Hoyas, and when senior Reggie Cameron hit a three to go up five, 65-60, the Hoyas look to be prepared for the final five minutes. Such was not the case.

Turnovers again wounded the Hoyas. GU turned the ball over on three of its next five possessions as the Blue Demons, 1-7 in Big East play, went on a 10-2 run to lead 70-67 with 2:35 to play. Free throws from Pryor closed to 70-69, and Garrett was fouled for two shots with 1:59 remaining. A 91% free throw shooter, Garrett missed the second shot, and Jessie Govan tied the game at the 1:44 mark, 71-71.

Georgetown's matador-like defense continued inside, as Joe Hanel drove the lane with 1:14 left, 73-71. It was up to Peak, saddled with foul trouble and limited to two points after halftime, to take charge. A strong move to the basket resulted in a basket and foul, 74-73, with 55 seconds left. On the ensuing play, McCallum missed a shot at maddeningly close range for the Demons, whereupon Peak drove the lane with authority for the score, 76-73. On its final possession, Georgetown kept Garrett and Cain in check and McCallum's three pointer was within a hair of a tying score.

Peak, Pryor and Govan combined for 53 of Georgetown's 76 points as the Hoyas shot 54 percent from the floor but surrendered 20 turnovers. Cain and Garrett combined for 44 points but were just 4 of 13 from three point range. Cain, who had 15 of his 19 points after halftime, was held scoreless over the final 7:22 of the contest. Georgetown had shot just 10 for 17 from the line in the first half but recovered to shoot 9 for 10 after halftime. For its part, DePaul was 6 of 9 from the line, with Garrett's late miss as a "what might have been" moment for the Blue Demons.

Here's the Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Mulmore      20   0-0   0-1   3-4   3   3  0    3 
Pryor        37   4-6   4-8   6-8   5   1  2   26
Peak         28   4-7   1-2   2-3   3   2  4   13
Derrickson   31   2-2   1-3   0-0   4   2  3    7
Govan        33   5-7   0-1   4-5   5   3  4   14
Reserves:         
Campbell      3   0-1   0-0   0-0   0   1  0    0
Mosely       17   0-0   1-3   4-5   2   0  1    7
Cameron      15   0-1   1-1   0-0   2   1  3    3
Agau          9   0-0   1-1   0-0   4   1  4    3 
Johnson       7   0-0   0-0   0-2   1   1  1    0
Team Rebounds                       2
DNP: Hines, Muresan, Mourning, Hayes
TOTALS      200  15-24  9-20 19-27 31  15 22   76
 

In its best game of the season to date, Georgetown upset #11 Butler 85-81 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Bulldogs' first home loss of the season.

Georgetown got off to a rocky start, shooting 1 for 4 as Butler opened an early 4-2 lead. The Hoyas quickly answered with a sustained run of five of its next six, and took a 12-9 lead six minutes into the first half, a lead they would hold until the final minutes of the first half. For the Hoyas to contend against Butler, they needed a third scoring option to step forward, and out stepped Jessie Govan. held to just two points in the Jan. 7 game between the teams, Govan was a force throughout the first half and steadied a Georgetown team that was productive on offense but often exposed on defense. Govan scored 13 points in the first half, hitting a big basket at the 5:49 market that regained the lead for the G-men, 28-26, a three at the 4:08 mark, 34-30, and a basket and foul shot to put the Hoyas up two, 39-37, with 1:40 to halftime.

Butler answered with a flourish late in the first half, hitting six straight shots to stay close, and getting a late tip-in to carry a 41-40 lead into the break. Both teams shot above 50 percent from the field, both connected an even 8 for 10 from the line and the Bulldogs edged the Hoyas by one on three pointers. And despite being in the bonus for the final 9:06 of the half, Butler could manage no more than four free throws off Georgetown fouls as a result.

The first half featured eight lead changes, the second half doubled it. The play of L.J. Peak and Rodney Pryor was matched at nearly every turn by Butler's Kelan Martin and Kamar Baldwin, as neither team led by more than three during a back and forth nine minutes to open the second half. Following an Andrew Chrabascz drive with 11:36 to play, Peak hit a three pointer to retake the lead, 59-57. It was Georgetown's first three of the second half, but would not be the last.

With 9:09 to play, tied at 61, Rodney Pryor went to work. Over the next 2:03, Pryor put on one of the more remarkable stretches in recent GU history. he began the run with a basket to put Georgetown up two, 63-61. After Butler tied the score at the line, he answered with a three, 66-63, but picked up his 4th foul as BU closed to 66-65. Back came Pryor with a bank-shot three, 69-65, and picked up a third consecutive three at the 7:06 mark, 72-65. The seven point lead matched three other Georgetown leads of seven points, none of which would hold.

Neither did this lead. Back to back traveling calls opened the door for the homestanding Bulldogs, who rallied to tied the score with 4:29 remaining, 74-74. Baskets by Govan and Peak pushed the lead to 79-74, while an unlikely three from fifth year grad transfer Avery Woodson brought the Bulldogs within two with 2:54 to play. Each team missed on three point shooting opportunities, but Govan stood tall in a critical stretch where he blocked Martin inside with 1:35 to play and sank a top of the key three within the final second of the shot clock to put the Hoyas up five, 82-77, with 1:03 to play.

A quick basket led to Butler's final time out with 46 seconds, and GU answered with a driving Jonathan Mulmore, whose layup with 17 seconds closed the door.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Mulmore      30   1-2   0-2   2-2   2   1  4    4
Pryor        32   5-8   3-6   1-2   4   1  4   20
Peak         38   3-4   3-5   7-8   3   6  2   22
Derrickson   14   1-1   1-2   0-0   0   1  2    5
Hayes        14   3-3   0-0   0-1   5   0  2    6
Reserves:
Mosely       22   0-0   0-1   0-0   1   4  3    0
Cameron       3   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Govan        26   5-6   3-3   1-1   3   3  2   20
Agau          9   0-0   0-0   2-2   1   0  2    2 
Johnson      12   2-3   0-1   2-2   2   1  0    6
Team Rebounds                       1
DNP: Campbell, Hines, Muresan, Mourning
TOTALS      200  20-27 10-20 15-18 22  17 21   85
 

There's no truth to the rumor that St. John's showed up in blue uniforms Wednesday at Verizon Center.

The Creighton Bluejays played more like the Redmen than an 18-2 team, turning in a resolutely poor performance as Georgetown coasted to a 71-51 win before 8,185 in attendance.

Neither team was productive for much of the first half, leading the TV announcers to call it an "ugly" game. Georgetown's first points of the game arrived via a three pointer by Marcus Derrickson three minutes into the first half, but the Hoyas missed its next eight attempts from behind the arc, with Creighton missing its five three point attempts. Between the 16 minute and 12 minute time outs, the teams combined for one basket. At one low point in the game, the two teams combined to shoot just three of its previous 30 shot attempts, with Creighton holding a 15-13 lead with 7:02 to halftime.

From that point, Georgetown pivoted to its advantage: the duo of guards Rodney Pryor and L.J. Peak. In games where the two have combined for 35 or more points, the Hoyas were 7-2, and it was time to make their impact. A Peak three regained the lead at 16-15 and the Hoyas never looked back.

Peak and Pryor combined to score the next 21 points for Georgetown, extending the lead to 37-27, until a basket at the buzzer by Akoy Agau extended the margin to 12 at the half, 39-27. Georgetown had scored on 11 of its final 13 possessions to halftime. For the half, Peak and Pryor combined to shoot 10 of 19 for 26 points, Jessie Govan was 4 for 6 for eight points, and the rest of the team combined for 2 for 11 shooting--Derrickson's opening three and Agau's closer.

In its second game since losing Maurice Watson, Jr. to a season-ending injury, Creighton's guards were not up to the task, combining to shoot 1 for 8 by halftime. Defensively, Creighton was a step slow all evening, none more so than the opening of the second half, where the Hoyas ran off an impressive run of 8 for 11 shooting to open the second half, putting the game out of reach, 62-42. From that start, the Hoyas were a less impressive 5 for 15 to end the game, but the outcome was not in doubt. Pryor scored only one basket after the break, while Peak continued to soar into the second half, scoring a game high 20 and reaching the 1,000 point plateau for his career.

The box score was dominated by Peak, Pryor and Govan, who combined for 53 of GU's 71 points. The rest of the team combined to shoot just 7 of 21, with guards Jagan Mosely and Jonathan Mulmore struggling through a combined 1 for 5 effort. A similar story could be seen across the stat sheet for Creighton: it earned a combined 32 points from Justin Patton and Marcus Foster, but a 6 for 30 (20%) performance from the rest of the team. Without Watson, this is a team struggling for an identity.

Georgetown's defense earned some much overdue recognition for its efforts Wednesday. Creighton entered the game 10th nationally in scoring, averaging nearly 87 points a game, and were held to a season low 51. Averaging 41 percent from three point range, the Blue Jays combined to shoot just 1 for 18. Georgetown owned a 47-36 rebound advantage and collected 11 offensive rebounds.

The problems for this Georgetown team remain in full view--a lack of shooting options beyond Peak and Pryor, erratic perimeter defense, poor outside shooting, and a declining utility on the free throw line--GU shot just 6 for 16 from the line and has dropped to ninth of ten Big East teams in that statistical category. Peak and Pryor can't carry this team every night, but at least for one night, it was the winning combination.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Mulmore      35   1-2   0-1   0-0   6   3  1    2
Pryor        30   4-10  3-5   1-3   5   6  4   18
Peak         37   6-10  2-5   2-4   3   5  1   20
Derrickson   29   1-1   2-7   0-1   2   1  2    8
Hayes        10   0-1   0-0   1-2   5   0  3    1
Reserves:
Mosely       15   0-1   0-1   0-0   4   4  1    0
Cameron       1   0-0   0-0   0-0   1   0  0    0
Govan        27   7-9   0-1   1-3   7   1  3   15
Agau         13   3-6   0-0   0-0   6   0  1    6 
Johnson       2   0-0   0-1   1-2   1   0  0    1
Mourning      1   0-0   0-0   0-0   2   0  0    0
Team Rebounds                       5
DNP: Campbell, Hines, Muresan
TOTALS      200  22-40 7-21  6-16  47  20 16   71
 
 
 
 

A CBS Sports graphic displayed during Sunday's Georgetown-Xavier game.

 
 
 
 

One is the loneliest number.

One offensive rebound was not enough as Georgetown struggled down the stretch, where a 58-58 tie with under 9:00 remaining allowed #22 Xavier to pull away, 86-75, before an oversold crowd at Cintas Center on Sunday. The game marked the 16th consecutive loss in Big East play to a team other than DePaul or St. John's since Jan. 26, 2016.

Despite a shaky start, the Hoyas were competitive for much of the game. baskets by Rodney Pryor and Marcus Derrickson gave Georgetown an early 4-3 lead, and took advantage of a Xavier shooting lull when the Musketeers missed six straight shots as GU took its largest lead of the game, 11-6.

Foul trouble, particularly among Georgetown's big men, was an early casualty. Consecutive fouls within five seconds of each other at the 13:07 and 13:02 mark of the first half sent Jessie Govan and Marcus Derrickson to the bench with two fouls each, and Pryor picked up his second less than a minute later. A hodge-podge lineup was nonetheless effective in staying within range, as was a pair of early threes from Jonathan Mulmore and Tre Campbell to give GU a 19-18 advantage with 7:39 to halftime. Neither team led by more than two points for the rest of the half; Georgetown's last lead was 33-31 with 1:39 to halftime on a Reggie Cameron three pointer, but the Musketeers scored the last there points of the half and led 34-33 at the break. Georgetown shot 50 percent for the half to Xavier's 38 percent, but the Musketeers were already well on their way from the free throw line, shooting 12 for 19 compared to just 5 for 7 for Georgetown. Xavier held a 9-0 lead on offensive rebounds, a number which usually signals trouble for the Hoyas after halftime.

Despite fan perceptions to the contrary, the margin between Big East teams remains slight--it doesn't take much for a game to turn and this game turned in the first three minutes of the second half. Georgetown's troubles began eight seconds into the half, when Derrickson picked up his third foul. Xavier's J.P. Macura scored on the ensuing play, and 24 seconds later was fouled on a three point shot attempt, sending Jagan Mosely to the bench for his third. Macura made all three attempts, and the Musketeers were now up six, 39-33. Bradley Hayes then picked up his third with 18:44 to play, and Xavier went on a 10-2 run to go up 49-38 just over two minutes into the second half.

Xavier led by as many as 12 before Georgetown mounted its best comeback of the day. The Hoyas connected on seven of its next 10 shots, with a Mulmore three, a pair of Govan baskets, and an unlikely Akoy Agau three (only his second of the season in 11 attempts) rallied GU to within one, 55-54, midway in the half. Georgetown would tie the score at 58 before Xavier answered with a 12-3 run led by Trevon Bluett, with 5:37 to play. Bluett had been held to to 0-10 shooting in the Dec. 31 game at Verizon Center, but took the reins after halftime, scoring 18 of his game high 24 points after the break.

Georgetown closed to six, 70-64 with 5:30 to play on a Reggie Cameron three, but mistakes compounded the late game efforts and sent Xavier to the line time and again. Here are the last 12 Georgetown possessions and their outcomes:

4:29: Pryor misses from three
3:48: Cameron misses from three
3:17: Mulmore misses from three
2:51: Peak misses from three
2:33: Pryor basket
1:55: Peak foul shots
1:48: Peak travel
1:41: Pryor basket
1:31: Mulmore travel
1:22: Pryor three
1:05: Peak offensive foul
0:30: Pryor free throws

Xavier went to the free throw line 49 times in the game, 30 after halftime, shooting at a 73 percent rate (36-49). By contrast, Georgetown was 11-14 from the line and just 6 for 7 after halftime. Despite shooting 57 percent for the half, GU's scoring could not mask its defensive woes. Georgetown was outrebounded 35-21, with its inability on offensive rebounds again exposed. The Hoyas picked up one offensive rebound, which was more a deflection back to Rodney Pryor than a full fledged rebound, compared to 10 offensive caroms for Xavier, which added seven second chance points.

Rodney Pryor led all GU scorers with 23 points on 10-12 shooting. L.J. Peak had 12 points but was held to just 3-12 shooting. The bench came up big in this game, with eight points from Reggie Cameron, eight from Jonathan Mulmore, and seven from Tre Campbell, but the remaining starters were limited by foul trouble. Marcus Derrickson was limited to eight points in 12 minutes, while Bradley Hayes had just two points and two rebounds in 15 minutes and Jagan Mosely was scoreless in ten minutes.

Georgetown's 1-6 Big East mark is its worst since the 1998-99 season, a team which eventually finished 6-12 in the conference race. The Hoyas' baffling inability to defeat anyone in conference play outside St. John's or DePaul begs the question if a six win Big East finish is even within range for this team. Next up: #9 Creighton, which is coincidentally the last Big East team Georgetown defeated outside of St. John's or DePaul, a 74-73 win at Verizon Center on Jan. 26, 2016.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Mosely       10   0-0   0-0   0-0   2   0  4    0
Pryor        27   9-10  1-2   2-2   4   2  4   23
Peak         30   3-6   0-6   6-8   1   0  4   12
Derrickson   12   2-2   1-1   1-1   0   0  5    8
Hayes        15   1-3   0-0   0-1   2   4  3    2
Reserves:
Campbell     11   2-2   1-2   0-0   0   1  0    7
Mulmore      30   0-1   2-2   2-2   2   8  4    8
Cameron      25   1-1   2-5   0-0   1   1  1    8
Govan        18   2-6   0-0   0-0   2   3  5    4
Agau         19   0-1   1-2   0-0   3   3  2    3 
Johnson       3   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  2    0
Team Rebounds                       4
DNP: Hines, Muresan, Mourning
TOTALS      200  20-32 8-20 11-14  21  22 34   75
 

In a long and difficult season, a good story on Georgetown Basketball is definitely worth a read. NBC Sports.com has a feature on fifth year senior Bradley Hayes, whose road to Georgetown was not an easy one, but its results were a productive one.

"He understands the value of a Georgetown degree," said coach John Thompson III. "He understand as much basketball is extremely important to him, [but] at some point, the air is going to come out of the ball. So he values that degree. That's one of the reasons he came here."

"Hayes finished his degree during the fall semester, a philosophy major that is now working to complete his minor in Art History," writes author Rob Dauster. "He's the first person in his immediate family to graduate from college. He's the first person in his entire family to hold a degree from a university as prestigious as Georgetown."

"It's not just something personal for myself that I have to do, I think it's something that I have to do for my family," Hayes said. "Everyone looks up to me. Uncles, cousins, nephews."

 

A column by Aaron Torres at Fox Sports.com lists his most disappointing teams of the 2016-17 season. Not surprisigly, Georgetown tops the list.

"The Hoyas can't seize any momentum. Two days after rallying from a 14-point deficit to beat UConn on Saturday, they fell on the road at Providence. And things won't get any easier for the Hoyas with their next three games against ranked teams (at Xavier, vs. Creighton and at Butler)."



 

Monday's loss to Providence turned out the second smallest home crowd to see a Big East opponent since Georgetown moved games off-campus in 1981, nearly matching the mark set last week versus St. John's. The announced attendance was 5,169.

No. Date Opponent Score Venue Att.
1 1/9/2017 St. John's 83-55 Verizon Center 5,158
5 1/16/2017 Providence 56-74 Verizon Center 5,169
2 2/17/2016 Seton Hall 64-72 Verizon Center 5,278
3 2/6/2016 St. John's 92-67 Verizon Center 5,369
4 2/9/1987 Boston College 79-56 Capital Centre 6,147
 

Average attendance to date is 7,838, approaching the all-time low of 7,758 set in the 1999-2000 season.

 
 

A poor offensive effort was the reward for Georgetown fans who stayed around for the fifth Big East game of the day, where Georgetown's 74-56 loss to Providence showed that it is firmly in last place in the Big East conference. It was Providence's first road win of the season.

The Hoyas never led in this one, getting as close as 9-8 at the 16:53 mark of the first half before PC connected on four of its next five while Georgetown scored one field goal over the next seven minutes. Providence all but dared Georgetown to take ill-advised three point shots and the Hoyas obliged--by the midpoint of the half Georgetown was 5 for 19 from the field and 0 for 8 from three point range. Down 11 with 8:46 to halftime, the Hoyas mounted its only serious rally of the game, a 10-3 run that closed to 28-24 behind a pair of baskets by L.J. Peak and a three from Marcus Derrickson, GU's only such three of the half in 13 attempts. Any hopes of a UConn style comeback were dashed as the Friars ended the half on a 14-3 run, 42-27. Georgetown managed just 32 percent shooting, 1 for 13 on three, and seven turnovers.

Georgetown started the second half with three consecutive turnovers as PC pushed the lead to 19, 47-28. The Hoyas managed just two field goals in the first eight minutes after halftime, not by a sterling Providence defense as much as a lack of effort inside and poor judgment from outside. A Derrickson three was GU's first thee of the half in six attempts, taking the mark to 2 for 19, yet GU continued to fire away despite a height advantage inside. For this game, Bradley Hayes and Jessie Govan were ineffective, while Rodney Pryor's faded from view for much of the second half and the trip of Jagan Mosely, Tre Campbell, and Jonathan Mulmore were beaten up and down the court.

The only shred of heightened effort in the second half was seen from L.J. Peak, but even he lost his patience, missing on one drive and colliding for an offensive foul on the second with 8:44 to play, down 21. Peak seemed visibly frustrated after the second call as the Friars went into garbage time mode for the last seven minutes of the game. The Friars missed its share of shots down the stretch, but continued to see open looks from outside and led by as many as 24 into the final three minutes.

Georgetown showed little resemblance from the team that gave UConn a battle; a sign, perhaps, of how poor UConn is relative to Big East teams. Peak and Pryor combined to shoot 8 for 24, Jessie Govan 1 for 5, and Akoy Agau 0 for 4. GU finished 5 for 23 for three point range and completed the game shooting just 32 percent from the floor overall.

Providence was led by a strong effort from Kyron Cartwright continuing a trend where Big East guards are feasting on Georgetown defenses, narrowly missing a triple double with 16 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Rodney Bullock led all scorers with 22, with the Friars earning assists on 19 of 26 field goals.

Coach John Thompson III played all scholarship players except for Reggie Cameron and Trey Mourning. It seems unlikely fans will see either unless Georgetown gets another game with DePaul or St. John's. Next up for the Hoyas is no St. John's--#22 Xavier, which was the site of Georgetown's last road win in Big East play, 363 days ago.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Mosely       19   0-0   0-1   3-4   3   2  1    3
Pryor        34   5-9   0-4   2-2   2   0  2   12
Peak         29   2-8   1-3   6-8   4   6  4   13
Derrickson   31   0-1   3-6   0-0   6   4  3    9
Hayes        13   3-4   0-0   0-0   5   0  1    6
Reserves:
Campbell     10   1-1   0-2   0-2   0   0  0    2
Mulmore      15   0-0   0-2   0-0   1   0  2    0
Govan        16   1-3   0-2   0-1   6   0  0    2
Agau         20   0-3   0-1   4-4   8   1  1    4 
Johnson      13   1-3   1-2   0-0   3   0  1    5
Team Rebounds                       1
DNP: Cameron, Hines, Muresan, Mourning
TOTALS      200  13-32 5-23 15-21 39   13 18   56
 

Georgetown's struggles this season are well known on this site and in college basketball circles, but it's news at the Washington Post, which in the absence of Redskins coverage has turned its attention to a Georgetown coach with questions not seen in the local press since Barker Davis was on press row in the Craig Esherick years.

"The questions are pertinent now, with this particular team trying to fight its way back into this particular conference race, because back-to-back losing seasons at flagship programs usually bring with them unrest," writes the Post's Barry Svrluga. "Even with this season far from over, Hoya fan Web sites have in recent weeks offered pieces requesting a full reboot of the program, another even listing potential replacements for Thompson as coach."

(No, not this site, and for good reason.)

"There are pockets of resignation, of apathy," " When those sentiments take hold in college athletics, watch out. College sports are built on emotion, both on the court and in the stands. Which emotions does Georgetown basketball elicit now? Not among the most ardent, but, say, among the sports fans of our city?

"It is a program that was once a must-see. Now, Thompson and his players are fighting to make it that way again. The big picture would show there's a long way to go."

 
 
 

For the first 24 minutes of Saturday's game versus Connecticut, the signs of institutional unease over Georgetown basketball were everywhere. The starting lineups conspicuously failed to announce the head coach, the canned music was turned up at timeouts to discourage any unfriendly responses, and the largest applause of the afternoon was for a halftime jump roping team.

As Rodney Pryor converted a high pass from Jagan Mosely into a left-handed dunk at the 15:47 mark, Georgetown turned back the clock to 2007, rallying from an 11 point deficit and defeating the Huskies 72-69 before a happy crowd of 12,175 at Verizon Center. These were not the Hoyas of old, and certainly not the Huskies of old, as UConn is tracking towards it first losing season in 30 years. No matter. For one half, anyway, the Hoyas were back.

Georgetown started the game slow, missing five of its first seven. it last lead of the first half was at the 16:54 mark, whereupon the Huskies scored six straight to take an 11-6 lead. A pair of early fouls sent UConn center Amida Brimah to the bench, but the Huskies got a strong first half from guards Jalen Adams and Vance Jackson. Adams had seven fist half assists, including three that set up a run of three pointers for Jackson, who finished with 11 first half points. Utilizing multiple lineups, Georgetown closed to one, 23-22, with 6:14 to halftime but was inconsistent down the stretch. The Hoyas missed five of its six shots down the stretch, as UConn got five straight points from reserve guard Christian Vital and a Vance Jackson three pointer to go up eight at the 1:34 mark, 33-25. A pair of Jagan Mosely free throws closed the gap to six at the break, 33-27. Georgetown managed just 2 for 12 from three point range and 38 percent overall, but got comparatively little from its backcourt. As the Huskies collected a total of 21 points from the guard rotation of Adams, Jackson, and Vital, Georgetown guards Jagan Mosely, L.J. Peak, and Rodney Pryor were just 5 for 16 from the field.

The second half opened for the Hoyas opened with a missed layup and two turnovers, extending the UConn lead to ten, 37-27. A quick Georgetown time out did not help--an L.J. Peak layup was answered with thee straight scoring possessions by the Huskies to lead 43-29. A Mosely three got the Hoyas back to eleven before Mosely's high pass to Pryor was answered with a highlight-bound dunk, bringing the crowd to its feet and injecting some life into a Georgetown offense which had played like it was headed to another dispiriting loss.

Georgetown's comeback did not begin in earnest until three minutes later, down nine. A defensive oriented lineup featuring Akoy Agau and Kaleb Johnson began to take hold, resulting in a number of Connecticut fouls and more importantly, turnovers. The first of a series of consecutive turnovers by UConn forward Rodney Purvis was answered by a Pryor three, only Georgetown's fourth in 16 attempts, 45-39. Purvis lost the ball a second time which guard Jonathan Mulmore connected for a three, 45-42, and a Purvis miss was enforced by a Peak three with 12:09, 45-45. The game was back on.

Neither team led by more than a basket for the next three minutes when Georgetown struck from outside yet again, this time on a Govan three from the top of the key, 51-47. Adams answered for UConn, 51-50, and the lead stayed tight. Adams answered with consecutive buckets t the 5:37 to regain the lead, 57-55, only to see Pryor return the favor with a three and a 58-57 Hoya lead.

Georgetown's tightening defense began to narrow the road for UConn to contend. The Huskies failed to score a basket for nearly three minutes, as three GU possessions resulted in scores by Jessie Govan, L.J. Peak, and Rodney Pryor to got up six with 3:36 remaining, 65-59. UConn answered with four straight to close to 65-63, but forward Ketan Facey missed a free throw with 1:59 remaining that would have closed the margin to one point.

The last two minutes belonged to junior guard L.J. Peak. On a pair of drives inside, Peak was fouled on the first, making both tosses, and drove inside for a rousing layup that put GU up four with 44 seconds remaining. The teams traded foul shots over its next three possessions, but when Govan missed one of two at the line, up three at 72-69, UConn played for the tie. A Vance jackson three was off, and off the offensive rebound it was blocked out of bounds by Agau. An Adams three sailed wide and Georgetown ran out the clock.

Georgetown's second half was the story of the game. The Hoyas shot 38% in the first half, 2-12 from three, and balanced five assists to five turnovers. In the second half, a different story: 48% from the field, 6-12 from three, and 11 assists against five turnovers. Free throws, which had bedeviled GU in recent games, was sterling--Govan's late miss was Georgetown's only errant free throw in 12 attempts after halftime.

Head coach John Thompson III paid particular attention in post-game remarks to the play of junior Akoy Agau, whose defensive efforts did not go unnoticed.

"There was nothing small about Akoy's performance today. I thought he was outstanding," he said. "What Akoy does won't always show up in points, but him flying around and blocking shots and contesting them at the rim and taking some big charges, he ran down at least two offensive rebounds. When he's flying around like that, he's good and we're good."

"A win like this, it's a good confidence boost," said sophomore center Jessie Govan, who took advantage of foul trouble on UConn's Amida Brimah and scored 15 points and seven rebounds on the afternoon. "We won our last conference game and we won this game and we lost to them last year, so it's good to get them back. It's a good win and I'm glad we were able to get it."

At 1-4, Georgetown returns to Big East play Monday against Providence, who upset Seton Hall on Saturday.

The Georgetown half of the box score: The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Mosely       20   1-4   1-1   2-2   1   0  3    7
Pryor        37   4-7   2-4   0-2   4   1  1   14
Peak         37   5-10  2-5   5-5   7   4  2   21
Derrickson   31   2-3   1-7   1-2   6   6  4    8
Hayes         6   0-0   0-0   0-0   1   0  1    0
Reserves:
Campbell      5   0-0   0-0   0-0   1   0  0    0
Mulmore      15   0-1   1-3   0-0   1   1  3    3
Govan        28   4-6   1-2   4-5   7   1  1   15
Agau         15   0-1   0-0   4-4   6   1  3    4 
Johnson       6   0-0   0-1   0-0   0   0  0    0
Team Rebounds                       2
DNP: Cameron, Hines, Muresan, Mourning
TOTALS      200  16-32  8-23 16-20 36  16 18   72
 

Monday's win over with St. John's turned out the smallest home crowd to see a Big East opponent since Georgetown moved games off-campus in 1981. A larger crowd is expected Saturday versus Connecticut.

The announced attendance of 5,158 broke a mark set less than a year ago against Seton Hall.

No. Date Opponent Score Venue Att.
1 1/9/2017 St. John's 83-55 Verizon Center 5,158
2 2/17/2016 Seton Hall 64-72 Verizon Center 5,278
3 2/6/2016 St. John's 92-67 Verizon Center 5,369
4 2/9/1987 Boston College 79-56 Capital Centre 6,147
5 1/8/1986 Connecticut 70-66 Capital Centre 6,171
 
 
Here are the attendance figures for all home games since the 1981-82 season:
1/31/1982 Landover, MD Capital Centre 12,934
2/9/1983 Landover, MD Capital Centre 17,166
2/21/1984 Landover, MD Capital Centre 11,136
1/26/1985 Landover, MD Capital Centre 19,035
2/10/1986 Landover, MD Capital Centre 16,093
1/7/1987 Landover, MD Capital Centre 11,843
1/20/1988 Landover, MD Capital Centre 10,503
1/23/1989 Landover, MD Capital Centre 10,370
2/21/1990 Landover, MD Capital Centre 13,748
1/30/1991 Landover, MD Capital Centre 12,364
1/29/1992 Landover, MD Capital Centre 10,109
2/23/1993 Landover, MD Capital Centre 8,672
1/12/1994 Landover, MD US Air Arena 7,823
1/24/1995 Landover, MD US Air Arena 12,081
1/21/1997 Landover, MD US Air Arena 7,864
1/10/1998 Washington, DC MCI Center 14,238
2/20/1999 Washington, DC MCI Center 15,789
1/18/2003 Washington, DC MCI Center 11,777
1/20/2004 Washington, DC MCI Center 7,203
1/25/2005 Washington, DC MCI Center 7,864
2/9/2006 Washington, DC MCI Center 9,739
2/27/2008 Washington, DC Verizon Center 9,018
12/31/2009 Washington, DC Verizon Center 9,376
1/26/2011 Washington, DC Verizon Center 7,160
2/12/2012 Washington, DC Verizon Center 12,285
2/2/2013 Washington, DC Verizon Center 15,625
1/4/2014 Washington, DC Verizon Center 10,164
2/17/2015 Washington, DC Verizon Center 8,685
2/6/2016 Washington, DC Verizon Center 5,369
1/9/2017 Washington, DC Verizon Center 5,158
 
 
 

It wasn't Georgetown's best effort, but it was a welcome sight as the Hoyas pulled away after halftime in a 83-55 win over St. John's at Verizon Center, its first of the 2016-17 Big East conference season.

ASt. John's started out strong, leveraging its speed inside and scoring on five of its first six attempts to take an early 12-8 lead. It speaks of the futility for the redmen that for the remainder of the half, it would shoot just 6 for 27 thereafter. For its part, Georgetown struggled to build consistency, shooting 23 percent from the field and gaining its first lead with a Rodney Pryor drive at the 11:04 mark, 14-12. The Redmen then went into its first slump of the game, missing ten straight attempts with three turnovers mixed in, giving Georgetown room to build a small, but demonstrable lead.

Georgetown held a 16-14 lead midway through the half before scoring on seven straight shots, with consecutive threes from Marcus Derrickson and Rodney Pryor to put the Hoyas up six, 24-18. Free throws closed the lead to three, but a smaller Georgetown lineup eventually began to pay dividends, limiting the Redmen on inside possessions and controlling the boards en route to a 44-37 halftime lead. The teams combined for 26 fouls and 33 free throws in the first half, with GU owning a 28-20 edge on rebounds.

A seven point lead was not enough to engender much confidence among Hoya fans, but the frigid opened for the Redmen was enough to send the Hoyas' stock soaring after halftime.

A Shamorie Ponds jumper at the 17:07 mark, 47-39, was the only St. John's points over the first 10 minutes and 49 seconds of the half. Fouls (six in the first six minutes), turnovers (seven in the first seven minutes) and awful shot selection dug the Redmen into a hold from which they could not recover and allowed the Hoyas a 19-2 advantage. Over a two minute, 23 second run, Georgetown scored on five straight possessions which extended its lead to 20, 59-39. One the following play, the struggles of St. John's were crystallized, as a three on one St. John's break resulted in an offensive foul.

Another run of St. John's turnovers followed and Georgetown padded its lead. Baskets by Jagan Mosely, Rodney Pryor, and Marcus Derrickson extended the lead to 71-45 with 5:24 to play, and the Hoyas built up the margin to as many as 30 in the final two minutes.

Four Hoyas scored in double figures, with Peak (16), Pryor (13), Mosely (16), and Derrickson (11) accounting for 56 of GU's 86 points, averaging 50 percent from the floor. Despite an team low 0 for 7 from three point range after halftime, Georgetown didn't need it, given how poor the Redmen were shooting. St. John's shot 20 percent for the second half, missing 13 of 15 three point attempts and six of 12 free throws.

"In the second half our energy and effort on both sides were just not there," said St. John's coach Chris Mullin. "We have had outings where we've either struggled offensively or defensively but tonight it was both especially in the second half."

A big number for the Hoyas: rebounds, owning a 50-30 advantage.

"The rebounding is part of defense and understanding we have to finish a possession," said Georgetown coach John Thompson III. "Our guys were focused today, as a unit, not individually but we were focused as a unit."

"We wanted to limit them to one shot," said freshman Jagan Mosely. "We had been struggling with that throughout the season, so we wanted to limit them to one shot and focus on our rebounding, finishing plays." For the second half, St. John's collected just 10 rebounds and zero second chance points.

"Whether it's a loss or a win and there's a lot we can take from this game," said Thompson. "We continue to get better and move on." Next up: a non-conference game Saturday versus Connecticut.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Mosely       28   3-5   0-0   7-8   6   2  2   13
Pryor        25   6-11  0-3   1-2   8   1  3   13
Peak         27   3-5   0-2  10-10  4   2  5   16
Derrickson   27   1-2   3-4   0-0   4   1  1   11
Hayes        31   3-7   0-0   2-2   7   0  3    8
Reserves:
Mulmore      19   0-1   1-2   4-4   4   5  4    7
Cameron       7   0-0   0-1   0-0   1   1  0    0
Hines	      1   0-0   0-1   0-0   0   0  0    0
Govan        25   3-8   0-2   0-3   6   1  3    6
Muresan       1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Agau         14   2-3   0-1   0-0   4   1  1    4 
Johnson      12   0-1   0-1   3-4   3   3  4    3
Mourning      2   1-1   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    2
Team Rebounds                       3
DNP: Campbell
TOTALS      200  22-44  4-17 27-33 50  17 26   76
 

A post at the HoyaTalk board summed it up as best as any: "The main problem continues to be the fact that so many of our players essentially have only one skill. [Rodney] Pryor can score when he is hot, but despite JTIII's attempts to bolster his confidence, he almost literally can do nothing else - he is that chucker we have all seen on the playground or at the Y. Kaleb [Johnson] is a plus defender, but a liability on offense. Jessie [Govan] has a varied offensive game, but is shockingly bad on defense. [Tre] Campbell can hit some outside shots when he is hot, but does little else. And those problems are a combination of recruiting limited players, not coaching them well enough to at least keep them from being liabilities, and those players not working hard enough on their weaknesses."

 
 
 
 

The most telling response to Georgetown's tenth straight loss in a Big East regular season game, a 85-76 overtime loss to Butler before 8,273 at Verizon Center Saturday, was the lack of one.

"We just gotta fight," said John Thompson III at the post-game press-conference, as if that was what ails this team. He said it four times, in fact.

Fight is not the problem with the 2016-17 Georgetown Hoyas. Flight is--the flight of a season that is careening away from them and neither the men in the jerseys nor the man in the suit have any idea of how, why, or what to do about it.

Georgetown had Butler right where they wanted them for much of the is game, in that the Hoyas were able to play their style of game and force the Bulldogs, three days removed from an upset of #1-ranked Villanova, on their collective heels. Georgetown held a pair of early leads from six early points from fifth year senior Bradley Hayes, whose offensive effort trailed off soon thereafter. Same too from Jonathan Mulmore, with five straight points to give Georgetown a 22-17 lead with 6:32 to halftime, and Mulmore failed to score the rest of the game.

A 7-0 Butler run gave the Bulldogs a 24-22 lead, but the Hoyas were up to the challenge, answering with an L.J. Peak steal and basket, a Marcus Derrickson jumper, and a Jagan Mosely basket to take a 32-31 lead into halftime, holding the Bulldogs to 38 percent shooting. Perhaps just as notable--it had held the Bulldogs to just 2 for 3 at the free throw line. For now.

Like a car weaving down the road, it's easy for the amen chorus to blame the driver when, for yet another game, there was a missing wheel. It's rare this season for Georgetown to play when the starting five is playing as a t-e-a-m, and yet, the non-performance of graduate student Rodney Pryor was a mystery to everyone, even his coach.

Pryor, averaging 20 points a game, shot 0 for 8 in the game, numbers not seen from Pryor going back to his early days at Robert Morris. It's not that Butler keyed on Pryor or that the defense was insufferable. He just didn't shoot with any sense of purpose.

"I'm not sure [why]," said Thompson. "When we get back to campus I need to talk with him to see if something is going on."

Such are not words from a confident coach when his best player left his oar at the boathouse, to mix a sports metaphor. The Hoyas were in need of someone to step up and while there were many nominees, one did stepp forward.

Freshman Jagan Mosely, whose efforts this season have been measured at best, opened the second half with authority, scoring the Hoyas' first five points and being a source of vitality throughout the second half even when the Hoyas weren't. Georgetown sleepwalked through parts of the second half, watching a 41-40 lead with 13:32 to play wither away on a 12-4 run that gave Butler a lead they would maintain for much of the remainder of the game. Mosely and Peak were resolute in keeping the Hoyas within range offensively; however, Georgetown's perimeter defense was visibly lacking in allowing the Bulldogs free rein from the three point arc. The Bulldogs shot 62 percent from the three point line in the second half, none more vital than when a open three from freshman Kamar baldwin gave Butler a four point lead, 59-55.

Butler extended the lead to six heading into the final five minutes. Georgetown stood up defensively and began its way back.

The Hoyas closed to three, 63-60, with an L.J. Peak basket and free throw at the 4:33 mark. It held the Bulldogs scoreless on its next four possessions, where a pair of free throws from Marcus Derrickson closed to 63-62, followed by a Derrickson three gave GU a 65-63 lead with 2:11 remaining. The Hoyas extended it to three, 66-63 on a Mosely free throw with 1:08 to play. Thirteen seconds later, the defense lost sight of forward Nate Fowler, whose three tied the game with 54 seconds to play.

Free throws from Mosely brought the Hoyas to a 68-66 lead with 33 seconds to play. On its next possession, Butler's Ketan Savage missed the jump but Kaleb Johnson fouled the rebounder with eight seconds remaining, answered by two free throws to tie the score at 68. Georgetown had the last possession and, to form, did not know what to do with it. L.J. Peak got the ball up high, but there was no screen or movements from the other four and he was forced to take an off-key shot that led into overtime. It was as close as the Hoyas would see the win column thereafter.

A missed shot from Pryor opened the period. Bradley Hayes badly missed two free throws, and he soon disappeared as well. Tied at 70 with 3:22 to play, Georgetown missed its next five shots, answered by eight Butler free throws and an uncontested layup by Fowler to extend the lead to 80-70 with 52 seconds remaining. A pair of late threes by Georgetown were of no consequence. The Hoyas shot 27 percent (3 for 11) in the overtime and faded into the darkness of the Big East cellar once again.

Peak and Mosely led the scoring with 21 and 20, respectively. The story was defensively, where Georgetown's foul-prone ways handed Butler 26 free throw attempts after halftime, where they scored on 23. The Hoyas were outrebounded 42-36 despite no Butler player taller than 6-8 on the court. Four Bulldogs scored in double figures and despite a 3 for 13 effort from Butler's Kelan Martin, the rest of the team responded, with big efforts from Kemar Baldwin (16 points) and a 4-4 effort from reserve Nate Fowler.

"I've been practicing a lot this off season and this year have gotten used to being in those situations," Fowler said of his late game heroics. The same cannot be said of his opponents.

Much was made, too much perhaps, on the Fox broadcast of the fact that John Thompson resigned after the last 0-4 start to a Georgetown team, in January 1999. The circumstances and surroundings of that decision are totally unrelated to the mess John Thompson III faces. With an increasingly ineffective team on his hands, an NCAA bid is all but out of the question, given the Hoyas would have to win 10 of its final 14 Big East games even to be in the conversation. Slipping too, the NIT, which requires a winning record even for consideration. At 8-8, and with seven games remaining against top 20 opponents, this team is closer to repeating last season's pit stop than the Hilltop would like to believe.

The Hoyas will still keep fighting. The fans will still feel the pain. The next body blow--a rapidly improving St. John's team, Monday at Verizon Center, where an upset by the Redmen would be not that much of an upset anymore.

Bring an ice pack.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Mosely       33   2-4   3-3   7-8   4   2  4   20
Pryor        24   0-4   0-4   0-0   3   2  2    0
Peak         43   6-11  2-5   3-4   3   2  2   21
Derrickson   39   3-6   1-4   5-5   5   4  4   14
Govan         8   1-3   0-0   0-1   2   0  1    2
Reserves:
Mulmore      16   1-4   1-1   0-0   0   3  2    5
Agau          8   1-1   0-1   0-0   4   0  3    2
Johnson      22   1-2   0-1   0-2   2   0  2    2
Mourning      1   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  1    0
Hayes        31   5-8   0-0   0-2   9   1  3   10
Team Rebounds                       4
DNP: Campbell, Cameron, Hines, Muresan
TOTALS      200  20-44  7-19 15-22 36  14 24   76
 

The Georgetown Hoyas dropped to 0-3 for the first time since the 1998-1999 season Wednesday, fading late in a 76-70 loss at Providence, its fifth straight defeat at the hands of the Friars.

Wednesday's game was a matchup of two not very good teams and they played like it. The Hoyas opened the game shooting 3 for its first 16 shots, but the Friars were similarly inept; the two teams combined for just 24 points at the halfway mark of the first half. PC missed 16 of its next 18 attempts but Georgetown was simply unable to take full advantage. The Hoyas got points inside from Marcus Derrickson and Akoy Agau but nothing from L.J. Peak and just one point all half from Rodney Pryor, preventing Georgetown from building a lead it could maintain.

The Hoyas held a 23-22 lead with 3:38 to halftime but lagged defensively. The Friars outscored the Hoyas down the stretch 9-0 to take a 30-23 lead at the break. Georgetown's numbers were grim: 31 percent from the field, 2 for 12 from three point range. Derrickson and Agau were a combined 6 for 10, the remainder of the team was 4 for 22.

Georgetown stayed close to open the second half, with back to back threes by Pryor and Derrickson to take a 37-34 lead at the first media time out of the second half. With leading scorer Rodney Bullock contained and fighting foul trouble, the Friars got solid second half efforts from guard Jalen Lindsay and center Emmitt Holt, who combined for 27 points and kept the Friars close despite a dominating second half from sophomore Marcus Derrickson, who contributed 21 of the Hoyas' 47 points after the break. The second half featured three ties and five lead changes, the last of which took place with a Jessie Govan jumper with 8:33 remaining to tie the score at 54.

PC pulled ahead with sound defense and second effort. The Friars led 56-54 when, on two consecutive possessions, offensive rebounds were turned into points: a Jalen Lindsey offensive rebound was deposited for a three pointer, 59-54, and a Holt offensive rebound was scooped back for a tip-in, 61-55, with 6:01 remaining. With Bullock sidelined for foul trouble, the Friars held an eight point lead until a Pryor three, 65-60. PC called a time out and promptly went inside for a Holt dunk.

A basket by Peak closed the gap to 67-62 with 2:38 to play. Providence answered with two at the line and a fifth foul from Agau helped stretch the margin to 72-64 at the two minute mark. A pair of missed threes from Pryor followed and the Friars took over with 1:04 to play up eight. In a bizarre scenario, Georgetown opted not to foul, as PC ran off nearly thirty seconds of the clock before missing a layup at the 34 second mark. A free throw from Pryor and a three by Derrickson closed back to five but no closer, giving ample thought as what Georgetown could have done with an extra 30 seconds on the clock.

Derrickson (26 points) and Agau (12 points, 12 rebounds) were the best of a bad night all around for the G-men. The two combined to shoot 15 for 23 (65 percent) while the rest of the team combined for 12 for 42 (28 percent). Peak and Pryor combined to miss 22 of 30 attempts, while the point guard tandem of Jagan Mosely and Jonathan Mulmore combined for one field goal and three points.

The foul line sealed Georgetown's fate. Averaging 20 points from free throws per game, Georgetown was a meager 8 for 16 at the line (50 percent) while allowing Providence a mark of 22 for 30 at the line. The Hoyas were outrebounded 40-36 despite no one taller than 6-8 on the Providence team.

The Hoyas will seek to avoid its worst start in Big East history Saturday against Butler, which upset #1 Villanova this evening.

The Georgetown half of the box score:


            MIN   2FG   3FG   FT  REB  A  PF  PTS
Starters:
Mosely       20   1-2   0-1   1-2   1   1  2    3
Pryor        38   3-7   3-11  1-3   3   1  3   16
Peak         36   1-7   1-5   1-2   3   2  1    6
Derrickson   28   6-8   4-8   2-2   6   1  3   26
Govan        20   3-6   0-1   1-2   4   5  1    7
Reserves:
Mulmore      19   0-1   0-0   0-0   4   2  4    0
Agau         21   5-7   0-0   2-3  12   0  5   12
Johnson       8   0-0   0-0   0-0   0   0  0    0
Hayes        10   0-1   0-0   0-2   0   2  2    0
Team Rebounds                       3
DNP: Campbell, Cameron, Hines, Muresan, Mourning 
TOTALS      200  19-39  8-26  8-16 36  15 21   70