- Georgetown 111, Missouri 102 (OT)
- TCU Joins Big East Conference
- Meet The Horned Frogs
- Georgetown 87, N.C.-Asheville 72
- Mourning Selected To GU Athletic Hall of Fame
- Georgetown 82, N.C. State 67
- Georgetown 74, Wofford 59
- Georgetown 80, Coastal Carolina 61
- Georgetown 69, Tulane 53
- Vaughn Hospitalized
- Freshman Center Out For Fall Semester
- Georgetown 62, Old Dominion 59
- NCAA Certification Underway
- Early Signing Period Underway
- Big East Approves Expansion Efforts
- Third Verbal for 2011
- Non-Conference TV Schedule
| Georgetown 111, Missouri 102 (OT) | 12/1/10 |
Ninth-ranked Missouri calls its style of play "the fastest 40 minutes in basketball." Make that 45.
In a game that lived up to expectations and then some, the Georgetown Hoyas overcame an 18 point comeback by the Tigers in a raucous 111-102 overtime win at the Sprint Center Tuesday night.
This is a game that had it all, and it began with some of Georgetown's best shooting all season. The Hoyas opened the game hitting 10 of its first 13 shots, stunning the pro-Mizzou crowd and building leads of 16-11, 27-13 and 33-17 midway in the first half, thanks to 12 of Austin Freeman's 19 first half points. A Vee Sanford three extended the lead to 18, 38-20, before the Tigers began to turn up the volume on both sides of the court.
A key to the comeback was the foul line. The Tigers drove inside on three straight possessions and connecting on six straight at the line to close to 44-34 with 4:20 to play. Freeman answered with a three, 47-34, but Missouri's Marcus Denmon went to work--a three with 3:21 cut the margin to ten, and after a trade of free throws and a Henry Sims basket, Denmon cut the lead to nine on a three, part of a 6-6, 16 point first half effort.
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On Georgetown's next series,Freeman was tagged with an offensive foul and turned the ball over, whereupon Missouri awoke the crowd with a basket and foul, 51-45. Georgetown appeared to be running out of time on its next series, but Freeman found the ball and launched a three at...or slightly after the buzzer, inaudible on the court. The three, a non-reviewable call, allowed Georgetown a 54-47 at the break. The Hoyas shot a remarkable 71% in the half, matching its effort against Duke last season. The second half may have topped the first, however. The Tigers had clawed back in the first half with steals (eight) and forcing turnovers (10), and more was to follow in the second. Threes from Clark and Freeman helped maintain the lead early, but the inside play of reserve forward Ricardo Ratliffe, with a career high 22 in the game, pushed the Tigers forward. Georgetown held a four point lead for much of the early part of the half, until a Michael Dixon three with 12:10 to play closed to one, 71-70. The Tigers whiffed on two air balls in an attempt to take the lead with under 11 minutes left, but held GU to a pair of free throws and one basket over the next four minutes. A Georgetown turnover and a long-range Denmon three gave Mizzou the lead with 8:22 to play, 77-75, answered on the next series by a big Sanford three, 78-77. A Dixon drive put the Tigers back up 79-78, and Mizzou would hold the lead for most of the next five and a half minutes of regulation. A three on one break by English pushed the lead to 81-78, answered by a Clark to Wright dish, 81-80. A pair of Freeman baskets tied the score at 84 with 3:31 to play, but Missouri continued to play tough inside, picking up two foul shots and forcing a shot clock violation with 1:46 to play, converted by a Lawrence Bowers reverse layup, 89-87. With under a minute to play, Clark sent up in an ill-advised three that the Tigers converted by a Denmon dunk and a two point lead, 91-89. Henry Sims came up big with a tip-in with 29 seconds remaining to close to two, but was matched by two free throws by Dixon three seconds later, 93-89. On GU's next possession, Wright drove inside and missed a short shot, with the Hoyas quickly fouling Bowers. Entering the game with a 71% average from the line, Bowers missed both free throws and Wright was fouled on the rebound, making two and closing to 93-91. Dixon was fouled with 14 seconds left, making the first but missing the second, 94-91. "There's no excuse, I just missed the free throw," Dixon said in post-game remarks. "I kind of pride myself on shooting free throws, and I take responsibility for that, I kind of let my team down. There are about 50 different things that you could say if it went the other way in this game we could have won, but I'm a point guard and point guards make free throws." |
111 GU points, most since 2002 18-18 GU free throws, most consecutive in GU history 14-1 GU record in games played on Nov. 30 71.4 GU FG %, 1st half 9-13 FT shooting in 2nd half, MU 1-4 FT shooting in last 20 sec., MU 23.3 Avg. bench points this season, MU 15 Bench pts in this game, MU 24 Bench pts in this game, GU +6 Turnover edge, MU +11 Rebounding edge, GU 7 Years since a GU player had back to back 30 pt games. (Mike Sweetney, Feb. 2003) |
With the clock running down, Hollis Thompson launched a long three that missed with under 10 seconds left, but Missouri's Kim English tried to save the rebound from going out of bounds, instead tipping it back into play in the direction of Clark, who dished to Wright for a three with under two seconds left, 94-94.
What many fans might have missed, but the ESPNU cameras did not, was that in the ensuing play after the Wright three, Clark nearly became the goat, as it appeared he was trying to foul Dixon on the inbounds, believing GU was down one. A foul was neither proffered nor called, and the game went into overtime without further incident.
The first two minutes of overtime swayed back and forth, with a Freeman jumper and a pair of free throws versus points by Ratliffe inside and a 98-98 score with 3:22 to play. Despite missing five of six threes in regulation, Clark answered the bell with a three to push the lead to 101-98, and off a Sims steal, rang the bell a second time, 104-98. Following a a Wright turnover and a Kim English basket, 104-100, Clark closed the Tigers' cage with his third three in just 1:44, 107-100. Four Wright free throws closed out the scoring of a memorable game for both teams.
A true team effort paved the way for this win, with strong defensive efforts down the stretch by Henry Sims and Nate Lubick, and a pair of big three pointers by Vee Sanford. All in all, though, the "DC-3" (Austin Freeman, Jason Clark, Chris Wright) continued to soar. Freeman played 40 minutes with 31 points and six threes, Clark with 26, and Wright with 21 points and 10 assists. Georgetown's veteran guards carried the scoring down the stretch, scoring 31 of the the Hoyas' final 33 points.
All five Tigers starters were in double figures, led by Denmon with 27 and Ratliffe with 22, both career highs.
Georgetown's 18-18 effort at the free throw line was the unsung hero of the game--the most consecutive in school history, with a 100% effort at the line matched only three times in recorded box scores dating to 1916. For a team averaging just 65% at the line entering the game, yet another amazing performance in the John Thompson III era, in a game both teams can be justly proud of.
"Hard to imagine many teams beating Georgetown on Tuesday night," wrote Kansas City Star columnist Sam Mellinger. "Regardless of what happens the rest of the year, Missouri lost to a really good team, and in college basketball, there’s no penalty for that."
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Wright 45 3-6 2-6 9-9 1 10 3 21
Clark 35 7-11 4-9 0-0 6 2 2 26
Freeman 40 4-6 6-11 5-5 5 2 2 31
Thompson 21 1-2 1-2 0-0 4 0 4 5
Vaughn 9 1-1 0-0 2-2 3 1 4 4
Reserves:
Starks 9 0-0 0-1 2-2 0 1 0 2
Sanford 3 1-1 2-3 0-0 1 1 0 8
Sims 33 5-7 0-0 0-0 7 2 5 10
Benimon 10 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 4 2
Lubick 20 1-2 0-0 0-0 4 4 3 2
DNP: Dougherty, Caprio, Bowen, Ayegba
Team Rebounds 4
TOTALS 200 24-37 15-32 18-18 36 23 27 111
Coverage follows below:
- GUHoyas.com
- MUTigers.com
- Associated Press
- Big 12 Hoops
- Columbia Missourian
- Columbia Tribune
- Columbia Tribune (2)
- Kansas City Star
- Kansas City Star (2)
- The HOYA
- Missourinet.com
- Missouri Maneater
- SB Nation.com
- Washington Post
| TCU Joins Big East Conference | 11/30/10 |
Big East officials announced Tuesday the addition of Texas Christian University as the 17th member of the conference effective with the 2012-13 season.
"When the Big East Conference looked to expand, we sought to add a member that would bring significant value to our current 16 outstanding member institutions," said conference commissioner John Marinatto at a news conference at TCU's Ft. Worth, TX campus. "We sought a member that would make us not only bigger, but stronger and more competitive. Our focus was to add a quality institution to our football membership and clearly the tremendously successful TCU football team adds enormous strength to the Big East roster. The opportunity to add a member such as TCU as a full member was an opportunity our presidents and chancellors simply could not pass up.”
The Big East has also extended an invitation to Villanova University to join the conference in football, but did not make a similar offer to Georgetown.
For a school roughly 1,200 miles west of Interstate 95 to be in such consideration speaks to the unbending will of the school to pull itself up from its boot straps following the dissolution of the venerable Southwest Conference in 1994. Over the ensuing years, TCU has upgraded from the Western Athletic Conference to Conference USA to the Mountain West. Over the last 5-10 years, the school has made considerable upgrades in athletic facilities, including new facilities in soccer and baseball, new football and basketball practice facilities, and a $104 million renovation of its 46,000 seat football stadium now underway, paid for by just 34 donors.
"One of our goals at Texas Christian University has always been to succeed at the highest level, both academically and athletically," said chancellor Vincent Boschini. "Our Board chair feels we can do that. I believe we can do that. Our faculty and staff believe we can do that.”
The addition also adds the fifth largest media market to the Big East footprint, no small fact as the conference under the direction of Paul Tagliabue (C'62) continues work on a cable TV network that could bring its football schools as much as $15 million in additional revenue, and about one-third that for Division I-AA Georgetown and six other Big East schools that do not sponsor football.
The Horned Frogs currently compete in the Mountain West Conference, having completed consecutive undefeated regular seasons in football. TCU, ranked #3 in the BCS computer rankings, is expected to be selected to the 2011 Rose Bowl barring a loss by either Oregon or Auburn next week. As a Big East member, TCU will have regular access to BCS bowl opportunities, something not provided to date for the Mountain West.
Basketball is not as strong as football, however. TCU finished 11-19 in 2009-10 with with an average attendance of 3,686, but is expected to leverage its new conference ties for a commensurate upgrade in recruiting and fan support.
“The Big East will now be playing football in the Northeast, the Midwest, Florida and Texas. No other conference can claim such representation," said Marinatto. "The addition of the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the fifth-largest media market in the country, furthers the Big East Conference footprint, reaching more than 25 million U.S. households, more than 25 percent of the United States.”
TCU fields 18 sports, 16 of which are joining the conference and two (women's equestrian, women's rifle) which are not sponsored by the league.
"We dare to be great academically and athletically. This move, today, is great for TCU," said TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte, speaking at the Horned Frogs home arena, 7,166 seat Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. "We’re moving into a realm and an arena that we’ve always dreamed about. The academic institutions we are going to be associated with are unbelievable. The people in this building are so excited about this opportunity. We’ll have West Virginia playing here at Amon Carter Stadium. We’ll have Connecticut playing our women’s basketball program right in here. We’ve got Villanova coming. We’ve got Syracuse coming.”
And in two years, Georgetown as well.
Coverage of the announcement follows below.
Some commentary on the TCU addition and lessons for Georgetown athletics can also be found on the Third Rail football blog.
| Meet The Horned Frogs | 11/30/10 |
With less than five percent of Georgetown students hailing from the Southwest, many of our readers may know very little about TCU. Here's a quick comparison of that university with Georgetown:
| Texas Christian University | Georgetown University | |
| Located | Ft. Worth, TX (pop: 727,575) | Washington, DC (pop: 599,657) |
| Founded | 1873 as Add-Ran College | 1789 as Georgetown College |
| School Colors | Purple and white | Blue and gray |
| Nickname | Horned Frogs | Hoyas |
| Mascot | Super Frog | Jack the Bulldog |
| College Cheer | "Rif Ram" | "Hoya Saxa" |
| Religious Affiliation | Disciples of Christ | Roman Catholic |
| Campus | 272 acres, urban | 104 acres, urban |
| Undergraduates | 7,853 | 5,700 |
| Undergraduate schools | 8 | 4 |
| US News ranking | Tier I, #99 | Tier I, #21 |
| Student-Faculty ratio | 14:1 | 9:1 |
| Students living on campus | 48% | 86% |
| Pct. from Texas | 71% | 3% |
| Tuition & fees | $40,100 | $53,591 |
| Endowment | $1.12 billion | $1 billion |
| Athletic Teams | 18 | 29 |
| Big East teams | 16 | 23 |
| Football stadium | Amon Carter Stadium (46,000) | Multi-Sport Field (2,500) |
| Basketball arena | Daniel-Meyer Coliseum (7,166) | Verizon Center (20,500) |
| Baseball stadium | Lupton Stadium (3,500) | Shirley Povich Field (500) |
| NCAA Champions | Football (1935,38) Women's Golf (1983) Equestrian (2008) Rifle (2010) |
Men's Basketball (1984) |
| Notable athletic alumni | Sam Baugh Davey O'Brien Bob Lilly LaDanian Tomlinson |
Paul Tagliabue Patrick Ewing Dikembe Mutombo Alonzo Mourning |
| Georgetown 87, N.C.-Asheville 72 | 11/27/10 |
A 23-0 first half run led by Austin Freeman paced the Georgetown Hoyas to a 87-72 win over North Carolina-Asheville before 10,354 at Verizon Center Saturday.
Despite opening the game on a Freeman three pointer, Georgetown missed four if its next five shots and saw the score tied at 7-7. A Henry Sims basket gave Georgetown the lead at 9-7 with 15:46 to play, and the Hoyas began their run. Freeman hit three pointers on three of GU's next four possessions, widening the lead to 21-7. Georgetown pushed the margin to 30-7 from a Vee Sanford three pointer, as the Bulldogs (2-3) missed 11 consecutive shots and opened the game 2 for 18.
UNC-Asheville rediscovered its offense and began to work into the lead during a period that featured a lull in Georgetown's shooting efforts. A 17-9 run by the Bulldogs cut the 23 point lead to just 12, 39-37, before consecutive baskets by Freeman (a two and a three) pushed the lead to 44-27 at the break.
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"We, without a doubt, had some lulls that just talked about just now in the locker room," said coach John Thompson III in post-game comments. "That's one of the things when you go through and are trying to get experience for guys and as a coach you want them to fight through those situations." A similar pattern developed in the second half, where the Hoyas connected on six of its first seven attempts to build the lead up to 26, 57-31, but miss 11 of is next 15 as the Bulldogs clawed their way back into the game. As they had done in comebacks against against Auburn and North Carolina, NC-Asheville embarked on a pair of runs to close the gap. UNC-A closed back to 12 at 73-61 with 4:58 to play before a Hollis Thompson three ended the run, and the Bulldogs closed back to 14 at 82-68 in the final two minutes but none closer. Freeman led all scorers with 32 points on 11-15 scoring and seven threes, tying an GU individual record also held by Mark Tillmon and Darrel Owens. His 20 points in the first half were all the more significant given that Chris Wright and Jason Clark shot just 2 for 7 and Hollis Thompson did not take a shot in just nine minutes of action. In the second half, Thompson was much more effective, with 11 points and seven rebounds in the half, and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. while Julian Vaughn's eight first half points were matched with eight in the second for 16 overall. |
29 Points by Hollis Thompson, last 2 games 19 Rebounds by Hollis Thompson, last 2 games 23 GU turnovers 18 Bench points, GU 14 Bench points, UNC-A +17 Rebounding edge, GU |
Led by Freeman, the Hoyas posted 13 threes in the game, fifth most in a single game in school history and just a week removed from a 14 three point effort in the Charleston Classic. "On a game to game basis we have an experienced enough group now where they have a feel for when they are taking too many threes," said Thompson. "I don't think too many of those if any were bad shots."
Through six games, the Hoyas have 60 three point goals, a margin of +26 versus its opponents' outside shooting. To give you an idea of how the game has changed, the Georgetown team of 20 years ago (1990-91) sank just 68 threes in a 32 game season.
Georgetown takes a major step up in competition Thursday against #11 Missouri, the highest ranked opponent Georgetown will likely face outside of Big East play. Game time from the Sprint Center in Kansas City will be at 9:00 pm EST.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Wright 27 0-0 1-3 0-0 3 9 1 3
Clark 25 2-5 1-4 0-0 6 3 0 7
Freeman 27 4-6 7-9 3-3 3 2 3 32
Thompson 24 1-2 3-5 0-0 10 0 3 11
Vaughn 25 6-11 0-0 4-7 9 2 2 16
Reserves:
Starks 14 1-2 0-1 0-1 0 1 0 2
Sanford 12 0-1 1-2 0-0 1 0 0 3
Sims 13 1-2 0-0 2-3 4 1 5 4
Benimon 16 0-1 0-0 2-2 3 2 2 2
Bowen 3 0-0 0-1 0-1 2 0 2 0
Lubick 14 2-3 0-0 3-3 0 1 3 7
DNP: Dougherty, Caprio, Ayegba
Team Rebounds 1
TOTALS 200 17-33 13-25 14-20 42 21 21 82
Coverage follows below:
| Mourning Selected To GU Athletic Hall of Fame | 11/27/10 |
Former All-American Alonzo Mourning (C'92) is among seven alumni to be honored at the induction ceremonies for the Georgetown University Athletic Hall of Fame in February, per an announcement earlier this week at the View From The Hilltop blog.
Mourning, 40, is the 33rd men's basketball player selected since 1953 and only the sixth in the modern era (1972-present). Also selected for induction were Michael Stahr (C'88, track and field), Kathryn Federici (C'87, tennis), Dean Lowry (C'89, football), James Kenny (B'90, lacrosse), Mark Marilley (C'86, swimming), and Andrew Hoffmann (B'90, soccer).
Per the announcement, "Mourning is one of only two Georgetown basketball players to have graduated with 2,000 or more points and 1,000 or more rebounds. A three-time All-America selection, he led the Hoyas to four NCAA appearances and three Big East finals appearances (1989,1991,1992). As a senior, he became the first player ever named the Big East Conference's Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Tournament MVP in the same season."
A seven time NBA All-Star and a gold medalist in the 2000 Olympics, Mourning is active in charitable activities in the Miami area and is also a partner in Athletes for Hope, a major charitable project co-founded by Mourning along with Andre Agassi, Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Warrick Dunn, Jeff Gordon, Mia Hamm, Tony Hawk, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mario Lemieux, and Cal Ripken, Jr.
"Is my work the answer? No," Mourning recently told the Miami New Times. "But each and every one of us has had individuals who contributed to our development and well-being. I don't want to waste my time on Earth."
The induction ceremonies will take place Friday, Feb. 25 on the Georgetown campus, which is the night before the home finale with Syracuse. This would be a excellent opportunity for all Hoya basketball fans to be a part of this special event and to salute Alonzo for a lifetime of dedication on and off the court. More information will follow next month.
| Georgetown 82, N.C. State 67 | 11/22/10 |
A 15-0 second half run paced the #20-ranked Georgetown Hoyas to an 82-67 win over North Carolina State in the finals of the 2010 Charleston Classic, providing some of the best all-around efforts of the season to date.
The Hoyas started off sluggish and its three point shooting was off, allowing the Wolfpack (3-1) to build leads of 5-0, 15-9, and 18-13. Georgetown missed six of its first eight from behind the arc until Hollis Thompson hit a three with 10:48 in the half and Julian Vaughn answered with a basket 30 seconds later, 18-18. The remainder of the half would see the two teams see-saw on the lead, with no team leading by more than three. A Chris Wright three gave the Hoyas its first lead of the game at 35-34, and halftime ended in a 37-37 tie with the Hoyas shooting 40% from the field but just 5-15 from outside the three point line.
Georgetown's halftime adjustments inside and return of the outside shot helped get the Hoyas moving in the right direction. Austin Freeman opened the second half with a three, 40-37, and answered the Wolfpack's 44-42 lead with a driving dunk that tied the score and sent momentum heading to the Blue and Gray. Over the next six minutes, Georgetown controlled both sides of the court, with strong play inside by center henry Sims and a run of superb shooting by guards Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, and Jason Clark. A talented but young N.C. State team quickly fell behind as the Hoyas got going.
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Following Freeman's dunk, the Pack failed to score and Sims, not heretofore known for his inside touch, added a turnaround jumper, 46-44. Sims picked up a steal on the next play and fed Wright for the basket and foul, 49-44. Thirty seconds later, Sims fed Jerrelle Benimon for two, 51-44. State's shots were increasingly off the mark and the Hoyas made them pay. Consecutive threes by Hollis Thompson and Jason Clark pushed the count to 57-44 at the 11:19 mark, with the Wolfpack getting back on the scoreboard at the 10:57 mark. A Freeman dunk and a Hollis Thompson basket pushed the lead back to 15 with 9:19 to play, with a pair of alert plays by Sims helping keep the lead in double digits. Sims picked up a put back at the 8:54 mark to go up 63-48, and on the next series fed Freeman through the back door to push the score back to 14, 65-51. N.C. State never closed within 12 the rest of the way, as Freeman and Wright took over down the stretch and led the Hoyas to the win. |
21 GU assists on 32 baskets 52% NC State shooting, 1st half 29% NC State shooting, 2nd half +8 Second chance points edge, GU +10 Rebounding edge, GU |
Both teams played at a high intensity throughout the game, but when Georgetown was going on all cylinders, State had little in response. Richard Howell led the pack with 14, but talented N.C. State freshman forward C.J. Leslie was held to just two second half points as the defense stepped up.
Starters Hollis Thompson (18 points, 9 rebounds), Chris Wright (17 points, 7 assists), Austin Freeman (15 points), Jason Clark (14 points), and Julian Vaughn (8 points, 7 rebounds) accounted for 72 of the Hoyas' 82 points, a balanced effort that wore out a younger N.C. State team. From the bench, Henry Sims added nine rebounds, Jerrelle Benimon six, and Nate Lubick four.
"When league play starts, you have to come prepared every night,” said coach John Thompson III. “We’re going to play good teams every night and we have to mentally, physically, emotionally be honed in and focused like we were in the second half tonight.”
Having played five games in the last nine days, the Hoyas get a welcome break this week for Thanksgiving, returning to action Saturday at Verizon Center against a fourth straight opponent from the Carolinas, this time in North Carolina-Asheville. Tip-off is at noon.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Wright 30 4-10 2-5 3-5 4 7 1 17
Clark 30 2-4 3-8 1-1 2 0 3 14
Freeman 34 4-9 1-3 4-4 0 2 0 15
Thompson 26 5-6 2-3 2-2 9 1 2 18
Vaughn 23 4-9 0-0 0-2 7 1 2 8
Reserves:
Starks 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 2 1 0
Sanford 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Sims 15 2-6 0-0 0-0 9 5 2 4
Benimon 21 2-3 0-1 0-0 6 3 4 4
Bowen 1 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
Lubick 11 1-1 0-1 0-0 4 0 1 2
DNP: Dougherty, Caprio, Ayegba
Team Rebounds 5
TOTALS 200 24-49 8-22 10-14 47 21 16 82
Coverage follows below:
- GUHoyas.com
- GoPack.com
- Associated Press
- Charleston Post & Courier
- Charlotte Observer
- The HOYA
- Raleigh News & Observer
- The Technician
- Washington Post
Sunday's victory marked Georgetown's 17th in-season tournament title:
- Dec. 29-30, 1952: Boston Arena Tournament (Defeated Seattle, Rhode Island)
- Dec. 29-30, 1961: Richmond Invitational (Defeated Richmond, VMI)
- Dec. 29-30, 1964: Georgetown Invitational (Defeated Richmond, Lehigh)
- Dec. 28-29, 1966: Kodak Classic (Defeated Purdue, Dartmouth)
- Dec. 29-30, 1969: Kodak Classic (Defeated Penn St., Stanford)
- Dec. 10-11, 1977: Hoya Invitational (Defeated Xavier-LA, Georgia)
- Dec. 27-29, 1977: ECAC Holiday Festival (Defeated Holy Cross, Alabama)
- Dec. 15-16, 1979: Nike Cage Classic (Defeated Loyola-Marymount, Houston)
- Dec. 29-30, 1981: Rochester Classic (Defeated Columbia, Niagara)
- Dec. 3-4, 1982: Wendy's Classic (Defeated St. Francis-PA, Western Kentucky)
- Dec. 29-30, 1983: Las Vegas Classic (Defeated Marshall, UNLV)
- Nov. 28-29, 1986: Hawaii-Hilo Tournament (Defeated Quincy-IL, Washburn-KS)
- Dec. 28-30, 1992: UCI Classic (Defeated Hawaii-Pacific, Cal-Irvine)
- Dec. 28-29, 1994: Sacramento Classic (Defeated Grambling St., Fairfield)
- Nov. 24-26, 2000: HPU Thanksgiving Classic (Defeated C. Florida, Coll. of Charleston, Minnesota)
- Dec. 27-28, 2005: Sun Bowl Classic (Defeated Colgate, UTEP)
- Nov. 18-21, 2010: Charleston Classic (Defeated Coastal Carolina, Wofford, N.C. State)
(Note that the 1984 Copa Navidad in San Juan, PR and various games scheduled against Hawaii-Loa and Hawaii-Hilo in the late 1980's were called tournaments but the opponents were decided in advance of play.)
| Georgetown 74, Wofford 59 | 11/20/10 |
"Poise, poise, poise and more poise is what Georgetown basketball is all about. Before the game, an assistant coach told me the key to the Hoyas' success is the continued development of their low-post players."--Jay Williams, ESPN.com
Enter the big men.
After quiet starts to begin the 2010-11 season, centers Julian Vaughn and Henry Sims combined for 18 points and 15 rebounds as Georgetown steered past Wofford 74-59 in Friday's second round action at the Charleston Classic.
The win was notable for the arrival of Vaughn and Sims to provide offensive muscle when the starting backcourt was not raining threes as it had done so over the past two games. Georgetown hit 26 threes in the prior two games, but just five today on only eight attempts. Leveraging height and rebounding ability proved decisive in this game against a solid Wofford club.
Georgetown raced out to a 9-0 lead, thanks to six straight misses by the Terriers to open play. Georgetown held a lead at or near double digits much of the first half, with balanced scoring from all five starters and a 19-11 advantage on rebounds. The Hoyas shot 58 percent from the field while the Terriers struggled at 23 percent, and watched as a late Chris Wright three built the lead to 13 at the half, 37-24.
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Wofford's best weapon in the first half was forward Noah Dahlman, with 11 of the Terriers' 23 points at halftime and who spurred an early second half charge. Two Dahlman layups and a pair of three pointers cut the 13 point lead to just six at the 15:53 mark, 43-37, and two minutes later Wofford had closed to five, 44-39. "Good teams, well-coached teams, are going to make runs," coach John Thompson III said in post-game remarks. "It's how we respond, to settle down and say, 'Let's take that away.'" Senior guard Chris Wright did just that, scoring on three straight possessions while Wofford was able to get only a free throw from two consecutive three-on-one breaks that could have seized the momentum. Wright's third score, a three pointer with 12:40 to play, pushed the lead back to 49-41. |
26 GU 3-pointers in last two games 5 GU 3-pointers in this game +16 Points in the paint edge, GU +16 Rebounding edge, GU |
A three pointer by Wofford's Jamar Diggs got the lead back down to five, 50-45, but on the next series a more animated Henry Sims drove strongly down the middle for the basket, 52-45. Over the next four series, Georgetown held Wofford without a basket as the Hoyas were sent to the line four times, hitting seven of eight free throws and extending the lead to 59-45. The lead closed to 11 with 5:12 to play, but a jumper from Austin Freeman answered the call and the Terriers never challenged thereafter.
Julian Vaughn had an outstanding effort, with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes of play. Chris Wright led all scorers with 18, with Austin Freeman adding 12, but the play of Vaughn and Sims was easily their best of the season to date. Georgetown held Wofford to just nine second half rebounds and the Terriers earned just one second chance basket all half.
Free throws also played a big role for the Hoyas, keeping the Terriers at bay as the lead started to wobble early in the second half. For the game, GU shot 21-27 from the line, with four of the six misses coming after the game was already decided.
After four games in seven days, Georgetown takes a break Saturday and advances to the final Sunday evening against North Carolina State. The Wolfpack (3-0) defeated George Mason 78-65 in its second round game and will meet the Hoyas for the first time since the teams saw action in the second round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Wright 35 3-6 2-3 6-8 5 5 1 18
Clark 34 1-2 1-1 3-5 1 0 0 8
Freeman 35 3-6 1-3 5-6 3 3 2 14
Thompson 23 3-3 0-0 3-4 4 2 1 9
Vaughn 29 4-9 0-0 4-4 10 1 4 12
Reserves:
Starks 7 0-1 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 3
Sanford 3 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 2
Sims 10 3-3 0-0 0-0 5 0 4 6
Benimon 15 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 3 0
Bowen 1 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 0
Lubick 9 1-3 0-0 0-0 0 0 4 2
DNP: Dougherty, Caprio, Ayegba
Team Rebounds 4
TOTALS 200 19-34 5-8 21-27 36 11 20 74
Coverage follows below:
- GUHoyas.com
- Wofford Terriers.com
- Associated Press
- Charleston Post & Courier
- The HOYA
- Spartanburg Herald Journal
- Washington Post
| Georgetown 80, Coastal Carolina 61 | 11/18/10 |
"We have guys across the board in that locker room who can make open shots."--John Thompson III
Four men scored in double figures as the #20 ranked Georgetown Hoyas hit 14 three pointers en route to an 80-61 win over Coastal Carolina in the opening game of the Charleston Classic.
After a dunk by Julian Vaughn to open the game, the trio of Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, and Jason Clark scored the next 18 Georgetown points in the game as the Hoyas opened a 20-13 lead with 12:07 to play in the half. Freeman picked up a second foul and sat for much of the half, giving the Chanticleers (2-1) a chance to close the gap. Coastal closed the lead to four at 20-16 before reserve guard Vee Sanford his a three pointer and forward Hollis Thompson drove for a basket to push the lead out again, and Georgetown went on an 8-0 run.
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While the shots were dropping, turnovers took its toll on the Hoyas in the first half. Despite a remarkable 12 assists on its 12 first half field goals, Georgetown also gave up 10 turnovers, which allowed Coastal to cut into the lead and trail by six at the half, 32-26. A similar opening awaited the second half as GU opened the second half hitting from the outside with a 19-7 run, but the Chanticleers closed to seven before the Hoyas pulled away with a 13-4 run of its own. Freeman scored 16 second half points, many coming from Wright, whose 12 point, 12 assist effort marked the most in a game for a Georgetown guard since 2002. Georgetown led by as many as 21, 73-52, in the final four minutes of the game. |
26 GU 3-pointers in last two games 33 GU 2-pointers in last two games 12 First half assists +16 Rebounding edge, GU |
About the only scoring which wasn't as brisk was from the free throw line. Despite the reputation of official Ted Valentines, the officiating crew kept the whistles in check. Georgetown did not attempt a foul shot in the first half, was 2-5 for the game, and only one player ended the game with more than three fouls.
Clark's 22 point effort led one of the most impressive three point shooting efforts in the last two years. The 14 threes were the most since a record 17 threes helped derail Villanova in the 2008 Big East tournament, a 46% effort from behind the arc and 66% from two point range. Freeman turned in another stellar effort, shooting 8-10 from the field for 20 points, while Vaughn added 11 in his second game back from illness over the past weekend.
From the bench, Vee Sanford turned in another good effort, as Sanford and Nate Lubick each picked up four rebounds. Overall, rebounds played a big role in GU's ability to pull away, as the Hoyas enjoyed a 33-17 edge in rebounding. Simply put, there weren't many shots for the Chanticleers to rebound to begin with.
"You're looking at a potential Final Four-type team because they've got four good shooters," said Coastal Carolina coach Cliff Ellis.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Wright 35 0-0 4-9 0-0 4 3 3 12
Clark 28 3-5 5-7 1-1 2 4 2 22
Freeman 24 4-4 4-6 0-0 3 3 3 20
Thompson 26 3-7 0-3 0-0 5 1 4 6
Vaughn 25 5-6 0-1 1-2 7 1 2 11
Reserves:
Starks 9 0-0 0-2 0-0 0 0 1 0
Sanford 11 0-1 1-1 0-0 4 3 0 3
Sims 9 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 2
Benimon 10 1-1 0-0 0-1 0 2 2 2
Bowen 1 0-0 0-0 0-1 1 0 0 0
Lubick 22 1-2 0-1 0-0 4 0 1 2
DNP: Dougherty, Caprio, Ayegba
Team Rebounds 2
TOTALS 200 18-27 14-30 2-5 35 17 18 80
Coverage follows below:
| Georgetown 69, Tulane 53 | 11/16/10 |
Austin Freeman scored 10 of his team's first 15 points en route to a 23 point effort, as the Georgetown Hoyas outpaced Tulane in the home opener, 69-53, before 10,031 at Verizon Center.
The Green Wave (1-1) opened the scoring with a three pointer, but Freeman took over thereafter, hitting four of his first five shots (including two three pointers) to push Georgetown to an early 15-6 lead. Tulane stumbled early, as Chris Wright added a pair of jumpers and Jason Clark and Hollis Thompson hit consecutive threes to push the lead to 15, 23-8, midway through the half. Tulane gave up six turnovers and missed eight of its next ten shots following the opening three.
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Tulane went over six minutes between field goals, and by the 7:14 mark saw the deficit grow to 20, 29-9. In the last 5:22 of the half, however, fortunes tilted to the Wave as Georgetown's hot shooting began to falter. The Hoyas missed five of its final six shots of the half, while the Green Wave finished on an 8-2 run to close the lead to 34-22 at the half. The eight three pointers paced a 50% shooting mark for Georgetown in the first half, while Tulane hit five threes but was only 3-13 from two point range. Georgetown continued its first half run to open the second half, missing four of its first five shots as Tulane closed the lead to nine at 36-27 with 16:24 to play. A three pointer plus foul from Freeman helped turn the page, and the Hoyas outscored the Green Wave 13-3 over the next four minutes and effectively put the game away. A three pointer from Vee Sanford, enjoying a career high 10 points off the bench, gave Georgetown its largest lead at 24 with 9:42 to play. |
12 GU 3-pointers, most since 2/14/09 12 Points from GU bench 2 Blocks, GU 0 Blocks, Tulane |
Jason Clark had a big game, with 17 points and a career high 11 rebounds, as GU held a 34-30 advantage on the boards for the game. (The Washington Post reported that Clark played in the game after learning of the death of his grandmother.) Hollis Thompson added eight points, Chris Wright seven, and Henry Sims had an early tip-in for his two points as a starter. Outside of Sanford, Nate Lubick had the only other bench scoring of the evening.
Georgetown had a poor night at the free throw line, hitting just five of 10 attempts.
Kris Richard led the Green Wave with 22 points and nine rebounds on 9-14 shooting from the field. The rest of the team shot less than 25 percent as a group, however.
"Hats off to Georgetown," said Tulane head coach Ed Conroy. "They came out with great focus. They have three sensational guards and have four starters back and are a top 20 team. They made us pay and they stepped up and hit those threes early. Credit them with that, and I thought as we bounced back their willingness to share the basketball showed up."
The Hoyas get a short break this week before returning action on Thursday in the Charleston Classic, opening the tournament Thursday afternoon against Coastal Carolina. The tournament will run Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Wright 29 3-3 1-5 0-0 2 8 3 7
Clark 33 3-5 3-7 2-2 11 1 1 17
Freeman 28 5-9 4-6 1-1 2 1 2 23
Thompson 16 0-1 2-5 2-4 5 1 2 8
Sims 21 1-2 0-0 0-0 5 2 2 2
Reserves:
Sanford 19 2-2 2-3 0-0 1 1 0 10
Dougherty 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Benimon 22 0-0 0-2 0-0 3 1 3 0
Bowen 8 0-0 0-1 0-1 0 0 0 0
Caprio 1 0-0 0-0 0-2 0 0 0 0
Lubick 22 1-3 0-0 0-0 3 1 3 2
DNP: Starks, Vaughn, Ayegba
Team Rebounds 2
TOTALS 200 15-25 12-29 5-10 34 16 16 69
Coverage follows below:
- GUHoyas.com
- Tulane Green Wave.com
- Associated Press
- The HOYA
- New Orleans Times Picayune
- New Orleans.com
- Washington Examiner
- Washington Post
| Vaughn Hospitalized | 11/16/10 |
The Hoyas played Monday without senior center Julian Vaughn, who was hospitalized, according to Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.
Vaughn was hospitalized Sunday night on the Georgetown campus with an undisclosed illness and was not cleared for Monday's game. "We do not know when [he will be cleared] and at this point do not have enough data to speculate," said coach John Thompson III via El-Bashir's Twitter feed.
| Freshman Center Out For Fall Semester | Updated 11/13/10 |
A press release at GUHoyas.com announced Friday that freshman center Moses (Abraham) Ayegba will be held out for the first nine games of the season per an NCAA eligibility issue.
"Before we began recruiting Moses, before he enrolled in high school here, it turns out his ticket to come to this country was paid for by someone who was not a member of his immediate family," read the statement. "Because of this the NCAA has ruled that he is ineligible for the first nine contests. We're disappointed that the NCAA rejected our appeal of this ruling."
The Washington Post reported that the ticket was paid in 2009 by Joseph Boncore, a former assistant coach at Good Counsel HS.
"We didn't do anything wrong," Thompson told the Post. "[The NCAA] notified us during the recruiting process that wherever Moses went they were going to thoroughly investigate how it came to pass that he came into the country."
| Georgetown 62, Old Dominion 59 | Updated 11/13/10 |
In a season opener that had the feel of an NCAA tournament game, the 20th ranked Georgetown Hoyas hit its final eight shots to rally from an eight point deficit in a 62-59 win at Old Dominion, ending the fourth longest home win streak in the nation.
The Monarchs entered the game having won the past 23 games at the Ted Constant Center, and a sold out crowd of 8,457 made it sound as if 18,457 were at the game. Both teams began tentatively, relying on defensive intensity to drive the game. With just over 10 minutes remaining in the half, the score was 9-9.
The Hoyas had no early production from Chris Wright and Austin Freeman, relying instead on Jason Clark to keep the Hoyas close early. Clark had 11 of the Hoyas' 19 first half points, as Wright and freeman combined for just six by intermission. The Monarchs twice built leads of eight points in the first half, each answered by Clark, as the Hoyas shot just 34 percent at the half against ODU's stout defense (1-10 from three) and trailed by six, 25-19.
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Old Dominion enjoyed a 10-2 advantage on second chance points in the first half, as early fouls and defensive gaps inside hurt the Hoyas early. With a better effort from Wright and Freeman in the second half, GU improved its inside game somewhat, but it would not be easy. GU closed to two early in the second, 27-25, but could not hold back the Monarchs in an early stretch, as the Big Blue punished the Hoyas on a pair of missed jumpers by extending the lead to seven, 35-28, with 13:05 to play. Wright answered with a three, 35-31, and the Hoyas' offense took on new life with Wright and Freeman leading the way. Three straight jumpers cut the ODU lead to three, 39-36 midway in the half, and an Austin Freeman basket and foul closed to two, 43-41 with 8:37 left. A jumper missed by Hollis Thompson was answered with a Monarch layup, 45-41, and when Julian Vaughn missed a five foot shot on the next possession, ODU's Kent Bazemore drained a three to extend the lead to 49-41 with 6:21 to play. After 34 minutes, there were only three scoring options for Georgetown, and each came up big at the right time. After Bazemore missed a three which would have sent the lad into double digits, Clark found Freeman for his first three in five attempts, 49-44. Bazemore missed from beyond the arc a second trip, whereupon Clark rang up Freeman for a second three, and a foul, 49-48. ODU was having problems inside and then missed the front and of a one and one, setting up Wright with a three to take the lead as the shot clock was expiring for the first GU lead since the 8:08 mark of the 1st half, 51-49. |
4 Consecutive wins by road teams in this series. 2 Points from GU bench. 8-8 GU shooting in final 5:21 of game. 2-6 ODU shooting in final 5:21 of game. 3 Lead changes during game. 1-10 GU 3-pt shooting, second half. 7-11 GU 3-pt shooting, second half. 2-8 ODU 3-pt shooting, second half. |
ODU ended a three minute drought from the field as Bazemore tied the score on a layup, but the Hoyas were ringing up the three pointer yet again, as Nate Lubick found Chris Wright open from the wing, 54-51. A pair of late turnovers followed for each team before ODU's Frank Hassell rallied the crowd with an inside layup to close to 54-53. A Freeman basket pushed the lead to three, answered by a pair of free throws to push the lead back to one with 1:20 left, 56-55.
With 46 seconds on the game clock and five on the shot clock, it was time for another amazing shot, and this one came from a pass from Freeman to Jason Clark, who sank a three pointer, 59-55. ODU's Ben Finney was fouled but missed the second, and Freeman sent it long to Wright for the layup, 61-55.
Still, there was more to come. On the next series, it appeared that ODU's Frank Hassell was fouled while attempting a three pointer, but officials ruled two shots, not three and Hassell's shots closed back to three, 61-58. Wright was fouled on the next inbounds and sank one of two, 62-58. ODU was fouled and sank one of two, 62-59, whereupon Freeman was sent to the line up three with six seconds to play. The game-clinching free throw missed, allowing ODU a chance to send the game into overtime, but Keyon Carter's 30 footer glanced off the rim in a thrilling finish, 62-59.
After a slow start from Freeman and Wright, the two seniors combined for 30 second half points. Defensively, Georgetown saw a strong opening effort from freshman Nate Lubick, with six rebounds and a block in 23 minutes, but GU struggled inside with an up and down effort from Vaughn, who had four points on 2-9 shooting with seven rebounds in 32 minutes of play. Henry Sims' tip-in with 14:37 to play was the only bench scoring all evening for the Hoyas.
One could not ask for a more closely fought game to open the season, one which will benefit both teams as they prepare for their respective schedules to follow. ODU's effort was worthy of a Big East opponent in intensity, a trait that will serve the Monarchs well as they seek to return to the NCAA tournament.
"It's a terrific win against a terrific team," said coach John Thompson III.
Here's the Georgetown half of the box score.
MIN 2FG 3FG FT REB A PF PTS
Starters:
Wright 34 3-7 4-6 1-2 2 1 4 19
Clark 32 5-6 2-6 2-3 4 3 4 18
Freeman 34 4-5 2-6 3-6 3 3 2 17
Thompson 27 1-4 0-2 0-0 4 3 4 2
Vaughn 32 2-9 0-0 0-2 7 3 3 4
Reserves:
Starks 4 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0
Sims 7 1-3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 2
Benimon 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0
Lubick 23 0-0 0-1 0-0 6 1 3 0
DNP: Sanford, Dougherty, Bowen, Caprio, Ayegba
Team Rebounds 6
TOTALS 200 16-35 8-21 6-13 33 14 22 62
Coverage follows below:
| NCAA Certification Underway | 11/12/10 |
Friday's issue of The HOYA talks with athletic director Lee Reed about the University's upcoming NCAA certification process, which is required every ten years.
“It’s an opportunity to have a self-reflection and self-examination,” Reed told the paper. “It’s an opportunity to pause, and take a broad-based approach to evaluating what we’re doing right now and making sure we’re in substantial conformity with NCAA rules and regulations in the areas of gender and diversity, equity, student-athlete welfare, governance and commitment to rules compliance, and academic integrity.”
Issues such as poor facilities continue to be at the forefront of Reed's attention.
"We have, frankly, a deficit in terms of facilities for athletics, and we have a plan in place that’s working on that for the next five to 10 years,” Reed said. “But that’s important to us, because I’ve compared it to our professors needing classrooms. Our coaches are educators, and they need labs and classrooms to train their student athletes. They just need reasonable space to do that.”
| Early Signing Period Underway | 11/10/10 |
With the 2010-11 season around the corner, the early signing period for 2011-12 begins this week. The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at the impact the Big East has for local Philadelphia recruits, including Georgetown 2011 verbal Jabril Trawick.
"Playing in the Big East Conference in the closest to playing in the NBA," Trawick said. "It prepares you the best for the NBA."
"In the Northeast section of the country, kids grow up and their goal is: 'Let me go to the Big East,'" said recruiting editor Allen Rubin. "Every kid, whether they are at that level or not, they want to go to the Big East. And it's very difficult now for an Atlantic Ten, Colonial Athletic Association, and Mid-American Conference school to get those kids."
| Big East Approves Expansion Efforts | Updated 11/3/10 |
Big East presidents and chancellors have approved efforts to expand the league to 10 schools in football over the next three years, according to a conference press release.
"The Big East presidents agreed that the interests of each of the conference’s 16 member institutions would be served by increasing the number of Bowl Subdivision football-playing members to 10," reads the release. Commissioner John Marinatto said even less with the generic quote "Today, our Board of Directors affirmed a set of key strategic initiatives, including expansion, designed to enhance membership stability and maximize our value."
Left unsaid is whether expansion to 10 schools will expand the remainder of conference schools beyond 16. Short of one (or two) non-football schools leaving the league, the conference could choose to add Villanova and one football-only school, two schools for football only, or expands the overall membership to 18.
"Our football evaluation is ongoing,” Villanova athletic director Vince Nicastro told the Associated Press. “We are moving forward as quickly as we can, but not at the expense of being absolutely thorough. We still don’t have a specific decision date, but it is likely to be resolved sometime during this academic year.”
"The only real options are Villanova and Georgetown," wrote a blog at SSZ.com. "and if you’ve seen Georgetown football and [its] facilities, you know that isn’t an option at all."
In addition to front runner Texas Christian, "Other schools being mentioned for Big East expansion are Houston, Central Florida and either Temple or Villanova from Philadelphia," writes CBS Sports. com. "TCU and Central Florida seem to be the most likely expansion candidates at this point."
A range of coverage on the issue appear below. As of early Wednesday morning, the Washington Post had not published an article on the matter.
- Associated Press
- Charleston Gazette
- Chicago Tribune
- ESPN.com
- Hartford Courant
- Houston Chronicle
- Newark Star-Ledger
- Providence Journal
- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
| Third Verbal for 2011 | 11/1/10 |
Various media outlets are reporting a verbal commitment from Tyler Adams, a 6-9 center from Brandon, MS. Adams had decommitted from Duke last month.
Adams joins two other verbals in 6-4 Jabril Trawick and 6-9 Mikael Hopkins.
| Non-Conference TV Schedule | 11/1/10 |
Here's a look at where you can follow the various non-conference games this season. For the first time, all non-conference games can be found on TV this season:
11/12, at Old Dominion, 7:00 p.m. ET: Comcast SportsNet
11/15, vs. Tulane, 7:00 p.m. ET: ESPN3.com
11/18, at Coastal Carolina Charleston, S.C.: MASN
11/27, vs. UNC Asheville, 12:00 p.m. ET: ESPNU
11/30, vs Missouri (at KC), 9:00 p.m. ET: ESPN
12/04, vs. Utah State, 12:00 p.m. ET: ESPNU
12/09, at Temple , 9:00 p.m. ET: ESPN2
12/12, vs. Appalachian State, 12:00 p.m. ET: ESPNU
12/18, vs. Loyola (MD), 12:00 p.m. ET: MASN
12/23, at Memphis, 8:00 pm ET: ESPN2
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