Georgetown led at half but could not keep pace
Hitting the road after a long stretch of home games, your Georgetown Hoyas could not close it out tonight against the West Virginia Mountaineers, falling by a score of 73-60. Jayden Epps led the scoring for his team with 17 points, with Thomas Sorber (13pts/4reb/3ast) and Malik Mack (10pts/3reb) joining him in double figures.
Morgantown is not a pleasant place for visitors to play, and the Hoyas are less welcome guests than most. WVU’s self-imposed exile to the Big 12 means that the former BIG EAST foes have only faced each other a handful of times in the past decade, most recently a loss for the Hoyas in December 2020.
Georgetown has looked like a different squad since struggling hard against Notre Dame three weeks back, while the Mountaineers beat multiple ranked teams this week alone. This was going to be a test of what was “real,” and tonight’s showing — while ultimately not the outcome Georgetown fans hoped for — demonstrated that this group has improved greatly and can handle physical games while using their defensive intensity to dictate pace. Also very, very real is the need for Thomnas to stay out of foul trouble and on the floor.
It was a one possession game through much of early play, with Georgetown predominantly controlling the tempo but neither team able to tip the balance of offensive momentum in their favor. Shooting turned cold midway through that first half, with both teams slogging through multiple consecutive possessions getting nothing but iron. Sorber broke through with a huge dunk for the Hoyas, then Smalls immediately answered for WVU, previewing what would end up being a loathsomely good performance from him. A prayer of a lob inside to Hansberry allowed the Mountaineers to tie it up.
A sweet no-look pass from Sorber to Jordan Burks put the Hoyas back on top, taking a 20-18 advantage into the U8. Epps, rolling through a strong first half, answered a Smalls three with one of his own as he reeled back to the floor. Epps’ heat check on the next play did not drop and WVU was able to tie it up.
Sorber’s offensive rebounding continued to pay dividends, putting away a miss from Mack. A forced travel gave the ball back to the Hoyas, and Mack buried a triple. Our guard then got a different sort of T, seemingly for chirping at the crowd.
After all the fear of the Mountaineers three point shooting, they only hit at a rate of 30% from beyond the arc in the first half. Part of this was luck, but part was also active defense by Georgetown’s guards and wing. At the half, the Hoyas led 30-28.
Epps continued his strong performance as play resumed, muscling his way in for a layup and opening up a rare two-possession gap. Micah Peavy’s off-balance offensive rebound into a jumper made it a 34-28 game, and the WVU coach wanted a timeout.
There was an interval where the Hoyas struggled to convert, then the dam opened and threes from Ohani and DeVries were bookended by a soaring lay-in from Sorber and a pair of buckets from Mack, who finally seemed to be finding his rhythm. Drew Fielder hung in the paint and added to the parade of second-chance points, but defensive miscues on the other end allowed the Mountaineers to pull even.
Andre had a monster block against Mack and the Hoyas were lucky that WVU could not control the rebound off their transition miss, because a basket there would have been a huge momentum-builder. Instead, the Hoyas got possession and a commercial break to regroup. It did not work out as planned.
Sorber went to the bench with his 4th foul with just under 12 minutes remaining, and the Mountaineers capitalized with two quick & consecutive buckets. WVU had their first lead of the half, 47-43 with 10:50 to play, courtesy of an 8-0 run. Smalls hit another three to extend the advantage and DeVries dropped one from well beyond the arc. Suddenly, with 9:25 remaining, the Hoyas were in a 10-point hole.
Sorber re-entered the game and Georgetown attempted to impose a more favorable pace, but they came up empty while the Mountaineers once more converted. It was Caleb Williams who showed smart anticipation and managed to score, finally ending the misery of a 16-0 West Virginia run. The Hoyas got another stop, Mack took it coast to coast, then Williams got the block/turnover on the defensive end.
Peavy’s stifling defense caused a shot clock violation, but Sorber’s layup on the next possessions maddeningly rimmed out. Another stop gave Mack the chance to find Williams in transition. His dunk attempt was blocked, however I fully approve of his attitude in going for it. Epps was fouled while shooting and sunk both, pulling the Hoyas back within five, trailing 55-50 with 5 minutes to play.
The Mountaineers opened it back up to 9; a three from Sorber softened the blow. It was 59-53 at the under-4 media break, but it is hard to make up ground when running out of road. The next DeVries triple effectively sealed the Hoyas’ fate.
Williams did drill a late three, in the wake which Epps and Small got double technicals for some chitchat that would probably have gone unnoticed by the refs of the old BIG EAST. A late pair of free throws from Sorber and jumper from Peavy kept the gulf from widening further as the Mountaineers hit some ridiculous shots.
This loss was tough, but so are these Hoyas. The committed defense, collective hustle, and unselfish passing are signs that good things are realistically within reach of this team. If Sorber is able to stay on the floor in similar contests throughout this season, calamities like that 16-point swing are averted and this squad’s full potential will come closer to being realized.
Next up, the ghosts of traitors past tour continues, as Georgetown travels to the Carrier Dome (or whatever it’s called now) to face the Syracuse Orange. The Hoyas have a full week to get rested & ready for that rivalry match, which is set for Saturday 12/14 at 2:30pm EST, and will air on the ACC Network.
BEAT CUSE.