Peavy and Sorber lead Georgetown in low-scoring affair
The defense of your Georgetown Hoyas yet again proved to be the difference-maker as they defeated a depleted Seton Hall team 60-46 at Capitol One Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Hoyas (15-9, 6-7 Big East) showcased a strong defensive performance, holding the Pirates to just 39.5% shooting from the field and 25% from three-point range. Seton Hall (6-18, 1-12 Big East), hobbled by injuries, has now lost nine straight games. Still, Hoya fans will gladly accept the win.
The Pirates were without three of their top five scorers: Chaunce Jenkins (knee), Dylan Addae-Wusu (ankle), and Scotty Middleton (ankle), as well as big man Manny Okorafor (ankle). According to Pirates coach Shaheen Holloway, the team played hard but ultimately “ran out of gas.”
Thomas Sorber, frontrunner for Big East Freshman of the Year, shined in front of a reported 18 NBA scouts with 13 points and 11 rebounds, securing his eighth double-double of the season, which leads all freshmen nationally. Georgetown coach Ed Cooley praised Sorber’s continuous improvement as a “pleasure to coach.”
The first half saw Seton Hall take an early lead, but Georgetown responded with a 16-4 run to close the last 5 minutes of the half with a 34-26 advantage heading into the locker rooms.
In the first half, Georgetown shot 42.9% from the field (15-35), making 60% of their layups (6-10), and 28.6% from three-point range (4-14). They also outscored Seton Hall in the paint 20-10 and had 9 fast break points compared to Seton Hall’s. Seton Hall shot 40.9% from the field (9-22), made 37.5% of their layups (3-8), and shot 40% from three-point range (2-5). Georgetown capitalized on Seton Hall’s turnovers, scoring 12 points compared to Seton Hall’s 4.
Isaiah Coleman and SHU narrowed the gap to 48-45 in the second half, but Georgetown answered with a 12-1 run to seal the victory. Seton Hall scored only 1 point in the last 5 minutes. After halftime, Georgetown shot 35.7% from the field (10-28), made 36.4% of their layups (4-11), and shot 12.5% from three-point range (1-8). Georgetown outscored Seton Hall in the paint 14-12. Seton Hall shot 38.1% from the field (8-21), made 80% of their layups (4-5), and shot 14.3% from three-point range (1-7). In the second half, both Georgetown and Seton Hall scored 7 points off of turnovers.
For Georgetown, Micah Peavy led the team with 22 points, shooting 10-20 from the field and 1-3 from three-point range, while also contributing 4 assists and 7 rebounds. Thomas Sorber posted 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Caleb Williams added 12 points, shooting 4-5 from the field and 2-3 from beyond the arc. Malik Mack recorded 3 points and 4 assists, and Drew Fielder scored 2 points. The offense looked decent when the ball moved or the Hoyas were in transition, but 60 points is too low to compete with most healthy-ish conference foes.
For Seton Hall, Isaiah Coleman scored 21 points, shooting 7-15 from the field, along with 10 rebounds. Jahseem Felton had 6 points, shooting 2-9, and Garwey Dual contributed 6 points and 6 assists. Prince Aligbe scored 3 points, and Godswill Erheriene added 8 points and 7 rebounds.
In a post-game television interview, Coach Cooley mentioned that Jayden Epps was playing at approximately 60% due to an undisclosed injury, which limited his playing time in the game’s final minutes.
With the win, Georgetown looks to continue its progress. The Hoyas have a week off before visiting Butler next Saturday and hosting Providence on Wed, Feb 19th.