In the consolation game of the Wooden Legacy, Georgetown fell 77-74 to the St. Joseph University Hawks.
Taking place in Anaheim, California, this Jesuit duel came down to the wire, with the Hoyas ultimately failing to execute down the stretch. After Cameron Brown of St. Joe’s missed two consecutive free throws with six seconds remaining, Georgetown had an opportunity to tie the game with a three. Unfortunately, Don Carey and Collin Holloway both failed to get off a legitimate attempt in those six seconds, forcing Georgetown to return home from the West Coast winless.
The Hawks were led by senior forward Taylor Funk, who finished the game with 29 points on 8 of 10 shooting from behind the arc. Funk was able to hit from all over, running off screens and confidently knocking down open shots. “We told the guys he’s just like our Kaiden Rice,” Patrick Ewing said of Funk after the game. “We have to do a much better job closing out on him.”
Ejike Obinna, a graduate transfer from Vanderbilt, also fueled the Hawks with 17 points, holding down the paint with some big buckets down the stretch, exposing Georgetown’s inability to play consistent post defense without fouling.
For as bad of a loss as this was, there were some positives for the Hoyas. Georgetown’s leading scorer was Kaiden Rice, who came alive in the second half. In the second half, Rice scored 19 points and hit 5 of his 7 threes, showing off his quick release to keep the Hoyas in the game. Finishing with 25 points, Rice finally looked like the player many expected him to be for the Hoyas. Dante Harris also played a solid game, continually using top of the key ball screens to either get all the way to that second level and sneak in a layup between the bigs, or stopping on a dime to rise up for that pullup jumper, which is looking increasingly smooth.
The Hoyas must have been feeling the Thanksgiving turkey hangover as they struggled to generate any momentum throughout the first half. St. Joe’s was propelled behind four threes from Taylor Funk, two threes from star sophomore Jordan Hall, and a slew of transition buckets. Their 10 assists on 13 made field goals are indicative of the team basketball demonstrated by the Hawks. On the contrary, Georgetown faced their share of offensive woes. Shooting 23% from behind the arc with a mere four team assists in the first half, the Hoyas’ offensive was stale and their shots—shots that were mostly contested and tough to make—were not dropping.
St. Joe’s saw their lead grow to thirteen thanks to a 12-0 run beginning midway through the half, but the lone bright spot of the Hoyas’ first half was their full-court press. With Jalin Billingsley using his length to disrupt the inbounder and Aminu Mohammed and Dante Harris swarming to the ball, Georgetown generated deflections and steals, and shifted the momentum. Yet, they failed to take advantage of these opportunities, only scoring six points over their three minutes of effective pressure. At the half, the Hawks led the Hoyas 36-26.
Kaiden Rice set the tone early in the second half, with a quick five points to help cut the Hawks’ lead from 10 to three. Staying within striking distance, the Hoyas took their first lead since being up 2-0 thanks to a Don Carey three at the 10:10 mark. Dante Harris put together a mini run himself as well, regaining the lead at the 8:10 minute mark after a pullup jumper. Yet, the Hawks always had an answer, and quickly took the lead back each time, eventually for good. In the end, the Blue and Gray simply could not produce when the game was on the line. A Don Carey three brought the Hoyas within one with 2:50 to play. However, a combination of poor shot selection, a lack of any tangible offensive scheme, and an ill-timed Don Carey turnover allowed the Hawks to pull out the win.
One storyline from tonight’s game was Coach Ewing’s decision to shorten the bench. Outside of the starting five, only Mutumbo and Billingsley saw real minutes in the first half. In the second half, only Collin Holloway saw the floor, outside of two minutes from Tyler Beard to give Dante Harris a breather. Holloway contributed with a nice drive inside along with a big three-pointer, a promising sign of future potential in only his second game of the season. Tim Ighoefe played much stronger tonight, finishing with 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, and a number of altered shots, yet his lack of offensive production compared to Qudus Wahab last year reveals a glaring hole in Georgetown’s offensive approach.
Offensive production as a whole continues to be a problem for the Hoyas. Aminu Mohammed came down to Earth tonight, failing to connect on ten attempts from the field. Yet, it is hard to score when each attempt comes on a frantic drive into the paint which ends with getting caught in the air. While this worked initially, Mohammed will need to continue developing his game and learn how to score at different levels, eventually opening the paint for him to capitalize on his athleticism. This has also been a tough trip for captain Don Carey, who seems to be playing with lackluster confidence. With 5 turnovers tonight and 12 points on 4 of 11 shooting, the Hoyas’ future success is contingent upon better play from their senior leader.
Mainly though, I would like to see more out of Coach Ewing. So often, the offense is stagnant, with each player standing still aside from whoever is handling the ball and the person screening for him. Georgetown’s offense looked much more fluid when the ball was moving and players were driving and kicking. Surviving off of on-ball screens and contested threes each possession is not a winning formula, and going forward, this has to change if we expect to win games.
The Hoyas were the more talented team here, yet the Hawks simply produced when it counted. This one stings for Georgetown, who now has even more questions to answer. Luckily, there is still time for Coach Ewing to work out the kinks before conference play begins. Perhaps a bounce back game against Longwood on Tuesday, November 30th, will help restore the Hoyas’ confidence.
