Wednesday evening was certainly a night to forget for the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team, falling to the Seton Hall Pirates by a score of 90-75. In a game which Patrick Ewing’s squad desperately needed a victory, the Hoyas came out flat and never recovered. Seton Hall standout Myles Powell paced the potent Pirates’ attack with 30 points. The inability to come up with stops on the defensive end doomed any chance of a second-half Georgetown comeback, and thus the Hoyas were unable to pull within single digits at any point in the second period. With this being Georgetown’s second consecutive loss to an NCAA tournament bubble team, any hope of an at large bid to the Big Dance has vanished.
The game’s first few minutes could not have gone much worse for Georgetown. After a Jessie Govan dunk gave Georgetown an early 7-6 lead, Seton Hall utilized a 12-0 run to break the game open. The Pirates killed the Georgetown big men on the offensive glass, hauling down 11 offensive rebounds in the first period. The absence of senior forward Trey Mourning due to an illness may have played a part in the Hoyas’ struggles in this department. Additionally, Seton Hall supplemented its scoring from both behind the three-point arc and at the free-throw line. The Pirates rained down 6 three-pointers on 40% shooting from deep before the break. They also were a perfect 14 for 14 from the charity stripe in the first half, led by Myles Powell’s 9 free throws. He would finish the game 10 of 10 at line as the Pirates converted their foul shots at an 86.4% clip overall.
One of the lone bright spots of the night was Jagan Mosely’s resounding dunk midway through the first half. The Georgetown junior took off of one foot and threw down a one-handed slam in the face of Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Despite a sloppy first half, that being an understatement, the Hoyas made a late push to draw the game within reach. A 7-0 run to end the half was enough to bring Georgetown within 13 and provide momentum and a glimmer of hope heading into the locker room.
But it was not to be; Seton Hall came out of the second half strong, knocking down 2 three pointers in the opening two minutes to widen the gap. After a series of bad possessions on both ends of the floor, featuring 2 turnovers, a Seton Hall offensive rebound, and 2 fouls committed by Jessie Govan, Coach Ewing had seen enough, and sent in a contingent of four reserves, leaving just Josh LeBlanc on the floor. At the very least, one must appreciate the message that Ewing was clearly trying to send; if you aren’t going to compete, you aren’t going to play. Better yet, this makeshift lineup even seemed to get things going for a little while, going on a 7-0 run immediately after entering the game. Senior Greg Malinowski finally got back on track, hitting back-to-back threes before the 12-minute mark, single-handedly fighting to keep the Hoyas in the game.
Malinowski finished the game with 16 points, his second highest output of the year, on 7 of 10 shooting. With this burst of energy off the bench, Ewing let his reserves have a long run, over 8 minutes, only breaking up the group after Kaleb Johnson picked up his third foul.
With some starters back in the game, the Hoyas had hope for one last push to make the game interesting. Jamarko Pickett continued his hot streak from three-point range, knocking down a three with 7:28 to go, one of 3 on the night, to shrink Seton Hall’s lead to 11. This would be the closest Georgetown would get, however, for, after the two teams traded buckets on the next two possessions, the Hoyas would go 4:05 without a field goal. The Pirates took advantage, and two Quincy McKnight buckets and a Myles Cale three-pointer with 2:53 to go put Seton Hall up by 18, burying the Hoyas for good.
When all is said and done, the blame for this loss certainly rests with the usual focal points of this Georgetown team. Although Jessie Govan was able to pour in 20 points, his inability to defend, especially when faced with recovering in pick-and-roll situations, was painfully obvious, and well represented in his -20 plus-minus. Did I even mention how Georgetown, despite superior size, got dominated on the glass? Freshmen James Akinjo and Mac McClung had even worse nights, combining for 2 field goals, 1 assist, and 6 turnovers. We’ve heard enough excuses about their youth; these two talented individuals need to put forth far more consistent outings if this team has any hope of sustained success. It’s not just about getting older, it’s about getting better.
The Hoyas’ second-team features far less talent than their starters in just about every aspect, but consistent effort on every possession is far more valuable. Kaleb Johnson converting a put-back or Jagan Mosely hustling to move his feet on defense may not make the highlight reel, but those are the plays that win basketball games, especially in an evenly-matched, heavyweight conference that is the Big East. If Coach Ewing needs to let his star players sit the bench for long stretches of time to send a message about energy and hustle, so be it. This team needs to learn, and it’s better to do it now than to see the same mistakes repeated game after game.
In the postgame press conference, Coach Ewing referred to the loss as the worst in his two years with the program. Hoya fans would certainly concur. It always hurts to lose back-to-back games, but these two came when Georgetown needed wins to remain relevant in the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation. What’s worse is the fact that the Hoyas got blown out, run out of the building by a Seton Hall team that, at least outside of Myles Powell, does not possess the same caliber talent as this Georgetown team. For better or for worse, Ewing and his team have a full week to lick their wounds before the mighty Villanova Wildcats roll into Capitol One Arena on February 20th. Until then, Hoyas fans will try and erase the memories of this painfully one-sided affair.
