For the first half, the same old Hoyas showed up to play Xavier. The Hoyas appeared to be moving under water at times as they were lethargic, stagnant, and unsure of themselves for much of the first half. All progress from Georgetown’s win at St. John’s seemed to be eradicated at the Johnnies took an 8-point halftime lead by a score of 36-28.
And then James Akinjo showed up.
The freshman point guard was nothing short of spectacular in the second half, scoring all 23 of his points after the intermission. Akinjo not only pumped in 23 points but did it on 6-10 shooting from the field (4-7 from three-point range) while hauling in 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Akinjo’s gutsy performance led Georgetown to a 80-73 victory and its first winning streak in Big East play this season.
Akinjo’s recognition and fearlessness were on full display in the second half. He tormented Xavier off the dribble penetration and from deep. Akinjo did a very nice job of using his body to shield defenders on his drives to the basket and finishing through contact. He also got more lift on his three-point shooting in the second half. His shots were falling a little short in the first half, so he used his legs to get more lift into his outside attempts.
Outside of Akinjo’s monster performance, the Hoyas’ three-point shooting is a big reason they outscored Xavier by 15 in the second half. Georgetown went into halftime 0-8 from three, a big departure from its 48% three-point shooting clinic against St. John’s that previous weekend. This was problematic as the best way to beat the Xavier defense is to stretch their big man out from the lane to the perimeter by hitting outside shots.
That’s exactly what Georgetown did. The Hoyas turned Capital One Arena into the Splash Zone in the second half as they went 8-12 from three. This really helped open up the offense and get the crowd back into the game.
It would be remiss to not mention Josh LeBlanc’s all-around stellar performance as well. LeBlanc did everything in his power to rally his teammates in the first half with his energetic play on both offense and defense. LeBlanc’s anticipation and quickness were on full display as he recorded three steals, two blocks, and had some rim rattling slams too. Josh scored a career-high 17 points on 8-11 from the field.
One of the most promising signs from this Hoya team was that they found a recipe to win when star center Jessie Govan and Mac McClung did not have their best outings. Govan only scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds while McClung contributed 11 points on 4-12 shooting. However, Mac did have his best passing game as a Hoya as he dished out a team-high 5 assists. The fact that McClung and Jessie did not have their best scoring night and Georgetown still won showcases that this team is capable of beating teams in more ways than one. It is a devastatingly effective next man up mentality that Ewing is drilling into his team.
Make no mistake, this Hoya team will lose to Villanova on Sunday if they put out this performance again. But at the same time, this team absolutely would have lost this game had it been played earlier this season. That this young team rallied around Akinjo’s performance in the second half and buried Xavier, a team they should beat at home, is a tremendous sign of growth. Georgetown displayed mental toughness, grit, and, most importantly, belief in one another last night.
On Sunday, Hoya fans will have a game even more important than the Super Bowl to watch. Georgetown vs. #14 Villanova. The Wildcats are undefeated in Big East play and they are not the same team that got decimated at home by Michigan and upset by UPenn earlier this year. The one-two punch between Phil Booth and Eric Paschall has been devastating teams all season, so Ewing will certainly have his hands full. But Georgetown is playing confident, loose basketball right now, and that can be scary for opponents.
Buckle up folks. Things are about to get really interesting. #RollHoyas
