It wasn’t pretty. But a win is a win.
Patrick Ewing’s squad rebounded nicely from its disappointing loss at Villanova by taking care of business at Providence, winning by a score of 76-67. Josh LeBlanc led the way for the Hoyas as he recorded his 5th double-double of the season, pumping in 17 points on 62.5% shooting while hauling in 11 boards.
All 5 starting players for Georgetown reached double figures in scoring as the Hoyas shot 44.1% from the field. Star center Jessie Govan rebounded nicely from his goose egg against Villanova by adding 13 points, 7 rebounds, two steals, and one block.
Georgetown opened the game incredibly aggressive on the defensive end of the court. Jamorko Pickett continued his confident play early in this contest, hitting two quick three-point shots and attacking the hole off the dribble. More importantly, Pickett frustrated Alpha Diallo (who reached 1,000 career points for Providence tonight) in the early going with his length. The Hoyas’ disciplined defense is a big reason as to why they jumped out to an 11-4 lead.
Everything changed when Jamorko picked up his second foul with 12:32 to go in the first half. Outside of Pickett, the Hoyas do not have another player who matches up with Diallo physically. Ewing tried combinations of Jagan Mosely, Kaleb Johnson, and Greg Malinowski, but Diallo still proved to be the Friars’ primary source of consistent offense.
Coming into this game, the Hoyas knew that Providence was a stingy defensive team that is at its most dangerous in a slugfest. And that’s exactly what the first half was: a slugfest full of bricks and bad offensive basketball. Providence did a great job of denying entry passes into Jessie Govan, thus stemming him from developing any sort of offensive rhythm. That put the onus on Georgetown’s guards to constantly create opportunities for themselves.
Georgetown’s defense did a fine job of keeping the Friars’ offense at bay as well. Ewing transitioned from a man-to-man scheme to a 2-3 zone which proved effective against the poor three-point shooting Friars.
Luckily for the Hoyas, they closed the half out on a dominant 11-0 run to give themselves a 34-27 lead. The run was initiated by winning the hustle plays on the defensive end and playing smart on the offensive end. Even though the Hoyas only made 13 field goals in the first half, their defense led to their offense and helped create opportunities. The run ended with an exclamation point as Govan hit a buzzer-beating three-point bomb as a trailer in transition.
The beginning of the second half saw Georgetown jump out to a 10-point lead right off the bat. Providence battled back numerous times but could not get the Hoya lead slimmer than 4 points. A big reason the Hoyas were able to keep some distance between themselves and the Friars was their rebounding advantage. With slightly under 12 minutes to play, the Hoyas had a total of 11 offensive rebounds while Providence had only 15 defensive rebounds.
Mac McClung struggled in the half-court in the first half but showcased his ability to attack opponents in transition. McClung was fearless in transition as he created opportunities for his teammates with slick passing and good vision. In the clip below, Mac feels the pressure and slips a gorgeous no look pass to Kaleb Johnson. Mac finished with 13 points on 5-12 shooting while grabbing 6 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists, and recording two steals.
For once, the Hoyas did a nice job of keeping an opponent at arm’s length throughout the second half. While Providence certainly is not known for its offensive prowess, Georgetown continued to show signs of development on defense. Ewing’s team held the Friars to 37.3% shooting from the field and only 18.2% from deep.
James Akinjo’s hot scoring streak disappeared as the freshman point guard went 1-11 from the field. However, James recorded 8 assists and only turned the ball over once. His on-ball and recovery defense continued to look good in this contest as well.
Overall, a very solid win for Georgetown that shows how far this young team has grown since its first win over Providence in early January. While it wasn’t perfect (18 turnovers), this win will help build momentum heading into Georgetown’s home showdown against Butler on Saturday. It also helps the Hoyas keep pace with St. John’s in the race to finish third in the Big East.
Oh, and congratulations to Jessie Govan for reaching 1,500 points and 750 rebounds during his career at Georgetown! #RollHoyas
