The Hoyas provided little relief from the turmoil and unrest on the news as second-half woes again resulted in Georgetown choking away another late game lead enroute to an ugly 63-55 loss.
Coming in as 4.5-point underdogs against a struggling and underperforming Butler team, Georgetown hoped to right the ship at Hinkle Fieldhouse, a venue where they have performed well in the past, having previously posted a 6-1 record during Butler’s tenure in the Big East.
Unfortunately for Hoyas fans, the same frustrating mistakes remained on display throughout the duration of the game. Tonight’s game script was eerily similar to earlier losses against West Virginia, Villanova, and most recently Marquette. The Hoyas rode a strong defensive effort and persistence on the offensive boards to an early double-digit lead, which they sustained through most of the game. Shots were falling early on, with Jahvon Blair and Dante Harris canning multiple long balls as the Hoyas made six first-half three pointers.
The Hoyas cooled off substantially after the break. Aside from a string of assertive Pickett drives, the offense remained stagnant for the entire second half. A bevy of missed layups by an equally unimpressive Butler offense helped Georgetown retain a small lead into the final minutes of the game. However, the Hoyas only mustered seven points over the final 12 minutes of the game, leaving the door open for Butler to seize control of the game on consecutive end of the shot clock prayers by veterans Bryce Golden and Aaron Thompson.
When questioned about the root of their second half struggles, Head Coach Patrick Ewing attributed the lack of offensive output to the “Same things that [have] been going on for the last however [many] games. Bad decisions, bad shots, turnovers: [the] same things that have been our achilles heel, [and] that we watched film about.”
Coach Ewing placed some of the blame on the shoulders of his more experienced players, claiming that “My upperclassmen have to do their part to help us be a better team.”
Both Jahvon Blair and Jamarko Pickett had inefficient nights, shooting a combined 7-29 from the field and accounting for 5 of the Hoyas’ 15 total turnovers, although Pickett did post a double-double and paced the Hoyas in scoring with a 12 point performance.
Despite the struggles of his two veteran players, Ewing and his staff must also take responsibility for the recent string of losses. Pundits had very low expectations for this Georgetown team coming into the season, but it isn’t as if the Hoyas are completely devoid of talent. Georgetown has been in just about every game they have played, only to fall flat or squander leads down the stretch. You can’t continue to do the same things and expect the different results. At some point, Ewing must show his ability to make significant strategic adjustments and inspire more urgency and energy in his players in efforts to close out games.
The Hoyas will look to turn things around this Saturday against Syracuse in what might be their biggest game of the year. Tune in at 8pm on ESPN2, or don’t.
