Tears, deep breaths, sighs. There are so many things to be said about the Hoyas’ final home game against Villanova. After an emotional Senior Day ceremony that featured an understandably moved Jagan Mosely, the Hoyas put up a more than admirable effort against a top 20 team in front of a lively Capital One Arena crowd.
The Wildcats opened with a 14-0 run and things were looking bleak. The Hoyas had yet to score when Patrick Ewing called a timeout. Coming out of the timeout however, Villanova’s hot shooting start soon slowed, and Jamorko Pickett caught fire. Pickett contributed 15 points in the first half, helping the Hoyas to crawl back out of the hole they had dug for themselves from earlier on. By game’s end, Pickett had brought his total to 20 points, including four three pointers, to lead all scorers.
The statistics ended up being nearly identical, with both teams shooting similar, as the Wildcats shot 46.9% from the field and the Hoyas shot 45.8% from the field.. A solid shooting performance from Georgetown helped them remain competitive, especially in the second half, when Georgetown went 51.9% from the field.
What could have easily been a blowout became perhaps the most exciting game of the year. Powered by Terrell Allen and Jagan Mosely, Georgetown’s backcourt helped level the playing field. The senior duo scored 26 of their 30 combined points in the second half.
And then the end came. So many different things could be said about how the game unfolded. With less than two minutes left, the Hoyas had a four point lead. Ewing questionably decided to try a zone defense, allowing the Wildcats to hit an open three. Holding a two point lead with under 30 seconds to play, Mosely turned the ball over attempting to find Qudus Wahab down low. On the subsequent possession, Wahab got whistled for a controversial goaltending call and Pickett was called for a foul, leading to a ‘Nova and-one to put the Wildcats ahead 70-69.That was a three point swing that changed the lead and mood of the game.
With five seconds left, the Hoyas had one last chance for a much-deserved victory. However, an off-balance shot by Terrell Allen didn’t fall, and the Hoyas lost a heartbreaker.
Georgetown fans are torn between “how did we lose?”, and “it’s amazing it was so close”. A win would have been the perfect send off for the seniors, especially Mosely. He certainly left his legacy on this program and will be greatly missed for his grit and leadership. An underrated Hoya great, this loss was especially crushing because it was Mosely’s last home game.
Nonetheless, Georgetown has continued to defy the odds in this unpredictable season. Their heart and effort rarely dwindled when they had every excuse to let it. With the Big East Tournament next week, the Hoyas have nothing to lose with the little they have left in the tank. Here’s to a season of ups and downs and a team to be nothing but proud of.
