Another game, another disappointing loss.
Georgetown was dominated from start to finish Wednesday night, falling to the Marquette Golden Eagles 93-72. With the loss, the Hoyas have now lost three in a row since upsetting Butler on Feb. 15.
From the opening tip, Marquette looked like the far superior team. The Golden Eagles scored the first seven points of the game, then Qudus Wahab missed a wide open dunk on a fastbreak. That about sums up how the game went.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but it was the three-point shot that separated the two teams in the first half. Georgetown attempted just three triples before halftime, making two of them, compared to eight made threes for Marquette on 19 attempts. That’s an 18 point difference right there. It wasn’t as if the Golden Eagles were forcing up three-pointers either. They consistently got open looks from the outside and took advantage. While I would expect Markus Howard to make a few threes, it was disheartening to see players like Jamal Cain and Sacar Anim rain down shots on the Georgetown defense.
Georgetown spent close to the entire first half attempting to dig themselves out of the early hole. Towards the end of the half, the Hoyas began to get things going. Jahvon Blair knocked down two three-pointers right before the break to cap off a 14-5 run, though the Hoyas still trailed 43-32.
Coming out of haltime, the Hoyas needed a strong start to make it a game. For a few minutes, it looked as though they might hang around, as a bucket from Jamorko Pickett made it a 10 point game with just over 15 minutes to play. This would be the closest Georgetown got. Pickett left the game shortly thereafter with cramps, depleting the already thin Hoyas rotation. With Ewing having to turn to walk-ons Jaden Robinson and George Muresan, Georgetown’s hopes for a comeback did not look great.
It was at this point that Markus Howard, the NCAA’s leading scorer, came alive. Howard made the Hoyas defense look silly, showing off his ability to knock down shots from deep and finish at the rim.
A layup from Howard with 11:30 to go capped off a 9-0 Marquette run, stretching the Golden Eagles’ lead to an insurmountable 24 points.
While Howard finished the game with 30 points to lead all scorers, it was the play of those around him that made the difference. Cain and Anim both tallied 15 points while Brendan Bailey chipped in 10 points of his own to round out the Golden Eagles in double figures. All night, Marquette utilized good ball movement to get open looks from the perimeter. It didn’t help that the Hoyas always seemed to be a step slow in closing out on shooters.
One of the few bright spots for Georgetown was the play of Jagan Mosely, who tallied a season-high 19 points to lead the Hoyas in scoring. Through thick and thin, Mosely has been rock solid for the Hoyas all year. With not much happening offensively for Georgetown, Mosely took it upon himself to attack the rim. It’s a shame he didn’t have more help around him.
In terms of the big picture, the Hoyas now sit at 5-10 in the Big East, essentially guaranteeing that they will be playing on Wednesday night of the conference tournament. Securing an automatic bid by winning four games in four days may be Georgetown’s only hope of making the Big Dance. With the Hoyas’ lack of depth, only irrational faith could convince you that this is a realistic possibility.
At this point, the Hoyas are even flirting with missing the NIT. All I’m asking for is that the Hoyas pull things together and end the year on a respectable note. Not for me, but for Jagan and the rest of the senior class. While they likely will not get the NCAA Tournament appearance they’ve been striving for, let’s at least give them something to smile about.
