In a bubble battle in D.C., it was the Providence Friars who emerged victorious Wednesday night.
After controlling the game for most of the first 27 minutes of action, the Georgetown Hoyas finally ran out of steam. Providence took advantage, dominating the second half en route to a 73-63 win.
In the lead-up to game time, it seemed like a night of great possibility for Georgetown. Riding a two-game win streak, the Hoyas had a chance to continue their momentum in front of a home crowd and claw ever closer to that elusive NCAA Tournament bid. Even better, Mac McClung was set to make his return to action after missing five games with a foot injury.
The first few minutes went as well as could be expected. The Hoyas were sharp defensively out of the gate, allowing Georgetown to open up a 9-0 lead as Providence failed to score for over five minutes of action.
Though the Friars eventually figured things out, the Hoyas continued to go toe-to-toe with their opponent. Jahvon Blair and Terrell Allen’s strong play spilled over to Wednesday’s game, as they led the Hoyas offensively. Blair poured in 14 first half points, and finished the night with 20 points to lead all scorers. Additionally, Jamorko Pickett made strong contributions on both ends of the floor. Pickett ended the night with 12 points and 12 rebounds, tallying his second double-double of the year.
With just over a minute to play until the half, Providence took a one point lead. Georgetown responded quickly with two free throws from Allen on the next possession and a Blair three-pointer sent the Hoyas to the locker room with a four-point lead. Spirits were high, but they would soon come crashing down.
Despite an overwhelmingly positive first half for the team overall, nothing can ever come easy. This time, it was Mac McClung heading to the locker room after asking to be taken out. A hushed silence fell over the arena; that’s how demoralizing it was. After the game, Ewing said that Mac felt “it” pulling and then stopped. What this means, I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound good.
Coming out of the break, the Friars finally figured out they had an advantage on the inside. With Omer Yurtseven yet again sidelined with an ankle injury, Ewing was forced to rely on his two freshmen centers in Qudus Wahab and Tim Ighoefe. Neither were particularly effective, and both struggled to defend without fouling. As a result, Providence’s tag-team of Nate Watson and Kalif Young played a pivotal role in closing the gap.
Down the stretch, the Hoyas looked gassed. It’s hard to blame them. Multiple players, such as Jahvon Blair and Jagan Mosely, were playing entire games without rest. This fatigue culminated in a thirteen (yes, thirteen) minute field goal drought in the second half, with the Hoyas going 0/13 from the field in that span until a Terrell Allen three thankfully took us out of our misery.
Over the course of this stretch, Providence turned a five-point deficit into a 10-point lead. Senior Alpha Diallo once again played a critical role for the Friars, scoring at all levels over the course of the game-changing run. Diallo led the Friars with 18 points, while also adding 8 rebounds.
Losing a winnable game at home is never a good look. Add in the fact that Georgetown is fighting tooth-and-nail for an NCAA Tournament bid, and it is a whole lot more disheartening. The road to three more conference wins (which is what it will likely take for an at-large bid, to say nothing of the Big East Tournament) just got a whole lot tougher.
The uphill battle continues Saturday at DePaul. Until then, let’s hope the Hoyas get some much needed rest.
