Georgetown put together a strong second half effort to defeat Wisconsin Green Bay 92-58 and improve to 2-0 on the season. What started as a concerning two point lead at halftime led to a emphatic blowout victory in which almost all of the Hoyas got to score and make highlight plays. This also felt like much more of a team win as the players were having fun and rooting each other on. Primo Spears, Brandon Murray and Qudus Wahab all had impressive games and combined to score 58 points on 64.8% percent shooting – making us wonder if there could be a new Hoyas big 3 in the making?
Similar to the Coppin State opener, the Hoyas played down to their competition in the first half. Their three point defense continued to be a struggle and Green Bay players constantly found themselves all alone beyond the arc. The Hoyas were also careless with the ball, giving up 10 turnovers. The Phoenix weren’t talented enough to fully capitalize on all their open three pointers and fast break opportunities, but the Hoyas need to fix these issues if they want to hang with more competitive teams.
In a tightly contested first half, Qudus Wahab utilized his size advantage to score 9 points, and more importantly stayed on the floor without committing a foul. Jordan Riley also got an opportunity to play extended minutes after he showed some promise defensively during overtime against Coppin State.
Whether it was Coach Ewing’s halftime speech, or that the Hoyas finally woke up after the early 11 am start, Georgetown came out of halftime much more focused and energized. Led by Spears, Murray and Wahab, Georgetown went out on a 15-2 run to extend their lead to 15 points. The Green Bay players were frustrated by Georgetown’s athleticism and simply could not hang with the Hoyas any longer. After a turnover-plagued first half, the Hoyas had just one giveaway in the second period.
Wayne Bristol Jr. hit back to back threes midway through the second half to all but end the game. After the outcome was no longer in doubt, most of the bench got to play and freshmen Denver Anglin and D’Ante Bass scored their first points for the Hoyas.
The first half wasn’t ideal, but overall the Hoyas were impressive. Primo Spears crossed up Phoenix defenders with ease and dropped 21 points. Wahab bounced back by staying out of foul trouble and punishing the smaller Phoenix defenders in the paint. We also got solid production out of Jordan Riley and Wayne Bristol Jr, who combined for 20 points. As Ewing touched on postgame, as much as he’d like to play Murray and Spears 40 minutes per game, Riley and Bristol will play essential roles going forward.
As well as the Hoyas played in the second half, the only point of concern was their free throw shooting. Although they were able to get to the line at a decent clip and finish through contact, they shot an abysmal 8-15. It didn’t kill them today, but it is something to keep an eye on as the competition gets tougher.
Blowing out Wisconsin Green Bay provided positive momentum and should give the Hoyas confidence going into Tuesday’s game against a comparatively more talented Northwestern squad. Brad Ezewiro was absent for the second straight game as he recovers from his wisdom teeth removal, but I would expect him to be back by Tuesday’s game. The post game conference vibes were great, and Ewing and the squad seemed relaxed and ready to face the tougher parts of the non-conference schedule.
