Well, Georgetown’s run at an undefeated season has come to an end. The Hoyas second game of the season ended in a 78-71 loss to the Navy Midshipmen, as Navy beat Georgetown for the first time since 1977 at McDonough Arena.
The Hoyas came into the game as double-digit favorites, but from the opening tip it was clear that Navy came ready to play. In an ugly first half, the Midshipmen surprisingly controlled the boards despite Georgetown’s clear size advantage, finishing the half with 23 rebounds to the Hoyas’ 17. Neither team was able to establish a consistent scoring attack early though, and the first half ended as a low-scoring affair with Navy up 29-26.
As the second half began, the offensive woes started to disappear for both teams. However, Georgetown’s defense began to fall apart, as the Hoyas conceded 49 second half points. Navy consistently hit both open and contested shots, shooting over 60% from the field after halftime. As the game stayed tight down the stretch, the Midshipmen remained confident as they continued to attack the Hoyas defense and eventually began to pull away. When asked what went wrong on defense, Coach Ewing responded bluntly: “We just couldn’t guard. That’s it.”
Senior Cam Davis led the way for Navy, as he decimated the Georgetown defense, scoring a career high 28 points on 10-15 shooting (5-7 from three). John Carter Jr. contributed another 20 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. The Midshipmen also received valuable minutes from their bench, which contributed 14 points compared to Georgetown’s one. Navy’s bench also provided high energy and was noticeably audible in the empty gym, especially during the final ten minutes of the game. As a team, Navy shot 50% from the field en route to a key victory for their program.
Offensively, the Hoyas were once again led by seniors Jahvon Blair and Jamorko Pickett. After being named to last week’s Big East Honor Roll, Blair put up 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists but shot poorly from beyond the arc, going 2-11. Pickett added another 17 points and six rebounds while going 7-12 from the field, shooting much more efficiently from the field than he did in his previous outing. Big man Qudus Wahab was also active in the post again as well, scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Despite Wahab’s production, Coach Ewing emphasized the importance of continuing to get the ball down low, saying after the game “…we need to get the ball inside, it needs to be an inside out attack.” As a team, the Hoyas shot 42% from the field and committed 13 turnovers, which was ultimately not enough to match Navy’s second half scoring onslaught.
Georgetown was hoping to get a boost from Northwestern State graduate transfer Chudier Bile, but Bile’s impact in his first appearance for the Hoyas was minimal. He scored one point and brought down three rebounds on 0-4 shooting. Hopefully as Bile gets more experience playing in Ewing’s system he can grow into a key contributor for the Hoyas. Also of note, 4-star freshman forward Jamari Sibley did not see the floor for the second consecutive game.
A tale of two halves, Georgetown’s second game was another ugly one – the Hoyas couldn’t score in the first half and couldn’t defend in the second. The Hoyas will have their work cut out for them in their next matchup as the play #11 ranked West Virginia on Sunday.
