In a first round NIT matchup with the Harvard Crimson, Coach Patrick Ewing had a chance to pick up the first postseason victory of his tenure and end Georgetown’s year on a high note. Instead, the Hoyas were unable to exploit a second half opening and allowed Harvard to steal a 71-68 victory and advance to the second round to face North Carolina State.
In front of an animated crowd at McDonough Gymnasium (it being the first game played on campus since 2016), the Hoyas got off to a sluggish start, allowing the Crimson to cruise to a 7-point lead after just 3:15 of game action. Luckily, Georgetown was able to right the ship, and utilized contributions from freshmen and veterans alike to take their first lead around the halfway mark of the first period. The rest of the first half was back and forth, with neither team able to take more than a one possession advantage, but a James Akinjo jumper with the clock running down gave the Hoyas a one-point lead at the break. Overall, both teams struggled offensively, combining for just 2 three-pointers while turning the ball over 13 times in the first period.
After a quiet first half, senior leading-scorer Jessie Govan came to play in the second half, knocking down 3 three-pointers early to pace Georgetown, but the teams stayed knotted in a tight battle as the Crimson utilized an efficient offensive attack as well. Still, the Hoyas started to gain some momentum, rattling off three consecutive buckets to take their largest lead of the game, a 5-point advantage with 12:14 to play in the game. This brought the Georgetown faithful to their feet, and McDonough was ready to burst as Harvard coach, and DMV native, Tommy Amaker called a timeout to steady his team.
Harvard deserves credit for their response, reversing the tide and going on a run of their own, led by 2 three pointers from reserve Robert Baker, to take back the lead. Per usual, this game would have to be decided in the final minutes. With the game tied and under 2 minutes to play, Harvard’s go-to guard Bryce Aiken took matters into his own hands, hitting a tough step back jumper, and then, after a defensive stand, hitting two free-throws to extend Harvard’s lead to 4 with under a minute to play. With Georgetown’s hopes rapidly fading, Govan once again drained a clutch three to pull within one.
Given an 8-second differential between shot and game clock, Coach Ewing opted not to foul, and hoped to give his team a chance for a last-second go-ahead bucket. Instead, Akinjo was debatably called for a hand-check well beyond the three-point line, sending Aiken to the free-throw line once more, where the junior knocked down both. With one last possession to tie the game, Govan found some separation, but his critical three-pointer bounced harmlessly off the rim. Greg Malinowski was in the right place to corral an offensive rebound, but the frenetic Harvard defense forced him to heave up a last-second prayer that had no hope of finding the net.
Govan led all scorers with 25 points, but the Hoyas were relatively cold from the field, shooting just over 40% on the night. While Bryce Aiken and Noah Kirkwood paced the Crimson with 18 and 11 points respectively, it was Harvard’s team mentality that vaulted them to the victory. In the post-game presser, Ewing minced few words, stating that, “They played more together; they played more as a team.” Ball movement and finding the open man were staples of the Crimson’s attack, who outscored the Hoyas despite getting up 9 fewer shot attempts. Beyond that, Harvard surprisingly dominated the glass, out-rebounding Georgetown by a 39-30 margin. When asked to explain this, Ewing was blunt in saying outright that “they wanted it more than we did.”
While this game marks the end of their collegiate careers for Govan and his senior compatriots, the rest of the Hoyas will (hopefully) be back next season (please don’t transfer Jamarko!). Nineteen wins in Ewing’s second season is another step on the path to rebuild the Georgetown program, but two straight postseason losses (a blowout at the hands of Seton Hall and at home to an Ivy League team) to end the year cannot be tolerated. To find the silver lining in it all, hopefully the sour end to the season serves as a motivator to get better over the summer.
At the end of the day, Harvard came in the better “team”, rather than just being the sum of its parts. Coach Tommy Amaker, who was thought to be a serious candidate for Georgetown’s coaching vacancy back in 2017, got the last laugh as he bested Patrick Ewing’s Hoyas in a homecoming game for him. When asked his thoughts on the game, Ewing said he was “disappointed, very disappointed.” I too am very disappointed.
