The Hoyas were able to eke out a victory Tuesday afternoon, but their performance showed that this team is not quite ready for primetime.
Georgetown (2-0) defeated Temple 46-45 in a game that was played at 4 p.m. as part of an ESPN promotion. The Hoyas trailed for the final four minutes of the game before pulling ahead for the victory with less than seven seconds remaining.
“It was ugly,” Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said. “They do a terrific job, Temple, of making the game ugly. That’s their strength.”
Ugly was the only appropriate word for a significant portion of the game. Although the low score was partly a product of strong defense on both sides, Georgetown has to blame itself for 15-for-42 shooting, including 3-for-18 from three-point range, and 16 turnovers.
The Owls did not play any better, but Georgetown nearly gave them the game. The Hoyas never trailed before 12 minutes were left in the second half, leading by as much as 12. But their defense lapsed, and then they made just five field goals after giving up the lead.
“We went through a huge a stretch in the second half where, at both ends of the court, we weren’t sharp,” Thompson said. “We had a lead, they got back in it, they took the lead. The momentum was all with them.”
Down one with 17 seconds to play, Thompson likely had flashbacks to his first game at Georgetown, when Temple beat the Hoyas in their home-opener.
Thanks to sophomore center Greg Monroe, history would not repeat itself. Soon after the inbounds pass the ball wound up in his hands on the perimeter, and the big man took his man to the basket one-on-one for the game-clinching lay-up.
“I was playing him to his left hand,” junior forward Lavoy Allen, who was guarding Monroe, said of the final play. “He’s a great player, so he read that and went to his right. And he scored the ball.”
A natural lefty, Monroe was able to showcase his versatility on the deciding play. He then sealed the game at the defensive end, stuffing Owl guard Luis Guzman and forcing a jump ball. The possession arrow belonged to the Hoyas, and they were able to escape with the win.
Monroe nearly posted his second consecutive double-double, garnering eleven points and nine rebounds. But he was also 4-for-10 from the field and committed four turnovers.
No player’s box score was without flaw. Georgetown’s top performers were junior guard Chris Wright, who had fifteen points, and sophomore guard Jason Clark, who scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds. But despite sharing point guard duties, the two had just one assist combined.
Allen led the Owls with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
The early start time was surely a factor in limiting attendance to just 8,712 at the Verizon Center. Thompson had expressed concern over the amount of fan support there would be in the afternoon, but when it mattered the small crowd made itself heard.
“Late in the game it got really loud,” Temple head coach Fran Dunphy said. “I thought we had a great opportunity to win the game and we just didn’t close it out.”
It was understandable that the crowd was less into the game early on. The first half was a grueling affair, with neither team seemingly able to make a basket. Heading into the locker room the Hoyas led 19-13.
“I felt like we had bad luck,” Thompson said of the first half. “We were getting shots that just rimmed out. Things were close, they just didn’t go in the basket. It felt like there was a lid on the basket for part of the first half.”
Despite their offensive struggles, the Hoyas must be proud of their defense. Limiting any opponent to 13 points in half is a sign of great defensive play, and while there were lapses in the second half, Georgetown buckled down when it mattered.
“I’m not sure how it compares and contrasts to a couple years ago, but I think this group will be a very good defensive team,” Thompson said. “We took some steps. We still have a long way to go.”
Thompson is quick to say that it is still early in the season, and that his team still has a lot of work to do. But by maintaining their poise and coming from behind to win, this Hoya squad already showed that it can succeed where last year’s team failed.
“We definitely know losing in these types of situations last year,” Monroe said. “I think we’re definitely not going to lose these games this year. I think everybody’s really focused, and I think everybody understands what they need to do personally and what we need to do as a team to win games like this.”
It may not have been pretty, but after last season, the Hoyas are happy to take any win they can get.
