As the ball sailed through the net, Georgetown sophomore point guard Ashanti Cook slowly sat down on the court. The expression on his face, replayed on SportsCenter throughout the evening, displayed his uncontrollable disappointment and shock as Syracuse players stormed the court. Orangemen sophomore guard Gerry McNamara had hit a game-winning heave of a three pointer in desperatation with 0.6 seconds remaining, and no. 24 Syracuse escaped with a 57-54 victory over the struggling Georgetown men’s basketball team.
“I thought we played good defense, we had three guys on him … it was just a great shot,” sophomore Brandon Bowman said of McNamara’s game winner.
The climactic final minutes masked the rest of the game’s sloppy execution and fierce defensive play. Despite shooting an abysmal 27.7 percent from the field, Georgetown led throughout most of the contest by playing tough defense and out-hustling Syracuse on rebounds. The Hoyas trapping defense was particularly effective, forcing 25 turnovers, including six steals by Cook.
“We recovered from that game [against St. John’s],” coach Craig Esherick said. “Clearly the effort was there, so I was proud of our guys for that.”
Syracuse junior forward Hakim Warrick, who had a number of NBA scouts watching him at the game, kept the Orangemen close by freeing himself inside and sending home a number of thundering dunks. Warrick finished with a game-high 19 points and was Syracuse’s sole consistent inside presence in the game.
“I thought [Warrick] played a heck of a game … he was really big for us,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “Anytime you can get a win on the road you have to be happy, so we’re glad to get this.”
Reminiscent of a number of their performances last year, Georgetown was unable to put away its opponent late in the game. The Hoyas overcame their shooting woes largely by applying pressure to Syracuse’s talented point guard, McNamara, who missed six straight three-pointers after connecting on his first attempt and committed a number of uncharacteristic turnovers. However, McNamara heated up just in time, connecting on all three of his three point attempts in the final two minutes and earning a foul on one as well.
McNamara’s heroics were set up by a key shot from Warrick, giving Syracuse the lead with just under a minute remaining. Cook missed a mid-range jumper on the following possession and fouled Orangemen guard Louie McCroskey to stop the clock as Syracuse broke down the court. The Hoyas had a foul to give before yielding free throws, and on the inbounds play Orangemen center Craig Forth was unable pass in the ball before the five second limit. The turnover gave Georgetown the ball for a final possession.
After getting the ball inbounds, first-year point guard Matt Causey was shocked to find himself open from just behind the three point arc, and fired up a three-pointer with 12 seconds left. The ball bounced off the back of the rim, and Freeman elevated for an acrobatic tip-in, setting up McNamara’s buzzer-beater.
“I was pretty square to the hoop, and it felt good when I shot it,” McNamara said of his last second basket.
Coming off the heartbreaking rivalry loss, Georgetown entered Tuesday’s game against No.3 Pittsburgh looking for an attention-grabbing win to help the program rebound back into the national spotlight. But the Panthers reinforced what the Hoyas learned earlier in the week against Syracuse: Great teams pull out close wins at the end of games.
After dominating the game’s first 30 minutes, Georgetown had a complete meltdown halfway through the second half, as Pitt used a 19-0 run over seven and a half minutes to turn a deficit into a commanding lead. Potential All-American point guard Carl Krauser had nine points in the run, and set the tone for the remainder of the game.
“I just felt that we were down and I needed to get some points, so I just went out there and tried to get some points,” Krauser said.
Krauser’s first three, a long, open jumper from the top of the key, cut the Georgetown lead to 41-40, and Pitt took their first lead on the next possession.
“We got tired,” Esherick said. “After that we stopped rebounding the way we had been. I’m not going to say it’s a moral victory, but we played well.”
A big part of the team’s success rested on the shoulders of Cook, who scored 15 points and had four assists and a steal while playing 39 minutes. In what Esherick called his, “best game in a Georgetown uniform,” Cook hit a number of key shots and played tenacious defense against Krauser and Julius Page, Pitt’s other outstanding guard who was held to four points and failed to hit a shot in the game.
“We’re getting closer but Pittsburgh’s the number three team in the country, so you can’t make mistakes,” Cook said. “Coach said I had my best game, and I thought I played pretty well, but we lost, so I know it could be a lot better too.”
Cook won’t have to wait long to get his chance, as the Hoyas travel to New Jersey to take on Seton Hall on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Continental Airlines Arena.
