In the midst of the toughest part of their schedule, the Georgetown men’s basketball team eked out their third conference win, 50-47, against Big East newcomer South Florida in front of 5,071 fans at the MCI Center Tuesday night.
“It’s not a great escape, it’s a league game,” Head Coach John Thompson III said after his Hoyas, 17-and-a-half-point favorites, nearly handed the Bulls (6-11, 0-4 BE) their first conference win. “That’s how these games are going to be. Are we glad to get out of here with a win? Yes. They played West Virginia the same way, and Syracuse tough. Those guys play hard.”
The Bulls’ scrappy play held Georgetown without a field goal until five minutes into the game, and their tough defense was coupled with their own inability to score at the other end. It took 12 minutes for both teams to crack double digits in points and at the same point there had been 11 turnovers to only eight field goals. Had it not been for the heroics of senior swingman Darrel Owens, the Hoyas would have suffered a crippling loss to their postseason resume.
“Our team is a mixed group of guys and on any given night anybody can explode,” Owens said. “We have six or seven guys on any different night that can put the ball in the basket. Just so happened that tonight was my night, but I’m sure the next game we are going to spread the love and somebody else is going to be the guy and step up.”
Owens played big when it counted most, in the final 30 seconds of the game with the Hoyas clinging to a one-point lead. After sophomore guard Jonathan Wallace turned the ball over on the baseline as the shot clock expired, the Bulls held for the last shot. Owens wrapped up junior guard Melvin Buckley (12 points, 5 rebounds) to force a jump ball with 17 ticks left, but the Bulls retained possession. With seven seconds left senior center Solomon Jones (11 points, 12 rebounds) put up a baseline jumper with two Hoyas in his face and his air ball fell right into the hands of Owens, who secured the ball and was fouled.
“The last rebound, I was just going to hold it,” Owens said. “I knew if I was going to the free throw line I was going to make the last two free throws.”
Owens hit both freebies on a night where the Hoyas struggled from the line, barely eclipsing 50 percent, giving his team the win as junior guard McHugh Mattis’s (eight points, seven rebounds) three-point heave at the buzzer rimmed out. Owens was also the only Georgetown player who could put the ball in the hoop all night, lighting up the Bulls for 20 points, hitting four treys and shooting 60 percent from the floor while the rest of the Hoyas shot only 37 percent and made only two from three-point range. The normally efficient trio of senior forward Brandon Bowman, sophomore forward Jeff Green and sophomore center Roy Hibbert combined for only 11 points.
The Georgetown victory continued the rude welcoming for an undermanned South Florida squad, that had only seven of their players seeing the court.
“It is not easy, first of all, to play as well as you can and let your competitiveness carry you,” South Florida Head Coach Robert McCullum said.
“You get to a point after awhile where you have to have a win to reassure the players. It’s been four Big East games, so we are okay right now. But just because you play hard, defend as well as we did, it doesn’t ensure a win.”
After such a hard-fought game against a seemingly weaker opponent, the Hoyas have to increase their effort and intensity as they look ahead to a nationally televised Saturday afternoon match-up with No. 1 ranked and undefeated Duke.
“Our guys are mature enough to realize that this is a league game and that whoever you just played you have to move on. Whoever you play next you have to start thinking about 15 minutes from now,” Thompson said.
The last time the Hoyas played the Blue Devils, during coach Craig Esherick’s last year at the helm two seasons ago, they dropped an 85-66 contest at home. This year’s squad goes into that game looking to secure a signature win against a ranked opponent that, to this date, has eluded them.
“We know what we have to do until Friday to get ready for the No. 1 team in the country,” Owens said. “And I think this win gives us a little momentum to go into that game. We know what we’re up against and I think we’re up to the challenge.”
