This had been Chris Wright’s tournament. And against West Virginia, when he drove down the lane with 17 seconds to go, spun around and bounced off his defender, it was no surprise when the shot banked off the glass and through the rim to tie the game.
But unfortunately for the Hoyas, this wasn’t Wright’s tournament. It belonged to Da’Sean Butler. And like he had done two days earlier, he got the ball in the closing seconds and hit the game-winner.
Wright had four seconds to attempt one last desperate drive, but to no avail. The junior’s shot clanged off the front of the rim, he broke down, and West Virginia celebrated.
Georgetown (23-10) had a great run through the Big East tournament, but it came to an end Saturday night with a 60-58 loss. West Virginia (27-6) dominated the boards and Butler took care of the rest as the Mountaineers eked out the victory.
West Virginia outrebounded Georgetown 38-24, including 20 offensive rebounds. It seemed like every possession the Mountaineers would get multiple shots, and they took advantage, scoring 21 second chance points.
“They’re just persistent,” Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said in a terse post-game press conference. “They have guys that go after it.”
Thompson was joined on the podium after the game by the visibly devastated trio of Wright, Greg Monroe, and Austin Freeman. They had every reason to be upset—no matter what kind of advantages West Virginia, on the boards or otherwise, the Hoyas nonetheless had the ball and the chance to win a championship and came up just short.
It was a disappointing end to what had been a terrific tournament for Georgetown. The eighth-seeded Hoyas rolled through their first three opponents, including top-seeded Syracuse, and came in to the championship game riding high off a 23-point blowout of Marquette.
But in the end, it wasn’t meant to be for the Hoyas. Butler, who had hit a game-winning three against Cincinnati on Thursday, got the ball in his hands coming out of a timeout with ten seconds to play. He drove into the key, pulled up, and rattled home the winning basket.
“We ran the same play that we set up for the Cincinnati game,” Butler said. “I think Monroe was on me. And I think he had a feeling I was going to shoot a three. I had a little hesitation, went around him and Freeman, stepped up, and had a little hop step and scooped the lay-up off the glass, and it fell.”
The senior forward finished with 20 points and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Butler provided the winning highlight, but he was only part of an exhilarating final minute. West Virginia entered the closing 60 seconds up by three, but Georgetown drew even for the first time since the ten minute mark of the first half on a Freeman trey.
At the other end, Butler missed a go-ahead three-pointer, but as had been the case all game, a Mountaineer was under the basket for the offensive rebound. Sophomore forward Devin Ebanks grabbed the board, and West Virginia set back up.
At that point the shot clock was turned off, but Wright was too aggressive on defense, fouling Joe Mazzulla well beyond the arc. The Mountaineers, who were in the double bonus, didn’t have to work for the lead—Mazzulla sunk both shots and got two points for free.
“I made a mistake,” a dejected Wright said of the foul.
But Wright, who finished with 20 points and seven assists while playing all 40 minutes, redeemed himself immediately, tying it back up with that whirling drive with 17 seconds left.
After Butler hit what would prove to be the game-winner, Wright had four seconds to drive down the court, but he couldn’t finish and send the game into overtime.
It was a crushing end to an otherwise magnificent tournament for Wright, who earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Joining Wright on the team was Monroe, who had a disappointing night by his standards. After having one of the most dominant games of his career against Marquette, the sophomore center was limited to 11 points and six rebounds by a very physical Mountaineers squad.
“They were denying really hard and making it very difficult for me to get the ball in the post,” Monroe said. “They were sending extra help from both sides, from the top side and from the baseline. So they kind of made it real hard for me to score and get the ball.”
While the Hoyas’ demeanor after the loss may have said otherwise, Saturday’s loss is hardly the end for Georgetown. The Hoyas likely played their way into a higher NCAA tournament seed with their performance in New York, and certainly picked up some momentum with their three wins.
“I don’t think this group has ever lost confidence in what we’re doing, lost confidence in each other,” Thompson said. “I said this after last night’s game: we’re playing well. I like where we are going into the NCAA tournament, and I probably can still say that.”
Great game Hoyas! Just came up a little short, but you played with heart and courage! WE ARE…GEORGETOWN!