The Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball team (6-17, 0-12 Big East) dropped their 13th straight game on Saturday, falling 80-66 to the Creighton Bluejays (15-8, 7-5 Big East).
It was more of the same for the struggling Hoyas. The Blue and Gray competed for much of the first half but faltered down the stretch. The coaching staff did try to make some changes following an embarrassing performance at DePaul a few days prior. Freshman center Ryan Mutombo was rewarded with his first career start on senior parent’s weekend. Unfortunately, it did not seem to make much of a difference.
Creighton blitzed out to a 5-2 lead, causing Georgetown’s head coach Patrick Ewing to puzzlingly call a timeout just two minutes into the game. Timeout usage has been a common criticism of Ewing’s coaching, as the legend’s tenure at Georgetown seems to be a point of contention among fans.
The Hoyas hung tight through the first 12 minutes of action, and the game was tied at 24 before Creighton senior forward Ryan Hawkins (career-high 30 points) drained back to back threes to give Creighton a 30-24 lead, and the Bluejays carried a 42-37 lead into the break. The Hoyas never led the rest of the way. Freshman forward Jalin Billingsley provided some energy in the second half to keep things close, but defensive struggles and consistent isolated hero ball on offense by freshman guard Aminu Mohammed (4-12) made it difficult for the team to ever draw within striking distance.
The Hoyas will have a chance for redemption on the road against Creighton on Monday at 9:00 p.m. on FS1.
Photo by GUHoyas
On a more positive note, the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (1-0), ranked number four in the NCAA, opened their season by handing the no. 16 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (2-1) their first loss of the season.
The Blue Jays, which had the benefit of having already played two games this season, jumped out to a 5-2 lead, helped by graduate attacker Connor DeSimone who recorded a goal and two assists, as well as sophomore midfielder Brendan Grimes, who added two goals.
The Hoyas responded with an 8-0 scoring run led by great defense and a trio of goals from senior attacker Dylan Watson. The run gave Georgetown a 10-5 lead which they never relented, the game ended with a final score of 16-8. Watson finished with a career-high six goals, while junior midfielder Graham Bundy Jr. added a goal and four assists for the Hoyas. Georgetown’s graduate keeper Owen McElroy was another star, who after being named the nation’s most outstanding goalie last season, picked up right where he left off, saving 17 shots, good for a .680 save percentage.
The Hoyas will be back in action on Feb. 19th at 12:00 p.m. as they travel to Philadelphia to face the no. 11 University of Pennsylvania Quakers. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
In Other News:
- Women’s lacrosse (1-0) opened their season with a 20-8 win at American. Sophomore Tatum Geist led the Hoyas with four goals. The Hoyas’ home debut will be this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Cooper Field vs. no. 17 Rutgers.
- Softball (1-4) opened their year in Coastal Carolina’s Kickin’ Chicken Tourney. The Hoyas were swept by the Chanticleers, split games against the East Carolina Pirates and dropped their finale against the Purdue Boilermakers. Georgetown will be back in action at the Furman Invitational this weekend, which also features the St. Francis Red Flash and the South Dakota Coyotes.
- Women’s Basketball (7-15, 2-12 Big East) fell to St. John’s 79-45 on Friday in New York and followed it up with a heartbreaking double overtime home loss to DePaul, 105-104. The loss increases Georgetown’s losing streak to five. Kelsey Ransom and company are return to McDonough Arena for Senior Night on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7:00 p.m. against Marquette. The game will also be televised on FS2.
- Squash (8-12) swept Denison 9-0 to secure a win on their Senior Day. The Hoyas fell to Dickinson 9-0 on Sunday to bring their first season as a varsity sport to a close.
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