The Georgetown Hoyas (12-3, 3-1 BIG EAST) were defeated by the No.7 Marquette Golden Eagles (14-2, 5-0 BIG EAST) 74-66 on Jan. 7 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, in an exciting matchup which featured 13 lead changes. Despite the tough loss, the fact that the Hoyas held the lead (as much as 14 points at one point) for much of the game against a top-10 team without junior guard Jayden Epps is a positive sign for the Hoyas. The game showed that Georgetown is a significantly better team than in years past and will continue to be a strong team for the rest of the season.
Sophomore guard Malik Mack opened the scoring in the game with an open 2-pointer from the paint for Georgetown. The Hoyas, however, could not hold on to the early lead as they were loose with the ball and missed 3-pointers on offense. Despite offensive mishaps, Georgetown’s signature defense was on display against the Golden Eagles’ elite offense from the very beginning, and the Hoyas entered the under-12 timeout down 10-15.
Midway through the first half, the Hoyas found the offensive rhythm they were looking for. A tip-in by freshman forward Thomas Sorber and two three-pointers by sophomore forward Jordan Burks gave the Hoyas the 19-18 lead, and a bucket apiece from graduate guard Micah Peavy and sophomore guard Curtis Williams Jr. brought the Hoyas up 23-18 with eight minutes to go in the second half.
And the Hoyas continued to hit the gas. Georgetown exploded to a 31-18 lead off a 12-0 scoring run, highlighted by a fast-break steal and dunk from Peavy. A 3-pointer from Marquette junior guard Chase Ross, who went 4-for-6 from three on the day, stopped the bleeding for the Golden Eagles, but the Hoyas’ defense at the basket was suffocating. At the end of the half, Georgetown’s offense sputtered once again, and a Williams Jr. 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer was the Hoyas’ only score in the last four minutes of the first.
Despite 10 turnovers on offense, the Hoyas entered the intermission up 38-29, against one of the best teams in the country.
Then came the second half.
With Georgetown plagued by an inert offense, Marquette opened the second half on a 10-2 run to put the score within one point, 40-39 in favor of the Hoyas. While Georgetown’s signature interior defense was still there in the second half, the Golden Eagles took advantage of the Hoyas’ questionable three-point defense. On the other end of the court, challenging shots from the field that landed in the first half for Georgetown were no longer hitting the target. After a windmill layup from Marquette senior forward David Joplin cemented a three-point lead for Marquette with 10 minutes left in the first half, Georgetown called a timeout, and the fans in Fiserv Forum, which had been silenced all game, finally made their presence known.
A pair of threes from Mack and Williams Jr. brought the score to 58 apiece and gave the Hoyas hope of pulling out the upset. From there, the game continued to be back-and-forth, and a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Drew Fielder gave Georgetown a 63-62 lead, which would be the last time the Hoyas held the advantage. Georgetown fouls brought Marquette to the line in the bonus, and bad turnovers on offense prevented any chance for Georgetown to equalize, and Golden Eagle free throws off of desperation fouls brought the score to its final, 74-66. Despite a valiant individual effort from Peavy to hold National Player of the Year contender senior guard Kam Jones to just 11 points, Ross’ 27 points were enough to get the job done for Marquette.
Tuesday’s game, as far as metrics are concerned, was Georgetown’s most difficult game this season. The fact that Georgetown kept it close is an excellent sign for good times to come. The Hoyas’ next game will be at home against the No. 9 UConn Huskies (12-3, 4-0 BIG EAST) on Jan. 11 at 2:00 p.m. It will be nationally televised on FOX. Saturday’s game will be the first time the students will be back at Capital One Arena after a winter break which saw the Hoyas explode to an incredible 3-1 start in conference play. Expect the Cap to be packed on Saturday.
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