Georgetown (13-7, 4-5 BIG EAST) fell 78-68 to Providence (10-10, 4-5 BIG EAST) in one of Georgetown’s biggest rivalry games of the year. Freshman forward Thomas Sorber and graduate guard Micah Peavy had huge performances, but their efforts were not enough for the Hoyas, who had zero points off the bench. Providence has now won eight straight against Georgetown in this very one-sided rivalry.
Cooley’s team started the game on fire, looking like they would win in a blowout. Freshman forward Thomas Sorber had never made more than one three-pointer in a game prior to Saturday’s contest, hitting just 14.8 percent of his threes on the season, so the Friars left him open on the perimeter. The big man made them pay, draining two open three-pointers early to build the Hoyas’ lead. Thanks to Sorber’s efforts and an offense that looked fluid and efficient, the Hoyas scored nine unanswered points to build an 18-7 lead early in the first quarter, forcing Providence head coach Kim English to call a timeout.
English’s timeout would prove to be a turning point for Providence, halting Georgetown’s momentum and swinging it in Providence’s favor. Issues with turnovers and poor shot selection that have plagued the Hoyas all season remained a problem in Saturday’s game, and the Friars took advantage, cutting Georgetown’s lead to 31-30, forcing Cooley to call a timeout with five minutes left in the half. Coming out of the timeout, Providence sophomore forward Christ Essandoko threw down a dunk to take the lead for the Friars. The Hoyas never really found their footing, and Georgetown entered halftime down 38-33.
Both teams went back and forth for the first five minutes of the second half. Fortunately Georgetown found their rhythm again on offense, moving the ball and involving Sorber. Graduate guard Micah Peavy hit a stepback jumper to put the Hoyas up 45-44. Georgetown couldn’t hold the lead for long, though, and the Friars threatened to pull away as they opened up an 8-point lead at 60-52. Peavy hit two shots to limit the damage, but Providence pulled away once again thanks to an alley-oop from junior guard Corey Floyd Jr. that gave the Friars a 66-56 lead and elicited a huge roar from the Providence crowd.
With just over three minutes left, Peavy hit a huge three-pointer for the Hoyas. On that same play, Sorber fell after a shove from Essandoko under the rim. Sorber appeared to be in a lot of pain, but he got up and hit two free throws, completing the five-point play to cut Providence’s lead to five points. The teams continued to trade buckets, and the score stood at 71-67 Providence with 90 seconds left.
On the ensuing play, sophomore forward Drew Fielder fouled senior guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim during a three-point attempt, and Abdur-Rahim made all three of his free throws to open up a 74-67 lead for Providence. Georgetown sprinted down the court to try and keep it close, but sophomore guard Malik Mack missed a deep three, and Sorber couldn’t get the putback to fall. From there, it was all but inevitable that Georgetown would lose, and the final score sat at 78-68.
Georgetown’s lack of depth hurt them in Saturday’s game, as the Hoyas had ZERO points off the bench, while Providence had 26. Peavy led the way for the Hoyas with 27 points, and Sorber contributed 25 points and 15 rebounds for his seventh double-double (10+ points and rebounds in a single game) of the season. No other Hoya scored in double digits, as Mack only scored 8 points and Epps only added 6. Epps and Mack’s shot selection raised serious concerns, with Epps making just 3 of his 14 field goal attempts and Mack going 2-9 from the field.
Georgetown men’s basketball returns to action at Capital One Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 28, to face the St. John’s Red Storm (17-3, 8-1 BIG EAST) at 6:30 p.m. EST. For continued coverage and updates on Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
