Georgetown University men’s basketball (9-7, 1-4 BIG EAST) lost a game-long lead in the final minutes of their BIG EAST matchup against Seton Hall University (14-2, 4-1 BIG EAST). While the Hoyas seemed poised to break a two-game losing streak, the Pirates staged a comeback that resulted in a 76-67 win for the team.
With Seton Hall fresh off of a win over BIG EAST rival Creighton University (10-7, 4-2 BIG EAST), the Hoyas, not-so-fresh off a loss to DePaul University (10-7, 2-4 BIG EAST) appeared to be the underdogs ahead of this matchup. However, although the Pirates scored the first points of the game, a three-pointer by sophomore forward Isaiah Abraham would give the Hoyas a lead just 40 seconds into the game that they would not truly relinquish until the final nine minutes of play.
Senior center Vince Iwuchukwu, in his second game back after a two-months long absence due to a medical procedure, was one of the highlights of the first half. Beyond several dunks, his defensive performance kept the Hoyas in front—leading the team with seven rebounds and four steals, a career best.
On both sides of the basketball, each team struggled with sloppy mistakes and easy turnovers. Rebounds were missed, balls were stolen left and right, and it is for this reason that, despite maintaining the lead, the Hoyas consistently failed to extend it to a comfortable one. The team only made 32% of shots from the field, and saw their momentum slow significantly in the final minutes of the first half. They gave up the lead for the first time since the onset of the match with less than a minute to go, and after a dunk by Seton Hall’s freshman forward Najai Hines, the teams headed into the locker rooms at the half tied 29-29.
If the Hoyas’ first half felt sloppy, the second was near disastrous. In the first 30 seconds, a layup for the Pirates put them ahead of the Hoyas for the first time since the game’s first minute. However, free throws by sophomore center Julius Halaifonua and another Abraham three put Georgetown up a point for a mere minute until free throws would allow Seton Hall to tie it up yet again. After this tie, the Hoyas went on a run—five minutes into the half, Georgetown was up by eight with three-point help from both Abraham again and junior guard KJ Lewis.
Once the Hoyas hit halfway through the second half, things fell apart. Seton Hall’s junior guard Adam Clark and senior forward Stephon Payne turned up the heat in a big way, and effectively stifled any shooting game the Hoyas had previously had. The Pirates shot up from 1-9 in the first half to 3-5 in the second in three point shots, making approximately 60% (the Hoyas made less than a third). A dunk by senior forward Josh Rivera gave the Pirates the lead once again, but junior guard Malik Mack (who appeared to be playing with a bloody nose) battled back solo, racking up four points in response.
As a Jumbotron video told Capital One Arena, “it’s crunch time,” no one seemed more aware than Clark and Seton Hall. With six minutes left, the Hoyas turned the ball over with a shot clock violation, and immediately after Georgetown lost the lead for the final time. Struggling for offensive rebounds and losing the ball on several turnovers, the Hoyas were decidedly finished off in the game’s final minutes as students began to abandon the stands. The game ended with Seton Hall completing a 40-20 scoring run.
In the end, the Pirates outperformed the Hoyas in almost every metric—better shooting in the field, and more points in the paint and off turnovers. Seton Hall’s bench was also far more productive than Georgetown’s—the Pirates had 42 points scored by non-starters, compared to just 16 for the Hoyas. Georgetown was outshot, and, in many ways it seemed, also outplanned. Clark led the game with season-high 22 points, while Mack led the Hoyas with 14.
Coach Ed Cooley said this much in the postgame press conference, where he shouldered some of the blame for the team’s sobering performance.
“It’s really upsetting. This is our third Big EAST home loss,” he said. “I don’t think I’m doing a good job with this group at all. I think I’m failing this group right now, given we’re going into halftime at just about all these games and in the second half we’re coming out totally different.”
“I thought the more mature, passionate, physical team won today,” he told the room.
The Hoyas, now on a three-game losing streak, will return to the road on Tuesday against the Creighton Bluejays on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. EST. The game will be available to stream on Peacock and YouTube TV.
