College Hoops Rundown: Hoyas Have Bite
Hoyas Bully the Irish
Georgetown came into Saturday’s contest with Notre Dame after a successful, if underwhelming non-conference season. After starting the year with high hopes and a top ten ranking, three early losses pushed them off the national radar and out of the rankings. ND, however, was so hot they were smokin’, and riding a 12-game winning streak to a #17 ranking. But after a 66-48 thrashing of the Irish at the Verizon Center, JT3’s men are atop the early Big East standings and back in the national conversation.
Unlike recent games in this series, this game was never competitive, beginning with an 18-2 Hoya run from the opening tip all the way to the final horn. A sizeable ND fan presence sat silently while a boisterous Hoya crowd rocked the Phone Booth. Hoya guards Jeff Green and Jessie Sapp lit it up from outside, and the team combined to shoot 50% from the perimeter. Once the outside shot was established, it was time to hide the women and children and unleash big Roy Hibbert. The 7’-2”, 278-pound, lane-eating machine was only limited by his number of touches, going 8-9 from the field and leading all scorers with 18.
One of the biggest cheers of the afternoon was saved for a Trinity College alum, when newly-minted Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi was introduced to the crowd from her sideline seat and received an extended ovation, as well as a “We Are Georgetown” t-shirt. Pelosi received an honorary degree from GU’s School of Foreign Service in 2002.
-Jeff Beam
Missed Free Throws, Opportunities Doom GMU
The Patriots of George Mason are on their first losing streak in over a year after falling to Old Dominion, 65-63. In what was a generally wacky game, the Patriots led by 14 at one point in the first half. GMU's horrific three-point shooting allow the Monarchs to crawl back into the game and take the lead with 6 minutes left to play. Despite being down by 8 with a minute to go, Mason rallied and had a chance to send the game to OT. With the Patriots down by 2, Folarin Campbell had the opportunity to save the game when he rebounded an intentionally missed free throw by teammate Tim Burns. His first attempt at the line missed poorly, however, and Mason was unable to grab the ensuing intentionally missed free throw. They fall to 6-7 on the season and remain winless in 3 games of CAA play.
-Matt Bourque
GW Steals Herd's Thunder
George Washington starts games down so often that it almost seems like their game plan - lull the opponent into a slumber, then blow past them. Nearly every game this season, even against Kennesaw State, GW has been down double digits in the first half, only to flip a switch in the second by pressing, trapping, stealing, and scoring. This was no different on Saturday against a quick Marshall team that had the Colonials down 21 at one point in the first half. When the second half arrived, GW battled back for a thrilling 74-65 win.
Aside from their usual pressing and trapping, GW's defense seemed to take a step up as Marshall got cold, especially from three point range. The Herd were 7-13 from behind the arc in the first half, but only 1-12 in the second, and shot 24.1% overall from the floor in the second. GW's Maureece Rice had his second career double-double, netting 23 points and 10 rebounds - pretty impressive for a 6'1 guard. Big man Dokun Akingbade also played well in the second half with some nice post moves, and Rob Diggs was his usual self, scoring, rebounding and blocking, finishing with 15, 6 and 3. The large crowd (with few students, who are still on winter break) got noisier and noisier as the Colonials kept getting steals.
Although the mayor wasn't on hand (he was at the Fordham game on Wednesday), it was a nice weekend for coach Karl Hobbs and senior PG Carl Elliott - Hobbs got his 101st win against the first team he beat with GW, and Elliott scored his 1000th point.
-Andrew Wiseman
Lady Terps Dominate (Rinse, Repeat)
While the UM Men took the weekend off to prepare for ACC Conference play, the Lady Terps took another step toward world dominance by destroying #18 Michigan State, 97-57, and extending their record to a perfect 17-0.
Kristi Toliver and Crystal Langhorne worked the inside-out game, with Toliver nailing 4 3-pointers and the center Langhorne scoring 28 points and grabbing nine boards, despite giving up seven inches to 6'-9" Spartan center Allyssa DeHaan.
-Jeff Beam