This post was written by DCist contributor Hayden Alfano
When John Thompson III replaced Craig Esherick as head coach of Georgetown’s men’s basketball, Hoya alums and other Washingtonians expected a swift return to the top for the storied program. With an 87-84 win over top-ranked and previously-undefeated Duke Saturday afternoon at MCI Center, the Hoyas announced to the entire country that they’re back.
After controlling most of the game and leading by as much as 16 in the second half, Georgetown had to sweat out the final several minutes as the Blue Devils pulled within four, 74-70, thanks in large part to J.J. Redick, who equaled a season-high with 41 points. From there, a well-played game became sloppy, with both teams turning the ball over and Georgetown missing more free throws than they should be comfortable with. Duke actually had a possession to tie the game after a Jonathan Wallace free throw rattled out with 6.5 seconds to play, but Greg Paulus made the last of a series of freshman mistakes, dribbling the ball off his foot as time expired.
Brandon Bowman led the Hoyas in scoring with 23 points, but the team’s best player all afternoon was Jeff Green. The sophomore, last year’s Big East co-Rookie of the Year, scored 18 points, but most importantly, his defense held Duke’s Shelden Williams to just four points. Indeed, the majority of Duke’s comeback took place with Green on the bench, saddled with four fouls.
The Hoyas jumped out on the Devils early, but Duke battled back to tie the game at 23. From there, though, Georgetown caught fire, using a 13-1 run to take a 42-28 lead at halftime. The Hoyas shot just under 70% in the first stanza, mixing a handful of three-point shots in with several easy baskets in the paint. For the game they shot a scorching 60.4%. It’s the Hoyas first win over Duke since 1990, and the program’s first defeat of a top-ranked team since 1985, when they knocked off then-No. 1 St. John’s.
In other area action this weekend, GW won on the road in Charlotte for their sixth straight win, Maryland defeated Virginia Tech 81-72 at the Comcast Center and American beat Army in double OT.
