Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Early Three-Point Attack Ices Win

Georgetown took its time dismantling William & Mary in the season opener last Saturday, depending on mighty Roy Hibbert to slowly wear down the smaller Tribe. There would be no such methodical approach Thursday night, as the Hoya backcourt took control from the start and ran away with the game.

Fifth-ranked Georgetown (2-0) sprinted past Michigan (2-1) early in the game and never looked back for a 74-52 win.

“We didn’t come out with enough intensity last game,” senior guard Jonathan Wallace said. “We wanted to set the pace early tonight.”

Georgetown opened the game with a 12-0 run thanks to two quick buckets by senior forward Patrick Ewing Jr. down low, and marksman-like shooting from sophomores DaJuan Summers and Jeremiah Rivers outside the three point arc.

“It was contagious,” Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III said of the team’s first half shooting, which led to 43 points before the break. Junior guard Jessie Sapp led the first-half blitz with 10 points and five rebounds. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard missed only once in five first-half tries.

“We just want to come out and set the tone early,” Sapp said. “We just wanted to play defense.”

First-year Michigan Head Coach John Beilein’s teams have lived and died by the three, and the Wolverines fell on their own sword Thursday night, shooting a mere 27.3 from downtown. Freshman guard Kelvin Grady was the only man in Maize and Blue with a hot hand, leading the team with 16 points on the evening.

“We are on tape delay on both offense and defense, and we really don’t have a lot of confidence right now,” Beilein said, adding that Thursday night’s loss reminded him a lot of his last trip to Verizon Center, a 71-53 Georgetown win over Beilein’s West Virginia Mountaineers last January.

“I don’t think people understand how good [Georgetown’s] defense is,” he said. “It was a bit of a mismatch tonight.”

Thompson shuffled his lineup throughout the game, working in freshmen guards Austin Freeman and Chris Wright. Freeman took advantage of his time on the floor almost immediately, draining threes on two consecutive possessions mid-way through the first half and driving hard to the bucket for a slam dunk eight minutes into the second.

Wright got his first points as a Hoya shortly thereafter, dropping a three of his own from the far right corner. The duo combined for 20 points on the night on 7-of-15 shooting.

“Our freshman class in general is smart,” Thompson said. “It was good to get them out there against a quality opponent.”

Hibbert, who finished the game with 12 points and six rebounds, and Wallace – who posted eight points and four assists – spent most of the second half on the bench, but the Wolverines never got within 21 points of the Hoyas.

Sophomore center Vernon Macklin treated the 8,888 in attendance to two rim-rattling dunks, and Wright added all of his 10 points to the after halftime.

Omar Wattad, the third eligible member of the 2007 freshman class – Nikita Meschererheriakov has been suspended for 10 games – made his debut with a little over two minutes remaining.

Even junior walk-on forward Bryon Jansen got in on the action, entering the floor as the last minute ticked off the clock.

“Hopefully we’ll see more of this team and less of the one we saw the other day,” Thompson said. “Overall we just need to stay focused. Everything is a learning experience.”

The Hoyas will next face Ball State in Muncie, Ind., Wednesday night in a match that pits Thompson’s team against his brother Ronny’s former squad.

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