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David Beats Goliath
Wildcats Upset Hoyas in Second Round
RALEIGH, N.C. — Tenth-seeded Davidson ended Georgetown’s season with a 74-70 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Georgetown (28-6) had a 38-27 lead at halftime and was up by as many as 17 with 17:52 remaining in the game, but Davidson sophomore guard Stephen Curry powered the Wildcats’ comeback with 25 points in the second half.
“In the second half, we was up 17, I thought we were going to break it open,” said sophomore guard Jeremiah Rivers, one of many Hoyas who guarded Curry on the day. “We were just one or two plays from putting them down, and I think Curry knew that they was in trouble, and Curry’s a second-half player more than anything. … He’s a player period, but he’s just a champion in the second half.”
Curry provided Davidson (28-6) with two game-changing plays. At the 14:24 mark in the second half, Curry hit a three-pointer on a fast break and made a free throw for a four-point play to catalyze a 12-2 Wildcat run.
“That was one of the first ones that went in for me during the game, so definitely that got me some confidence,” said Curry, who made four three-pointers in the second half. “That’s just a testament to our transition game because we were struggling in the halfcourt, and that was a key for us to get out in the open court and make plays. Our defense made that happen for us.”
Then with 4:39 left in the game, Curry gave Davidson its first lead in almost 30 minutes on a layup and free throw, making the score 60-58.
“We knew they were making a run, and we tried to withstand it for a majority of the time, but once they got going as a group and made some tough plays, we were not able to recover,” said Georgetown senior guard Jonathan Wallace (12 points).
“[Curry] couldn’t miss,” said Rivers. “We were trying everything, man. I was trying my best, man. I just — I mean, I didn’t know what to do against him, man. He was getting shots all over. This was just frustrating.”
After falling behind 67-60 with two minutes left, the Hoyas made three straight baskets to pull within two points. Junior guard Jessie Sapp sank a three-pointer, Wallace drove into the paint for a layup and sophomore forward DaJuan Summers added a one-handed dunk to give the Hoyas a glimmer of momentum.
On the next play, freshman guard Chris Wright fouled Curry right away, but Curry made both of his free throws to make the score 71-67.
With 23 seconds, Curry stole the ball from Wright and was fouled by Hibbert. Curry made his two free throws, extending the Davidson lead to 67-73.
Summers hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds left, putting Georgetown within one possession, but Curry put the last nail in the 74-70 score with one more free throw. Curry made 5-of-6 free throws during that 23-second final stretch.
The loss was not the finish that Georgetown expected after a solid first half. The Hoyas went into the locker room with an 11-point lead, 38-27, thanks to their defense, which held the Wildcats to a 26.7 field-goal percentage. Curry did not even score until 10 and a half minutes into the game, and he made only 2-of-8 attempts in the first half.
The Hoyas, meanwhile, were making two-thirds of their shots. Georgetown’s starting guards combined for five three-points on seven attempts, and the Hoyas did not neglect their inside game, as the team scored 18 points in the paint.
The referees, however, played a bigger-than-usual role, calling 47 fouls during the game. The 27 fouls charged to Georgetown dwarfed the team’s 17.5 season average.
“I’m not going to comment on the officiating,” Thompson said. “I was upset about more than one of them.”
Hibbert was in foul trouble throughout the game and managed just six points and one rebound before fouling out with 16 seconds left. His first foul came within a minute of tip-off.
“I went to post up, and I had a dumb foul to start off with. I need to play smarter out there,” Hibbert said. “I talked to the referees, and they told me what I was doing, and I tried not to do it, but, you know, they made the calls. I respect the calls. You just have to keep moving on.”
In the absence of Hibbert, who only spent 16 minutes on the floor, the Georgetown bench stepped up, contributing 19 points.
After the game, the players and their coach were visibly disappointed, in particular for the way that the careers of the seniors — Hibbert, Wallace, forward Patrick Ewing Jr. and guard Tyler Crawford — had to end.
“I hope that people don’t judge this group — and I’m thinking about my seniors — based on this loss today, and looking at all that they have accomplished in their four years here, and looking at this,” Thompson said. “This loss is disappointing because of what they have done for the last four years. And so I hope that they are not looked upon or remembered just solely or primarily because of this game, because those kids — those kids are the program.
“Those kids are Georgetown.”
As for himself, Thompson said, “I can think every possession [of] something I would want to do differently.”
There were 47 fouls called, not 57.
Fellow Hoyas,
Like many of you, I’m struggling to overcome the bitterness and disappointment that I feel after Georgetown’s loss to Davidson in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Regret for what might have been; frustration with how the game progressed…I’m sure I’m not the only one experiencing these emotions. Such is the blessing and the curse of sports: the highs are breathtaking, and the lows are crushing. This year’s team took us on a ride that delivered both, and for that I’d like to thank them. Emotions this strong can only be evoked when one is fully invested in the fortunes of a team, and I’m so grateful to them for being a team worth believing in. I tell my friends that I live and die with the Georgetown Hoyas, and it’s not far from the literal truth. So come victory or loss, we are lucky to have these men playing for the Georgetown basketball team.
Let’s all take time to recognize the sacrifices they have made for us. On the road to becoming a great team, the individuals players invest far more time behind the scenes than most of us will ever fully appreciate. Daily practices, summer leagues, long hours at the gym, press conferences, travel time…they devote themselves fully to Georgetown basketball while also maintaining a full class schedule. More than a sports team, they are a part of campus life: our classmates, friends, sometimes even idols. They gave us passion, effort, dedication, and heart, as well as some nice pieces of Big East hardware and thrilling runs in the NCAA tournament.
Their greatest accomplishment, however, is the school spirit that they restored to the Hilltop. During my four years at Georgetown the Verizon Center filled with new fans, the student section doubled and turned into a sea of gray, the glory days of Hoya basketball were once again the talk of ESPN, and the “We are Georgetown!” cheer took on new life. Thanks to the team, Hoya Paranoia is once again a legitimate excuse for missing class to travel to postseason games, and the entire campus is united in its support for the team. People who “don’t like sports” line up hours early just to get good seats to a game, and professors rehash games with their students. The Georgetown pride that pervades campus is infectious and spills over into other areas of campus life. That’s a gift that can’t be taken away, no matter how the season ends, and for that we owe the team members a debt of gratitude.
I don’t know what next year’s team will accomplish, but what I do know for sure is that they will represent Georgetown with class and pride, following the example set by Coach Thompson. I wish them best of luck, and will be cheering them on from afar.
We are…Georgetown!
What hurt us was execution. We had sixteen more turnovers than they did and missed more than half our foul shots. We held them to 38% shooting and shot 60+% ourselves but when you give another team so many more free possessions you lose. Congrats to them though. That backcourt is tremendous.
These senior players should always be remembered with respect. They played their hearts out. Unfortunately, they were burdened with a clueless coach who did the impossible yesterday - He made me miss Craig Esherick.
To Coach Thompson and to all the Georgetown players, I say "thank you" for the effort you made in all the games you played this year. To the seniors Wallace, Hibbert, Ewing, and Crawford, I say to you "take pride" for bringing so much enthusiasm to the Hoya fans and "good luck" to you all in whatever you do. I will miss watching you guys play in the blue and grey, so much great teamwork, and know that we all appreciate everything you gave in order to wear the team uniform.
gtown got robbed yesterday. it was gtown vs the state of north carolina. those people havent forgotten these last 2 years we beat duke and unc and the refs seem like they were on a mission to stop gtow from making to final four where the probably would had collision with unc. lets face it nobody wants the big east teams to win because thats real basketball with tradition and its the closest thing to the nba not the acc,pac 10,big 12, its the big east. its the big east vs ncaa,cbs,espn its just awful. lol gtown go big east!!!
What a joke!
Long live JTIII!
Oh please, BK, not another conspiracy theory. Davidson played well enough to win; Georgetown played bad enough to lose. End of story. End of your season.
i totally agree the hoyas was on trial. jt3 couldnt comment but everybody across the country who know basketball could see that if game was close that the refs were going to do something. this reminds me of the gtown/ohio st game last year i think that the need to investigate some of the officials and see if they are taking bribes. you cant spell ncaa without the acc its ridiculous how these networks want unc,duke,ucla,kansas,kentucky every year. wyh is it every year the east region always start in north carolina? ncaa tournament is a rip off go hoyas!!!!
Okay the referees were bad. We still could of overcame that by getting the ball to our 7'2" All-American. Chris was getting Roy the ball in the post at the most crucial times in the game because his basketball intelligence told him hey man "we have to ride the big man now", but then Chris was put back on the bench and I thought by his great point guard play at that time and "high IQ" basketball. We would have won with Roy putting us on his back to another great win and on to the Sweet 16. From here on out, I think you will see smart pg play especially in the Kenner League play this summer. In any case, I would like thank the Hoyas and staff for a great season. Thank you seniors and have a great career in whatever you do!
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