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

MEN’S BASKETBALL | Offense Sputters in Second Half, OT As Georgetown Falls to Syracuse

After Wednesday night’s game, one thing is certain: It would be a crying shame if this were the last time Georgetown played Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. With all indications suggesting Syracuse will play its final Big East rivalry game at Verizon Center next year, Wednesday night’s game left Hoya fans demanding another crack at the hated Orange.

Georgetown’s three-point loss stung even more because the Hoyas played their archrivals close from start to finish but were undone by sloppy play and controversial officiating in the final few minutes.

Syracuse, the best team in the Big East, did not look the part of a potential No. 1 seed. The Orange lost the rebound battle by 17, shot 29 percent in the first half, was held scoreless for the final four and a half minutes of regulation and saw its vaunted 10-man rotation left almost completely reliant on just two players for production.

After a regulation period featuring 12 ties and 14 lead changes, the game came down to overtime. On Georgetown’s final meaningful offensive possession, down 64-61 with 20 seconds left, junior forward and Big East three-point shooting leader Hollis Thompson was not allowed to enter the game. Thompson appeared to be kept from the game due to a rarely enforced rule disallowing players to check in after the horn has sounded during a timeout. Head Coach John Thompson III would not comment on the official ruling.

Senior guard Jason Clark was the obvious candidate to take the tying attempt, having already hit two long, critical three-pointers in the last five minutes of regulation, and was defended as such. Thompson III drew up a play to free Clark from his defender with a pick, buying him enough time to get a clean shot or a clear passing lane.

But Syracuse point guard Scoop Jardine easily evaded senior center Henry Sims’ pick and blanketed Clark, who — without any viable passing options — slipped, bobbled the ball and had it poked out of bounds by Jardine. The call could have gone either way, but the referees ruled Jardine had knocked it off Clark, and the Orange had their 24th win of the season.

“We wanted to get a pick for Jason at the top, and then penetration, see if he can get into the lane, and then a drive and kick into the corner,” Thompson III said. “They played it well. … Basically, we wanted to isolate a side and get a shooter in the corner.”

What really cost the Blue and Gray, though, was their poor defense on the prior possession. Syracuse senior forward Kris Joseph converted a wide-open three-pointer to cap his career-high 29-point night.

Freshman forward Otto Porter started the play guarding Joseph for the Hoyas. After a series of screens, Porter switched to Syracuse sophomore guard Dion Waiters and motioned for Whittington to pick up his man. Whittington either missed Porter’s gesture or didn’t react in time, as Joseph was allowed to slip unguarded to the corner. Jardine found Joseph there, and the rest is history.

“Obviously, [Joseph] was having a terrific night, and we had some type of breakdown, some type of miscommunication,” Thompson III said. “I’m not exactly sure what, but he was wide open and he banged down the shot.”

The Hoyas had played zone defense most of the night before switching to man at the end of regulation — and, it should be noted, forcing a terrible Syracuse shot on that possession. The zone put the onus on Jardine to create shots for his teammates, and he had struggled to answer the bell. Sophomore center Fab Melo got some open looks, but for the most part, Syracuse was forced into a lot of contested jumpers.

“I thought this was a game that we just did not attack their zone. I mean, we play against it every day. You’d think we could attack it,” Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim said. “Getting 17 less rebounds, this was a disaster game as far as I’m concerned. I’m very disappointed at this stage of the year to get beat like that on the boards.”

Sims’ shooting struggles (1-of-12 from the field) were particularly apparent down the stretch. The 6-foot-10 center repeatedly had the ball feet from the basket, only to repeatedly miss over Melo’s tough defense. His midrange fadeaway was blocked by Melo on the Blue and Gray’s last possession of regulation, although the Baltimore native did hit two big free throws to tie the game at 59.

A few possessions later, with the score tied at 61, Sims had the chance to be the hero for Georgetown. He caught a pass at the foul line and proceeded to drive to the hoop against Melo. Syracuse sophomore forward C.J. Fair shifted to help on Sims, leaving Thompson wide open in the corner. But instead of passing to Thompson, Sims — who leads the Hoyas in assists — threw up an awkward miss. Porter caught the shot, went up for a layup of his own and appeared to be fouled or stripped. The officials ruled that he had knocked it out of bounds.

“[Sims] was getting the ball in pretty good position, right under the basket, right under the rim,” Thompson III said. “I can go look at the tape, see where he was bumped, where he wasn’t bumped, but at the end of the day, the ball just didn’t go in; it happens sometimes.”

The series of unfortunate events left the Hoyas hoping for another shot at their archrivals in the postseason. There were certainly reasons to be encouraged by the Blue and Gray on Wednesday night, most notably on defense and on the boards. Although several Hoyas struggled from the field and Clark spent much of the second half in foul trouble, Georgetown’s defense and rebounding kept the Hoyas in the game. Syracuse came into the game averaging 78 points per game in conference play but managed only 55 in regulation. The Blue and Gray also outrebounded the Orange by 17.

But Sims’ struggles are worrisome, as he is crucial to the flow of the Georgetown offense, and turnovers continue to be a problem. The Hoyas were also hurt by the lack of a knock-down three-point shooter outside of Thompson and Clark, who made 4-of-10 from long range while the rest of the team was 1-of-11. Starks looked like he could be that shooter early in the season, but he has made just eight of his last 31 attempts from beyond the arc after starting the season shooting a blistering 47 percent in the season’s first 13 games.

The Hoyas have a relatively soft schedule down the stretch, facing five unranked teams — three at home — before hitting the road to face No. 19 Marquette in the final game of the season. Once that happens, they can really start thinking about a rematch.

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