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 | Thompson, Hoyas Crush Spartans

MEAGAN KELLY/THE HOYA Redshirt freshman guard Aaron Bowen threw down an emphatic dunk in Georgetown's 86-45 blowout of UNC-Greensboro Monday night. The Hoyas move to 2-0 after also defeating Savannah State, 83-54, Saturday.
MEAGAN KELLY/THE HOYA Redshirt freshman guard Aaron Bowen threw down an emphatic dunk in Georgetown’s 86-45 blowout of UNC-Greensboro Monday night. The Hoyas move to 2-0 after also defeating Savannah State, 83-54, Saturday.

The Georgetown men’s basketball team looked great in its preparation for a matchup with No. 12 Kansas at the Maui Invitational next week, defeating UNC-Greensboro Monday night at Verizon Center, 86-45.

Junior forward Hollis Thompson and senior guard Jason Clark and led the Hoyas with 19 and 17 points, respectively, in a rout backed up by an excellent defense that allowed just 16 first-half points. The match was part of the Maui Invitational’s expansion to include more teams in matches on the U.S. mainland.

Georgetown drastically outsized the Spartans and at one point led by 46 points late in the second half, as the crowd chanted for the lead to stretch to 50. Thompson shot 7-of-10 from the field, including an impressive 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Clark shot poorly from long range, going just 1-of-7, but made up for it with some nifty moves inside the paint. Clark and Thompson combined to score 30 of Georgetown’s first 35 points.

“I think a lot of it was just good ball movement, like Coach was saying. I ended up with the ball, being wide open,” Clark said. “Shots weren’t falling, but other people on the team were making shots.”

On defense, the Hoyas forced 22 turnovers, including 14 in the first half, and limited the Spartans to just 29.6 percent shooting. UNC-Greensboro did not help its cause, committing 12 first-half fouls while only scoring 16 points. Clark himself outscored the entire Spartan team in the first half. In total, the visitors committed 23 fouls and made just 16 field goals.

“They’re frenzied defensively,” UNC-Greensboro Head Coach Mike Dement said of the Blue and Gray. “They were really getting all over the place; they really get after the ball when you catch it … they are intimidating.”

“I thought in terms of not letting them get into a rhythm, [we were] effective, even at times when we didn’t get a turnover,” Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III said. “Looking at tapes of them, they get the shots where they want them, and I think our press was effective in keeping them [off-kilter] a little bit.”

Sophomore point guard Markel Starks played just six minutes in the first half, committing two fouls, but scored 11 points in the second half, when Thompson III gave Starks and the freshmen plenty of playing time. Senior center Henry Sims led the team in rebounding with seven boards, and freshmen forwards Mikeal Hopkins and Greg Whittington tied for second with six rebounds apiece.

In total, the Hoyas’ freshman class — including redshirt freshman forward Aaron Bowen — played more than half the game. Whittington, forward Otto Porter and guard Jabril Trawick — playing at least 22 minutes each, more than any of Georgetown’s starting five. It was necessary experience for a young team that still looks a little shaky, particularly on offense. Nevertheless, the Hoyas still shot 45 percent for the game.

“We’re going to have a lot of different combinations — we’re not going to have a set core. … A lot of that is because of our versatility across the board,” Thompson III said. “We have to get precise, regardless of who is in the game.”

The Hoyas will travel to Hawaii next week to participate in the Maui Invitational, widely considered the toughest non-conference tournament in college basketball. They open against Kansas on Monday. The following day, Georgetown will play either UCLA or Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaii. Tip-off for the Kansas game is scheduled for 11:50 p.m. EST on Monday night.

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