Despite a big impact from center Josh Smith in his debut game for the Hoyas, Georgetown fell to No. 19 Oregon, 82-75, in their season opener last night at Camp Humphreys in South Korea.

The game, televised live on ESPN as part of the Armed Forces Classic, pitted the Hoyas against a Ducks squad that was without two key players in Dominic Artis and Ben Carter. Those suspensions made little difference, however, as Oregon outplayed Georgetown on the perimeter from the get-go.

Although Head Coach John Thompson III had been mum about whether Smith would start or come off the bench, the UCLA transfer was on the floor from the beginning of the game and finished with 27 minutes.

However, it was the 25 points he scored during those minutes — and the dominating nature of his play around the rim — that impressed Georgetown fans. The big man collected a rather disappointing four rebounds and notched just two assists before fouling out in the waning minutes of the game.

Foul trouble was a concern all night for the Blue and Gray, which had 16 fouls in the first half alone, allowing Oregon to outscore Georgetown, 36-20, from the charity stripe.

Although a determined rush by Smith and junior forward Mikael Hopkins put the Hoyas just three points back, 37-34, at the intermission, Georgetown was unable to get much closer in the second half.

“Things we can control, we have to control,” Head Coach John Thompson III said after the game, according to Georgetown Sports Information. “We had too many, untimely, unforced turnovers. We got our rhythm offensively, but we gave up a lot of three’s in a row, it felt like four or five. The timing of that is what we have to learn. When we had to get a stop or a rebound, we didn’t.”

Perimeter shooting was a struggle all night for the Blue and Gray, with junior guard Markel Starks knocking down the team’s only trey on 15 attempts — a measly 6.7 percent from beyond the arc.

His backcourt teammate, sophomore guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, slumped badly in the game, going just 2-for-10 from the field and missing all five of his three point attempts.

Oregon, on the other hand, boasted a potent weapon in guard Joseph Young, who finished with 24 points, and forward Mike Moser, a UNLV transfer who was able to beat Smith on some critical rebounds and notched 15 points in the game.

The 82 points allowed was the highest total for the Hoyas in a two half game since the 2011-12 season. Going forward, then, defense and perimeter shooting are likely to be the biggest points of emphasis for the Blue and Gray.

After another 15 hour plane ride, Georgetown will prepare to face Wright State at Verizon Center on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.