In front of the troops stationed at Camp Humphreys in South Korea, untimely turnovers and abysmal three-point shooting spoiled an impactful debut from junior center Josh Smith as Georgetown fell to No. 19 Oregon, 82-75, in its season opener Friday night.
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: sophomore guard Dominic Artis and sophomore forward Ben Carter. Their 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 started and played 27 minutes.
It was the 25 points and the dominating nature in which he scored them that impressed Georgetown fans. The big man collected a disappointing four rebounds and notched just two assists, however, before fouling out in the waning minutes of the game.
Foul trouble was a concern all night for the Hoyas, who 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 half, Georgetown was unable to get much closer in the second half.
“Things we can control, we have to control,” Thompson 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 threes 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 senior 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 redshirt junior guard Joseph Young, who finished with 24 points, and redshirt senior 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 regulation 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.
Despite the disappointing result, the Hoyas still have the opportunity to grow from the loss and the overall experience in South Korea.
“This was an unbelievable experience,” Thompson said, according to Georgetown Sports Information. “It was a privilege to play in this environment, and it was a privilege to play in front of the soldiers. One of the most rewarding times was serving lunch yesterday and getting the chance to interact with the young men and women stationed here at Camp Humphreys. It was an unbelievable experience and now we have to grow from it.”
After another 15-hour plane ride, Georgetown will prepare to face Wright State at Verizon Center on Wednesday night. The Raiders are coming off an 82-49 victory over Mount St. Joseph’s. Senior forward AJ Pacher, who finished with 21 points and 5 rebounds, led Wright State in the victory. Senior forward Jerran Young recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Wright State is the sixth-youngest team in the country and was predicted to finish last in the Horizon League by the conference preseason poll. Despite their youth, the Raiders are expected to play an up-tempo style and rely on defense. Meanwhile, the Hoyas will look to improve upon their dismal shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.
