As time wound down in the Hoyas’ only scheduled game of the year at McDonough Gymnasium, sophomore forward Jeff Green and freshman forward Marc Egerson slammed home back-to-back dunks to end a seven-minute scoring draught.

The outcome of Saturday night’s match was never really in doubt, as the Hoyas’ starting five tore away to a 15-0 lead, opening the door for Head Coach John Thompson III to test his younger players early on.

Yet Georgetown (5-2) could not get on the board from 9:14 remaining until Green’s jam at 1:33. Meanwhile, Stetson (0-8) had a 14-0 run as the Tigers outscored the Hoyas 30-25 in the second half.

Of the scoreless stretch, Thompson said, “We wanted to see if this group can figure this out. It’s part of their growth progress, part of our growth process as a team.”

He also admitted, “I liked the first half better.”

Hardly surprising _ the Hoyas shot 56 percent and hit 12 of 13 free throws before intermission, building up a 45-20 advantage. Georgetown gave Stetson few good looks and most of the shots that the Tigers did manage looked awkward. Senior guard Anthony Register was the only player to show consistency, and he scored 13 of his team’s first-half points.

The second half was another story as Stetson unloaded its bench, allowing freshmen Garfield Blair and Kris Thomas to post 16 points combined. As a team, the Tigers shot over 59 percent from the floor for the half, including 16 points in the paint.

Apart from the second-half lull, however, the Hoyas’ first- and second-years recorded some impressive outings.

On the floor for 23 minutes, Egerson brought down four rebounds and put up 12 points, going 5-for-5 from the line. Freshman guard Jesse Sapp also played 24 minutes, contributing seven points.

But more importantly, the contest provided an opportunity for Green and sophomore center Roy Hibbert to see substantial playing time and gain experience before the Hoyas’ conference schedule begins in just over two weeks.

Thompson lauded Green, who had seven points, six rebounds and six assists, for his accomplishments in 30 minutes on court.

“They go unnoticed maybe to the untrained eye,” he said. “As we try to mesh, Jeff has done a terrific job helping other guys grow.”

Meanwhile at 7-foot-2 Hibbert had a test of size against 7-foot-1 Stetson sophomore center Chief Kickingstallionsims. Granted it was “the Chief’s” first career start, in place of 6-8 sophomore J.J. Hirst.

Thompson said he had wanted to test Hibbert’s “ability to stay on the court, his ability to be effective for long stretches of time.”

Hibbert responded in kind with his second double-double of the season, tallying 17 points and 10 boards.

The game was the Hoyas’ only scheduled on-campus competition this season. Georgetown has not lost at McDonough since 1981, though there have only been 26 games on campus in that span. The Hoyas played host to San Jose State last December and welcomed Cal State Fullerton during the second round of the National Invitation Tournament in April. Those matches were wins of 18 and 17 points, respectively.

“Playing in McDonough, on campus is good,” Thompson said. “We really feed off [the fans’] energy and enthusiasm.”

The students, sitting directly courtside behind the scorers’ table and team benches, hurled insults at the Tigers’ bench all night. Stetson Head Coach Derek Waugh, in his sixth year, had the unfortunate privilege of sitting just feet from the most raucous fans.

But as in last weekend’s contest against Fairfield, the loudest cheers were reserved for Georgetown players who rarely see playing time. Students went wild when junior Kenny Izzo scored the final basket, a layup, at 0:06.

Fifth-year swingman Darrel Owens was the only member of Georgetown’s 15-man roster not to enter the game. Thompson said Owens rolled his ankle in practice early in the week and was sitting out as a precaution, stressing that the injury was “nothing serious.”

The Hoyas stay in town to play Savannah State (1-9) Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. Savannah State made history last year, becoming just the second NCAA Division I team in the past 50 years to finish a season winless.

Though SSU broke a 65-game losing streak in this year’s opener, a 63-59 victory over Wilberforce, it has not won since. Georgetown will be the 11th opponent of its 14-game road trip.