Slow starts at the beginning of each half saw the Georgetown men’s basketball team lose to the Providence Friars on Thursday, Jan. 20. It was always going to be a stern test for the slumping Hoyas as their opponents sat atop the Big East and were undefeated at home.  

In the opening four minutes, Georgetown struggled to shake off their previous loss to St John’s and failed to score. This hesitation, combined with a 0-13 run, forced Head Coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) into calling an early timeout. Despite the decision, Ewing stated in a postgame press conference: “I didn’t think [the slow start] took too much out of us.” 

Providence had not played a game in 12 days and came out of the gates energized. The Friars were able to exploit a disorganized Georgetown defense that failed to get set quickly inside. Friars forward Ed Croswell came off the bench and had 11 points in the paint in the first half. He ended the game with 15 points and shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the field.

Georgetown took a different scoring approach and attacked the Friars’ basket from the perimeter. A 3-pointer from graduate guard Donald Carey opened the scoring for the Hoyas. It was Carey’s first game back since Dec. 18 against Texas Christian University and he finished the game with 21 points, shooting 55.6% from three.

Georgetown’s 3-point shooting made the game competitive in the second part of the opening half. The Hoyas went 7-for-12 from beyond the arc in the first half, with Carey and graduate forward Kaiden Rice leading the charge.

Finishing the game with 19 points, Rice now leads the Hoyas in points per game at 13.9 and 3-pointers per game with four. A 7-0 run from the Hoyas brought the score to 20-25 with seven minutes to go in the first half.

At the end of the first half, first-year point guard Tyler Beard hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to make the score 34-37. 

Unfortunately, the slow start of the first half was mirrored in the second as Providence had a 16-5 scoring run to open the second half.

The galvanized home crowd, largely quiet in the first half, undoubtedly contributed to the momentum swing. This energy enhanced a successful defensive adjustment from the Friars, who started guarding the Hoyas high in order to take away their 3-point shot.

Georgetown was unable to get to the basket easily and was forced to settle for contested mid-range jump shots or deep threes late in the shot clock. However, the 3-point shot started to fall again for Rice and Carey, which kept the Hoyas within striking distance.

The lead cut to just four points with five minutes to go. First-year guard Aminu Mohammed drove to the basket more easily and sophomore guard Dante Harris was able to collect his first points of the night after a rough start going 0-for-7.

The arena was the most cacophonous it had been all night as Mohammed and Providence forward Noah Horchler traded threes in the closing stages and the crowd seemed to will their team to victory. Providence saw the game out with long possessions and free throws. Georgetown ultimately fell 75-83 in a game that extended their losing streak to five..

When asked why the game turned out the way it did, Ewing pointed to the early defensive struggles inside, stating: “[we] gave ‘em too many points in the paint, that’s what hurt us.” Providence racked up 30 points from inside.

Despite the negative outcome, Georgetown can build on this performance. Providence shot 53%, its best in conference play this year, and the Hoyas held their own with a team ranked 21st in the country.

Ewing was proud of the effort, stating the game “could’ve easily gone either way” in a postgame press conference.

With at least 16 more conference games to go in the season, the matchup between two teams sitting at opposite ends of the Big East conference standings highlights the competition in the conference and gives hope to a Georgetown team in desperate need of a conference win.