Despite fighting hard, Georgetown men’s basketball extended its Big East losing streak as repeated offensive and defensive mistakes cost the Hoyas a Feb. 1 loss to Seton Hall, 63-70. 

Out of the gates, Georgetown (6-14, 0-9 Big East) and the Pirates (13-7, 4-6 Big East) looked evenly matched, with the game within one possession up until the 14th minute of the first half. 

The rest of the half, however, was emblematic of Georgetown’s struggles so far in conference play. Unable to control the glass, the only aspect of the Hoyas’ game that remained consistent in this final stretch was their sloppy play, as they allowed Seton Hall to convert on multiple second-chance opportunities. 

Georgetown also struggled to control the ball in the rest of the first half, committing multiple costly turnovers. Perhaps most symbolic of their struggles was junior center Timothy Ighoefe, who could not corral a rebound early on, even though there was not a blue Seton Hall jersey in sight. 

Other first-half mental mistakes included a possession where the Hoyas unknowingly dribbled out the shot clock, turning the ball over to the Pirates.

Even when they could maintain possession, Georgetown repeatedly failed to convert their multiple great scoring looks. This culminated in a 1-of-11 shooting streak for the Hoyas, and the team even went four and a half minutes without a bucket as the period wound to a close.

Down by double digits for the last possession of the half, Georgetown graduate forward Kaiden Rice sunk a desperate, off-balance three at the buzzer, cutting the deficit to 28-35 heading into halftime.

Unfortunately, the Hoyas’ first-half struggles were also their latter-half struggles. More unforced errors, including another shot clock violation three minutes in, contributed to the Hoyas failing to score until the 15:03 mark. They also struggled to generate an inside presence, as Seton Hall center Ike Obiagu finished the game with 5 blocks. 

Georgetown somehow found life halfway through the second half. Rice and graduate guard Donald Carey hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Then sophomore guard Dante Harris and first-year guard Aminu Mohammad converted clutch shots to reduce the deficit to 2 points. 

The best stretch of the game came from first-year center Ryan Mutombo. Reminiscent of his father Dikembe Mutombo (SLL ’91), he blocked three shots in just one minute, leading to eight points off a Mohammed layup and successful jumpers by Carey and Harris. Georgetown took a 5-point lead. 

This explosion capped off a 18-5 Hoyas run, fueled by defensive tenacity that forced the Pirates into costly turnovers that the Hoyas converted on offense. 

Seton Hall responded to the run with a pair of 3-pointers from forward Tray Jackson, which gave the Pirates a 55-53 lead and kicked off a 14-3 Seton Hall run that saw its lead balloon to 7 points. Jackson was marvelous on offense, finishing with a game-high 21 points. 

Georgetown simply could not make up lost ground down the stretch. The unfocused play that plagued the Hoyas at the end of the first half returned. Turnovers, an inability to control the glass, and untimely fouls hindered Georgetown’s ability to get back into the game. 

In a final effort, Georgetown Head Coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) employed a full-court trap defensive scheme — which had relative success in the Hoyas’ last game against Butler — but did little to slow Seton Hall’s offense. The Pirates converted their free throws, and Georgetown was unable to muster a spark to bring them back. Ultimately, the Hoyas fell 70-63. 

In a postgame press conference, Ewing said that the combination of the inability to rebound, untimely fouls and clutch shots from Jackson was insurmountable for Georgetown. 

“Those rebounds hurt. Jackson hit two big threes, those hurt. The fouling when we don’t need to foul,” said Ewing. “That all hurts.”

The Hoyas will return to the court in Capital One Arena Sunday, Feb. 6 to take on the Providence Friars (19-2, 9-1 Big East).