After a heart-wrenching opening-day loss to Dartmouth, the Georgetown men’s basketball team bounced back in big-time fashion, defeating the American University Eagles 79-57 in a Nov. 16 crosstown matchup. After a back-and-forth first half, the Hoyas went on a 22-2 run midway through the second half to break open the game, culminating in a 22-point victory.

With two steals on American’s (2-1) first two possessions, Georgetown (1-1) looked primed to dominate the game. However, the Eagles had an answer to every Hoya outburst early on. Despite coming into the game as overwhelming favorites against a historically weaker program, Georgetown struggled to establish a strong lead in the first half.

For Georgetown, the story of the first half was junior center Timothy Ighoefe’s dominance in the paint. After missing the season opener against Dartmouth because of a concussion, Ighoefe collected seven of his game-high 11 rebounds in the first half, including five offensive rebounds. He also finished with two dunks and two steals, affecting countless shots in an exceptional all-around effort. 

After trading baskets over much of the low-scoring first half, Georgetown finally broke out on a 10-2 run with approximately four minutes remaining in the first half. The momentum in the Capital One Arena shifted when first-year guard Aminu Mohammed pinned Elijah Stephens’ fastbreak reverse layup attempt, resulting in a transition layup for sophomore guard Dante Harris. Mohammed found Harris for a fastbreak layup again a minute later, creating a 33-25 lead and forcing an American timeout.

The Eagles ultimately stopped the bleeding in the last minute, going into halftime down 38-29. 

American opened the first half strong behind a 3-pointer from guard Colin Smalls and wide open dunk by forward Josh Alexander, forcing Georgetown Head Coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) to call a quick timeout. Graduate guard and team captain Donald Carey helped right the ship coming out of the break, scoring five of his 12 points, including a 3-pointer, to keep the Georgetown lead at seven.

In an effort to keep the momentum going, the Hoyas deployed a full court defensive press in an attempt to disrupt the American offense. Despite an initial hiccup, the Eagles easily broke the press and made four field goals in a row, bringing the lead to just four points with 13:33 remaining in the game.

Four points was as close as American would come for the rest of the game. With four first-years on the court, Georgetown embarked on an 18-0 run over the course of approximately four minutes. The charge was led by first-year guards Jordan Riley and Tyler Beard, who scored eight and five points respectively, putting a victory out of reach for the Eagles. Mohammed, the Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year, added an athletic layup en route to his team high 14 points and 10 rebounds. By the time American scored again with six minutes left, the Hoyas led 71-47.

Coach Ewing praised Ighoefe’s outstanding performance in his return to the court and emphasized his importance to the team going forward in a postgame press conference. 

“I told him this is his time, he’s gotta rebound, he’s gotta defend, he has to be a presence in terms of protecting the rim,” Ewing said.

Georgetown will seek to build upon its momentum as it continues non-conference competition on Friday, Nov. 19, at 6:30 pm against Siena University (0-3) at the Capital One Arena.