The Georgetown University men’s basketball team came away with a strong 83-70 victory against the Binghamton University Bearcats, despite a slow start at Capital One Arena Nov. 12.
The Hoyas (3-0) were streaky the entire game on both offense and defense. This back-and-forth included a stretch of eight minutes where Georgetown allowed no made field goals, which was quickly followed by a stretch of 4 made shots by the Bearcats in a row. Junior guard KJ Lewis continued his impressive start to the season, picking up a 20-point double-double.
The Hoyas scored on their first three possessions, but allowed the Bearcats (1-3) to keep up early in the game. Sophomore center Julius Halaifonua reached the free throw line early and was able to get 4 points in the first two minutes.
Following a strong start, Georgetown struggled to find the net, missing 8 of their next 9 field goal attempts. The only positive for the Hoyas during this stretch was Georgetown’s defense successfully preventing the Bearcats from completing a field goal attempt for over eight minutes in the early going.
This poor stretch of shooting from both teams finally ended with back-to-back 3-pointers for Georgetown, courtesy of sophomore guard Kayvaun Mulready and graduate guard Jeremiah Williams. After those momentum-shifting shots, Georgetown led 16-9.
The Hoyas proceeded to fall apart defensively following their strong start, allowing 3 consecutive made shots and 10 points in four minutes to let the Bearcats get within reach at 22-19.
Both teams seemed unable to avoid fouling. Nearing the end of the first half, 6 consecutive offensive possessions ended at the charity stripe. The Hoyas extended their lead slightly during this stretch, moving to 33-28 with 3 minutes left before the halftime break.
Lewis took over for Georgetown at the end of the half, scoring 8 of the Hoyas’ last 10 points of the half. His points included a contested midrange buzzer beater to put the Hoyas up 41-36 heading into the break. Lewis and senior center Vince Iwuchukwu led the Hoyas in scoring and rebounding at the break — each had 13 points and 4 rebounds.
Junior guard Malik Mack got the second half started for the Hoyas, scoring Georgetown’s first 4 points — his first of the game. He soon followed with a 3-pointer, giving the Hoyas their first double-digit lead of the game with a score of 52-40 at the under-16 timeout.
Iwuchukwu built on his teammates’ momentum with a powerful slam seven minutes into the second half. Williams continued this momentum with a diving play on defense to gain possession back following Iwuchukwu’s dunk.
Both teams returned to their first half habit of fouling on many possessions, and a flagrant foul on Mack ended with a Bearcat player laid out on the court. Williams ended the foul streak by grabbing an offensive board and 2 points on the putback to put the Hoyas up 68-55.
Lewis finished through a foul with 7 minutes left for an and-one basket that, coupled with the following free throw, put him at 20 points for the night. Shortly after, Lewis grabbed his 10th rebound of the game, earning his first double-double of his career.
The Hoyas’ defense continued to be inconsistent, allowing 4 of 5 shots in the field and then holding the Bearcats to 0 field goals for over five minutes. Regardless, Georgetown was able to maintain a somewhat sizable lead in the final minutes, eventually winning the game by a margin of 83-70.
After the game, Head Coach Ed Cooley said the team’s streakiness stemmed from the rotation’s depth so far this season.
“That may be the lineup,” Cooley told The Hoya. “Do we have the right personnel on the floor? And is that personnel connected? And again, because we’re playing so many guys, are we getting enough reps in practice where those guys all connected?”
“When you saw we had a lineup out there that I never saw even in practice,” Cooley added. “That’s coaching, so we have to do a better job monitoring that and at the same time develop and continue to develop even more.”The Hoyas next face a stiff challenge, the Clemson University Tigers (3-0), at Capital One Arena Nov. 15 at noon, where Georgetown will have a chance to prove their early-season hype is not just a passing mirage.
