The Georgetown University men’s basketball team took a 12 point lead against the Saint Peter’s University Peacocks after just over eight minutes of play. From there, the Hoyas struggled on both ends of the basket, though they narrowly hung on to avoid a devastating loss after a stronger overtime period.
The Hoyas (7-3) took down the Peacocks (4-5, 2-0 Metro Atlantic) 76-68 in overtime at McDonough Arena on Dec. 13 after a second half comeback.
Georgetown got off to a strong start. Sophomore center Julius Halaifonua took the opening tip, but missed a paint jumper to begin the game. After a Saint Peter’s turnover, sophomore forward Isaiah Abraham drained a corner 3-pointer off a cross-court assist from junior guard Malik Mack.
The Hoyas continued to push, and the Peacocks did not offer much of a response early. A turnaround jumper from the paint by sophomore forward Jayden Fort gave Georgetown a 10-4 lead heading into the under-16 media timeout.
Returning from the first timeout, a Mack pass set up an incredible alley-oop to junior guard KJ Lewis, giving Georgetown a 12-4 lead.
From there, the Hoya backcourt struggled for the rest of the game. Mack and Lewis combined made just 2 field goals over 65 minutes of game action. Mack finished with 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, but had a -4 plus-minus, the only Hoya not in positive territory. Four of Mack’s 7 points came from free throws.
After the game, Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley said Lewis and Mack’s performances were disappointing, but he knew they were capable of high-level performances.
“I’ve seen them play well,” Cooley said. “I don’t know if these young guys took it for granted or didn’t respect their opponent. I got to coach them with a little bit more accountability.”
“Those are my ride-or-die guys. I’m riding with them, because that’s who we have, and I think they’re talented. I think they’re tough. They didn’t play well today for whatever reason. We’ll address it,” Cooley added.
Going into the break, the Hoyas led 31-24 after sophomore forward Caleb Williams ended up on the ground on the final possession with no foul called. Head Coach Ed Cooley, appearing frustrated with his team’s execution, ripped his white quarter-zip walking into the locker room and coached the rest of the game in a second, gray quarter-zip.
Heading back from half-time, Saint Peter’s picked up the opening basket of the second half with a layup. Georgetown responded with 3 buckets, 2 coming from Halaifonua in the paint. Heading into the under-16 timeout, 6 of the Hoyas’ 8 points in the half had come from Halaifonua and Georgetown led 39-31.
Heading back from the under-16 timeout, Saint Peter’s put up a layup and a jumper to pull within 4 of Georgetown. Halaifonua responded for the Hoyas with a dunk, and his domination continued heading into the under-12 timeout — 4 of Georgetown’s 6 points in the next four minutes came from the Kiwi. The Hoyas went on a 6-0 run heading into the under-12 timeout, recovering a 45-35 lead.
Back from the under-12, Saint Peter’s drilled a 3-pointer and Halaifonua put up a layup with just around 11 minutes left to play. Halaifonua’s layup was the last field goal for the Hoyas until Halaifonua made a jumper from the paint with about 90 seconds left on the clock, ending a 9-minute field goal drought for Georgetown.
Over that stretch, Saint Peter’s wore down Georgetown and fought the game back to within 4 with 2:47 left, trailing 56-52. The Hoyas brought their lead back up to 6, the Peacocks drew it back to 4, and the same happened again with Georgetown leading 60-56 with just under a minute left in the half.
As the clock wound down, the Hoyas turned the ball over on 3 consecutive possessions. Saint Peter’s scored off the first 2 turnovers to tie the game. Then, after Mack lost the ball, the Peacocks called timeout to set up a play. Out of the huddle, Saint Peter’s got the ball to their best shooter — guard Brent Bland, who was wide open — but his shot clattered off the rim and the game went to overtime.
To kick off overtime, Cooley benched Mack, deploying his starters with graduate forward Jeremiah Williams stepping into Mack’s spot.
Cooley said he addressed the benching with Mack after the game, noting that the decision was difficult.
“From a performance standpoint, no. From a belief and trust standpoint, it was,” Cooley said at a post-game press conference.
“That’s what I told him,” Cooley added. “And I appreciated his response. That gives me a lot of love and hope for that young man.”
Williams, on the other hand, had an exceptional performance off the bench, scoring 10 points. Cooley labeled him as the “player of the game.”
Halaifonua secured the tip-off for the Hoyas to start overtime, and Abraham made a dunk on the first possession. Georgetown went on a 7-0 run to open the period, before Lewis fouled out with 2:35 remaining on the clock and Mack stepped back in. The Hoyas outscored the Peacocks 16-8 during overtime to secure the 76-68 win, and the third period was not particularly competitive.
Halaifonua was one of the lone bright spots for Georgetown on the court. He recorded a career-high 22 points and 9 rebounds in his fifth-straight game with over 30 minutes played.
Cooley shouldered the blame for Georgetown’s failure to dominate Saint Peter’s, but said his players compensated by securing the win in overtime.
“I coached an awful game today,” Cooley said. “Let’s call it what it is, F-minus coaching performance by me. If we lost this, it was clearly on my shoulders. They won the game. I did everything I could to help us lose the game.”
Cooley also called out the student body for not attending the game in numbers, as he said the game was scheduled at McDonough Arena during finals for their convenience.
“I wish we had more students take a study break to come,” Cooley said. “It’s a little disappointing not to have those young men and women show up.”
He added that he didn’t believe on-court success was a precondition for attendance.
“What comes first? Do you win first or do you — I don’t know, ” Cooley added. “I do know loyalty. I do know camaraderie. I do know what caring and sharing for a group is, especially when you’re not playing at your best.”
The Hoyas next kick off Big East play against Marquette University (5-6) on the road at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Dec. 17 at 8:30 p.m.
Correction: This article was updated Dec. 14 to correct a typographical error. The Hoyas’ starting frontcourt, not their backcourt, combined for two field goals.
