In their lowest-scoring Big East semifinal ever, the Georgetown University men’s basketball team struggled to put the ball in the basket.
After upsetting the No. 6 seed DePaul University and No. 3 seed Villanova University the previous two nights, the No. 11 Hoyas’ (14-17, 6-14 Big East) Big East tournament run came to a close March 13, as Georgetown fell 67-51 to the two-seeded No. 6 University of Connecticut Huskies (27-4, 17-3 Big East).
Rebounding efforts and 3-point shooting were key to the Hoyas’ March 12 victory over the Villanova Wildcats. Against the Huskies the following night, the Hoyas were unable to replicate either, culminating in the program’s 13th consecutive loss to the Huskies.
For the first time in this tournament, Georgetown lost the jump.
The Huskies immediately went up 7-0 until a dunk from sophomore center Julius Halaifonua put the Hoyas on the board three and a half minutes into play.
A 3-pointer from graduate guard Jeremiah Williams, followed by a layup and a free throw from senior center Vince Iwuchukwu, briefly got Georgetown going offensively, but UConn retained its edge.
A goaltending call on a layup attempt from J. Williams made it a one-possession game, but just seven and a half minutes in, that would be the closest the Hoyas came to catching the Huskies for the remainder of the contest.
After a 3-pointer from UConn forward Alex Karaban pushed the Huskies’ lead back to 6, nine minutes in, junior guard Malik Mack put up his first points of the game to cut the Huskies’ lead back down to 4, but turnovers and missed shots put a wrench in Georgetown’s momentum.
Three minutes later, with a chance to bring the game within one possession, graduate guard Langston Love’s 3-point attempt swirled in and out of the rim — one of many Georgetown shots to do so throughout the night.
Mack, who finished the night with 9 points and 5 rebounds, said the Hoyas missed shots they usually make.
“We had some good looks,” Mack told The Hoya after the game. “We just didn’t make shots — shots that normally go down, shots for guys who normally make those shots. It just didn’t go down tonight.”
At the break, the Hoyas trailed 32-21, mirroring their poor performance in the first half of their opening round victory against DePaul on March 11. Yet, unlike Wednesday night, not much changed for the Hoyas coming out of the locker room.
UConn guard Braylon Mullins scored 15 of his team-high 21 points in the first half, accounting for almost 50 percent of the Huskies’ first-half total.
Early in the second half, a layup, dunk and two made free throws from Iwuchukwu in under two minutes briefly gave Georgetown life, cutting the deficit to 41-31 with just under 15 minutes remaining.
Iwuchukwu, who will need an eligibility waiver from the NCAA to return to college basketball for another season, said he valued his time playing for Georgetown after what may have been his final game as a Hoya.
“I’m just appreciative,” Iwuchukwu told The Hoya after the game. “Disappointed, but appreciative. I think we were a much better team than we showed throughout the year. But I’m proud of my guys.”
“I’m grateful that I’m here,” Iwuchukwu added. “I’m grateful that I’m in this position talking to you guys. I’m grateful, regardless of the loss.”
Back-to-back scores from Mack cut UConn’s lead to 8 with thirteen minutes remaining, but a 3-pointer from Huskies forward Jayden Ross pushed the lead back to double digits, as “U-C-O-N-N” chants rang through Madison Square Garden.
Moments later, Iwuchukwu missed a layup and lost his shoe as Georgetown struggled to capitalize on opportunities to close the gap.
With just under nine minutes to play, sophomore forward Caleb Williams hit a 3-pointer to cut UConn’s lead to 8 once again. After a Halaifonua steal on the other end, sophomore guard Kayvaun Mulready attempted a 3-pointer for a chance to bring the game within 5, but the ball bounced off the inside of the rim and led to a 3-pointer on the other end from Ross, putting the Huskies up 11.
Mulready, who shot 100% from the field the night prior, said the physical toll of playing three games in three days was noticeable.
“Their physicality definitely affected us, and it’s just been a long week,” Mulready told The Hoya after the game. “I think our bodies just caught up to us. Everybody knows UConn has a million sets, and with the fatigue and that combined, it’s very hard to guard.”
The Hoyas, appearing to lack the passion they displayed in the first two tournament games, continued to struggle offensively as UConn controlled the boards and extended possessions. The Huskies ultimately outrebounded Georgetown 34-25.
Cooley said the Hoyas did not match UConn’s energy from the opening minutes.
“Obviously disappointed with just our overall energy today,” Cooley said in a postgame press conference. “I thought we were flat right from the beginning.”
“I thought Connecticut did a really good job defensively,” he added. “They had just a little bit of extra juice in their step.”
A Mulready foul sent UConn to the free-throw line for the first time, and two successful attempts from Mullins stretched the Huskies’ lead to 13 with just over six minutes remaining.
With under four minutes to play, missed free throws from C. Williams put Georgetown’s chance at a comeback even further out of reach. As UConn pushed their lead to as high as 19, Cooley began rotating deeper into his bench in the closing minutes.
An airballed 3-pointer from Jeremiah Williams in the final minutes marked his final as a Hoya, sealing the 16-point loss.
Georgetown finished the night shooting 38% from the field and just 2-for-16 from behind the arc, while UConn shot 47.5% and recorded 21 assists on 28 made baskets. Iwuchukwu and Halaifonua were the only Hoyas to finish in double figures, recording 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Following the loss, Cooley said he is already thinking about next season, which will be his fourth with the Hoyas.
“I’m just thinking about the plan and process of developing Georgetown, and holding myself accountable,” Cooley said. “What do I have to do better? What does our staff have to do better? I’m not sitting here as a happy coach at all.”
“Sitting here, I feel like we underachieved in some ways, and we put ourselves in this boat,” Cooley added. “We got some work to do. But I’m really proud of our kids’ resilience.”
