Despite a valiant effort from Georgetown University, who navigated much of the contest without star player Thomas Sorber, the Butler Bulldogs’ offense proved too much to handle and the Hoyas fell away at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Feb. 15. The Hoyas were resilient, bringing the game within reach on multiple occasions, but time and time again, elite shot-making and smart basketball from the hosts kept Georgetown at bay.
The Georgetown University men’s basketball team (15-10, 6-8 Big East) ultimately came up short on the road in a high-scoring affair against the Butler University Bulldogs (12-13, 5-9 Big East), falling 97-86. The loss was a tough one to stomach for the Hoyas, who will be taking on some of the best teams in the Big East in the coming weeks. The hope for Hoyas fans will be that first-year center Sorber, who left the game late in the first half after an awkward fall and did not return, will not miss an extended period of time.
The first-year sensation helped the Hoyas get off to a strong start, scoring the team’s first 6 points and working the two-man game to a T with graduate guard Micah Peavy, who assisted all three of Sorber’s buckets and ended the contest with a team-high 10 assists. The team was otherwise slow to start on offense, particularly from the arc, but luckily for Georgetown, the Butler team struggled with the same 3-point shooting woes. The Hoyas built some separation thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from sophomore forward Drew Fielder and sophomore guard Malik Mack, putting Georgetown up 17-11.
However, Butler refused to let the Hoyas pull ahead any further, as tough shots from guard Finley Bizjack and forward Pierre Brooks II kept them within striking distance. The Hoyas continued to hold on to a fragile lead for most of the first half and generated some good looks, though it probably would have been prudent to feed Sorber more. He was giving Butler problems in the pick-and-roll, going a perfect 5 for 5 from the field before his unfortunate injury with about five minutes to go in the half.
Sorber’s injury was a huge blow to the Hoyas — not only was the offense erratic without him, but the defense suffered greatly due to Butler’s size on the interior. With Sorber out of the game, the Butler offense caught fire, stunning the Hoyas. The hosts embarked on a commanding run and scored 11 of their last 13 shots to take a commanding 46-35 lead at the break.
The start of the second half necessitated a response, and Peavy delivered. As he has done for much of the season, Peavy shouldered the offensive load for Georgetown in the second half, getting to work early with a pair of triples. However, momentum shifted to Butler when Fielder picked up his fourth personal foul while trying to hold up against Butler center Andre Screen.
With Fielder out of the game, Screen unleashed on the interior and was an instant match-up nightmare for whichever Hoya stood in his way. Georgetown continued to rack up fouls, some needlessly far from the basket, and quickly suffered the consequences: Butler was in the bonus not even midway through the second half.
Fouls plagued Georgetown for the rest of the game, as Peavy, Mack, Fielder and first-year forward Caleb Williams each racked up 4 fouls, while junior guard Jayden Epps fouled out. The Hoyas finished with a total of 29 personal fouls, which allowed Butler to score 28 points from the free-throw line alone.
Georgetown otherwise played well, winning the points in the paint battle, forcing more turnovers and only giving up 7 of their own and dominating on the offensive boards with 17 offensive rebounds to Butler’s 6. However, the easy points from the charity stripe and Butler’s scorching hot shooting were enough for them to take the win.
The Hoyas certainly pushed their hosts, and at one point cut the lead to just 6 at around the nine-minute mark of the second half thanks to consecutive threes from Mack and free throws from Epps. Contending with a size disadvantage, Head Coach Ed Cooley experimented with zones and a full-court press to throw Butler off rhythm.
Though the defensive strategy worked at times to help the Hoyas get easy points and keep the game within reach, the Butler offense would not be denied. Brooks led the way with 30 points, and four other players scored in double digits. The Hoyas at times gave away cheap fouls and gave up too much space for the opposition to work with, but, at certain points, it just seemed like the rim was twice as wide for them.
Epps and sophomore forward Jordan Burks had encouraging offensive performances off the bench, each scoring in double figures. However, for a team that prides itself on the defensive end, the lack of continuity and consistent effort on defense left something to be desired.
The Hoyas will be back at Capital One Arena for a matchup against the Providence College Friars (12-14, 6-9 Big East) on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.
