The Georgetown University men’s basketball team fell 78-68 to the Providence College Friars Jan. 25 after fumbling a double-digit first-half lead.

The Friars (10-10, 4-5 Big East) dominated the offensive glass and found key contributions off the bench to secure the victory in an intense home atmosphere. The loss marks the Hoyas’ (13-7, 4-5 Big East) eighth consecutive loss to Providence, Head Coach Ed Cooley’s former team.

Setting the tone early and often, first-year center Thomas Sorber splashed a 3-pointer on the team’s opening possession. Sorber followed with a steal on the other end and a long jumper to give the Hoyas a 5-0 lead in the game’s first minute.

A Sorber block and strong team defense stymied the Providence offense for several possessions, keeping the packed arena standing as per tradition until the 17:40 mark when guard Bensley Joseph hit a 3-pointer to put the Friars on the board.

On the offensive end, graduate guard Micah Peavy turned a steal into a midrange jumper and junior guard Jayden Epps followed with a layup to extend the Georgetown lead to 9-4.

Continued defensive pressure and control of the defensive glass allowed the Hoyas to push the ball over an ensuing 9-3 run.

Highlighted by a second Sorber 3-pointer from the top of the key, a couple of Peavy dunks and blocks from Sorber and sophomore forward Drew Fielder, Georgetown stretched its lead to 18-7 with 12:56 remaining in the first half.

After jumpers by Providence forward Oswin Erhunmwunse and guard Jayden Pierre, the Friars switched to a press defense, which the Hoyas immediately broke on a lob from Peavy to Sorber. A 3-pointer by sophomore guard Malik Mack and a jumper by Peavy pushed the Georgetown lead to 25-13, the team’s largest of the contest.

The 12-point lead marks the third time this season the Hoyas have lost after holding a 12-plus point first-half advantage. The other two were against the No. 20 St. John’s University Red Storm (17-3, 8-1 Big East) and the No. 10 Marquette University Golden Eagles (17-3, 8-1 Big East), both coming in league play. 

Providence quickly clawed back into the game, outscoring Georgetown 21-6 over a prolonged seven-minute stretch to take a 34-31 lead with 2:49 remaining in the half.

The Hoyas reverted to a number of unsuccessful isolation sets, with poor shot attempts by the Mack-Epps backcourt, untimely turnovers and lack of control on the defensive glass drowning the team.

A Sorber layup with 2:22 remaining marked Georgetown’s final points of the first half, as Providence took a 38-33 lead into the break. 

Sorber and Peavy both played all 20 minutes, scoring in double figures in the half — Sorber with an especially efficient 16 points on 7-9 shooting.

Peavy and Erhunmwunse traded jumpers to open the second half, maintaining the 5-point Providence lead. However, the Friars’ dominance on the offensive glass — collecting 5 offensive rebounds over the half’s first two possessions — set the tone physically.

Cooley said the game ultimately hinged on the offensive glass, as Providence outrebounded Georgetown 37-32, including 16-14 on the offensive glass.

“Offensive rebounding, the game was all done on rebounding, end of discussion,” Cooley said in a postgame press conference. “They were really, really good sending guys to the glass, and we were soft as shit blocking out.”

“That is the absolute chippiness when I see my team tomorrow, we have to do a better job blocking out,” Cooley added.

By the 16:19 mark, Providence extended their lead to 44-37.

A spirited 8-0 Georgetown run followed, as Peavy found his rhythm from the midrange, Sorber contributed an inside layup and Mack drove for an easy finish. The Hoyas led 45-44, their first lead in over 11 minutes and last of the game.

A banked 3-pointer by Providence forward Christ Essandoko, which ignited the crowd, gave the Friars a 47-45 advantage. 

In the postgame press conference, Cooley spoke of the difficulties of playing in such a loud environment — one, of course, that he is very familiar with.

“I’ve coached a million games in here,” Cooley told The Hoya. “It’s really, really hard to win in the building.”

Epps, Sorber and Peavy kept it close over the next few minutes, consistently closing to within 4 points, but the Hoyas could not bring the game to within one possession. With 7:07 remaining, Georgetown trailed 60-56. Timely 3-pointers and free throws by Friars guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim and buckets by Joseph sparked the Providence offense during this period. 

With the Hoyas facing a double-digit deficit with under four minutes remaining, Peavy drained a 3-pointer as Sorber was fouled simultaneously under the basket. Sorber went to the line and made both free throws, capping a 5-0 sequence that tightened the score to 68-63.

On the next possession, Fielder made a layup through contact to finish the 7-0 run. With 2:30 remaining, Georgetown trailed 68-65.

Providence responded with a 10-3 run, as the Friars shot 7-7 from the line and dominated the game’s final minutes, closing out the 78–68 victory.

Peavy, whom Providence Head Coach Kim English described as an “NBA player” in the postgame press conference, finished with 27 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Sorber added 25 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals, his seventh double-double of the season.

Providence outrebounded Georgetown 37-32 — including 16-14 on the offensive end — and turned that into a 20-15 advantage in second-chance points. The Friars’ depth was notable, as the Providence bench outscored Georgetown’s bench 26-0. 

Cooley said he was disappointed by his team’s defense and backcourt play, but opted for a message of optimism.

“This was the first game all year where I thought our defense let us down,” Cooley said in the postgame press conference. “We missed assignments, we fouled. I don’t think we had the discipline we know we play with defensively.”

“I don’t think we played well offensively,” Cooley added. “My backcourt didn’t have the game we are accustomed to seeing them play.”

Mack and Epps combined for just 14 points on 5-23 shooting.

“Georgetown is going to continue to get better, continue to improve, and slowly but surely, that wagon is coming,” Cooley said. “Slowly but surely, that thing is coming.”

The Hoyas will look to even their conference record against the No. 20 Red Storm on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at Capital One Arena.