The Georgetown men’s basketball team’s lead slipped away in the closing moments of the first round of the Big East Tournament against Seton Hall on Mar. 9. The Hoyas first-year guard Aminu Mohammed put together 12 points and 10 rebounds in their 53-57 loss, while junior center Timothy Ighoefe added 13 rebounds and 4 blocks.

No. 11 Georgetown (6-25, 0-19 Big East) came into the tournament mired in a 20-game losing streak — the worst regular season in program history. Still, they hoped to capture the magic that carried them to a miraculous Big East title run a season ago. The Hoyas opened tournament play against the No. 6 Seton Hall Pirates (21-10, 11-8 Big East), who had won five in a row.

Georgetown controlled the tip, then coughed up two early turnovers to let Seton Hall take a 4-0 lead. The Hoyas quickly came back, with Mohammed ripping off six straight points on a pair of free throws and strong finishes inside. Georgetown then extended their run on a long 3-pointer from graduate guard Donald Carey to take a 13-4 lead with 14:19 left to play in the first half. 

The Hoyas lost sophomore guard Dante Harris for the rest of the game to a lower leg injury in the first half. In Harris’ absence, Mohammed continued to lead the way, converting on his 18th 3-pointer of the season to push Georgetown’s lead to 16-9. 

Ighoefe showed impressive effort on the glass, earning 7 early rebounds to help the Hoyas pick up second chances offensively and keep the Pirates at bay on the defensive boards. With 5:46 to play, Carey pulled off one of his patented four-point plays, causing the 17,000 fans packed into Madison Square Garden to erupt. 

When Georgetown first-year guard Tyler Beard hit his own three to put the Hoyas ahead 27-17, the Pirates were forced to call a timeout.

Georgetown struggled to score over the next several minutes, relying on some stingy perimeter defense and big blocks from Ighoefe to hold off Seton Hall. After a few quick buckets from the Pirates, the Hoyas went into halftime with a narrow 27-24 lead.

Seton Hall opened the second half as they had ended the first, putting away two baskets in the paint to take a 28-27 lead. Georgetown kept it close, hitting clutch shots as the shot clock expired to barely cling to their lead. Beard swished a 3-pointer with 15:42 to play to put the Hoyas back in front 34-33. 

Seton Hall knocked down a corner 3-pointer with 11:46 on the second-half clock to take a 42-39 lead. 

In recent games, Georgetown has given up big runs early in the second half and seen winnable games become blowout losses in minutes. But in this game the Hoyas flipped the script, responding with a 7-0 run to take a 46-42 lead with 6:54 left in the second half.

A few minutes later, the Pirates responded with a free throw, three straight baskets, and a dunk to go ahead 52-50 with 2:53 to play. Mohammed rose to the occasion by earning two foul shots on the other end. He hit one to pull the Hoyas within one point, 52-51. 

After more solid play from the Hoyas, Seton Hall responded with a tough 3-pointer to take a 55-53 lead. 

Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) called a timeout to set up a game-tying possession. They managed to find sophomore forward Collin Holloway for a great 3-point attempt from the corner, but he was unable to convert. 

Georgetown managed to foul the right opposing shooter who missed the front end of the one-and-one. With one last chance, Carey drove to the basket and kicked it out to graduate guard Kaiden Rice, but his pass sailed over Rice’s head for a backcourt violation. 

Coach Ewing explained his thought process on the final possession, and why the Hoyas struggled to convert. 

“Mainly, we just didn’t get a good look,” Ewing said in the postgame press conference. “We tried to get the ball to Kaiden, one of our best shooters, and then we turned it over.”

The Hoyas were forced to intentionally foul the Pirates, and the game slipped away as Seton Hall hit both attempts to take an insurmountable 57-53 lead. 

It was a difficult end to a long and gloomy season for Georgetown, but this game brought a few bright spots. The Hoyas managed some defensive grit, holding the Pirates to 57 points after giving up 97 to the Xavier Musketeers on Saturday, Mar. 5. 

Carey managed to end his Georgetown career on a decent note, putting up 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Beard performed admirably after Harris’ injury, scoring 8 points and hitting 2 of his 3 3-pointers. 

Ewing commented on the Hoyas’ season coming to a close after the game.

“It’s been a rough year,” Ewing said. “Can’t do anything rash. Just gotta take a few days, regroup, think about what we want to do and then start the process.”