The Georgetown University men’s basketball team (14-8, 5-6 Big East) battled the Butler Bulldogs (9-13, 2-9 Big East) down to the wire at Capital One Arena on Jan. 31, ending their two-game losing skid and coming away with a contentious 73-70 win.
Georgetown came out of the gate aggressively as they forced the ball down low and exploited high-efficiency buckets in the paint. First-year center Thomas Sorber started the scoring in the game by showcasing his elite footwork to generate buckets down low, scoring 8 points in the first four minutes.
On the other side of the floor, Butler banked on their three-point shooting ability to counter Sorber’s scoring streak but could only convert one 3-pointer while Georgetown was rolling. After the Hoyas took a 12-7 lead, Butler called a timeout.
Butler looked to play a more organized game, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. After three consecutive defensive stops featuring a steal and a block, the Bulldogs tied the game at 12 apiece with 14 minutes remaining in the first half of play.
Butler then built on their momentum and created an 18-13 lead for themselves after a sequence featuring two jump shots by center Andre Screen and a fastbreak layup by guard Landon Moore. The Hoyas called a timeout; the Georgetown home crowd was visibly frustrated with the sudden shift in momentum as a sinking feeling spread throughout the fans in Capital One Arena.
After the timeout, the Hoyas quickly erased the Bulldogs’ 5-point lead and brought some traction back on their side.
The quick 5-point run to even the score at 18 a piece featured a 3-pointer by sophomore forward Drew Fielder and a jumper from the paint by sophomore guard Malik Mack.
The rest of the half was neck and neck as Georgetown and Butler continued to trade buckets for the rest of the first half. In doing so, the Hoyas fought hard to keep their momentum rolling and build a considerable lead going into halftime.
In the last 10 minutes of the half, Hoya fans endured 13 lead changes before the buzzer rang and both teams headed to their locker rooms with the score 37-36 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Both Sorber and graduate forward Micah Peavy came up big in the second half for the Hoyas. Sorber started the half’s scoring, which was followed by Peavy’s layup in the Hoyas’ next possession.
Despite the efforts by Sorber and Peavy, Butler still had no intention of falling behind in the game and quickly responded, generating a 4-point lead after 2 made free throws by forward Patrick McCaffery and a 3-pointer by guard Bizjack Finley.
Fortunately for the home crowd, the Hoyas had enough. Sorber responded to Butler’s run, sinking a layup in the paint, and first-year forward Caleb Williams scored a jumper to tie the game at 44-44.
This scoring sequence sparked a run for the Hoyas as they held the lead for the rest of the game and never looked back. Georgetown went on to complete an 11-0 run, which was started by Sorber stringing together two consecutive buckets in the paint, both of which came from Peavy assists.
The run included a 3-pointer by Fielder and was capped off by another layup by Williams, which he scored after a fast break opportunity.
In one of the more electrifying sequences of the game, Mack stripped the ball from Butler guard Jahmyl Telfort at the top of the key and scored a contested layup on the other end.
After several sloppy offensive possessions by the Hoyas resulting in 2 turnovers, Butler was able to capitalize on Georgetown’s mistakes and narrowed the Hoyas’ lead to just 3 points with 1:40 left in the game. Despite Butler’s newfound energy, Mack came up clutch by sinking a mid-range jumper and two free throws to secure the game for Georgetown.
In the end, Georgetown walked away with a 73-70 win versus Butler, showcasing impressive performances from both Sorber and Peavy, who each scored 19 points.
When asked about his improvement on the offensive side of the game this season, Peavy said it came down to his confidence as a basketball player.
“I worked on my confidence, and then with my coaches on just letting me play the game, and then working with Coach LaDontae Henton and hitting in the gym,” Peavy told The Hoya. “I’ve just been working on assets of my 3-point shot, my midrange and my back to the basket. I think it’s showing.”
The Georgetown Hoyas will look to build off of this win versus the Xavier Musketeers on Feb. 4 at 8:30 p.m. at the Cintas Center and on FS1.