The Georgetown University men’s basketball team (6-1) finally delivered the emphatic win they have been searching for all season, defeating the State University of New York at Albany Great Danes (5-3) this past Saturday, Nov. 30, 100-68 at Capital One Arena.
Finally bringing home a true blowout win, the Hoyas’ dominance of the Great Danes serves as an encouraging sign for the rest of the season. With the end of the nonconference schedule approaching, the offensive clinic put on by Head Coach Ed Cooley will play a critical role in building momentum ahead of the Big East play.
First-year forward Thomas Sorber won the tipoff for Georgetown, but Albany sank a 3-pointer to put themselves up on the scoreboard first. Back-to-back shots from graduate guard Micah Peavy and junior guard Jayden Epps gave the Hoyas their first points of the game and set them off on a 12-0 scoring run. The defense got off to a strong start as well, recording multiple steals and blocks in just the first few minutes to stifle the Great Danes’ offense early on.
Although Albany started showing signs of life, closing the gap 12-9, an alley-oop by sophomore forward Jordan Burks kept the momentum swinging in Georgetown’s favor. However, three fouls on the Hoyas sent the Great Danes to the line for seven shots, putting Albany up 16-14 despite not showing much promise from the field.
A 2-pointer followed by an and-1 from Sorber tied the game at 19-19. A deep 3-pointer from sophomore guard Malik Mack and an effortless basket by first-year forward Caleb Williams made it 24-19 leading into a timeout called by Albany.
These points added to another huge scoring run by Georgetown, this time 13-0, which ended with a big 3-pointer from Sorber to put the Hoyas up 29-19. A couple unfortunate turnovers by Georgetown then followed, but the Great Danes were unable to fully capitalize; a three from sophomore center Drew Fielder made it 37-26 and rescued the Hoyas’ 10-point advantage.
A 10-0 Georgetown run spearheaded by Peavy and sophomore guard Curtis Williams Jr. followed, and the Hoyas went into the half up 49-35. The 14-point lead served as a testament to the Hoyas’ full-team effort: Four different players each tallied 3 assists in the first 20 minutes alone.
Sorber gave Georgetown the first bucket of the second half, and two free throws apiece from Fielder and Peavy made it 55-37. A dunk from Fielder a minute later gave the Hoyas a 19-point lead, and the game started to slip further out of reach for the Great Danes. An and-1 from Mack put Georgetown up by 25, while Albany couldn’t make much action on the basket during the first five minutes of the second half.
The momentum kept growing for the Hoyas: A 3-pointer from Mack and a dunk from Burks put them up by 32 and resulted in an Albany timeout to attempt damage control. A basket for the Great Danes right after ended Georgetown’s 15-0 run, but another 3-pointer from Mack picked them up right where they had left off.
Peavy’s 3-pointer midway through the second half gave the Hoyas the 40-point lead at 86-46, sinking the Great Danes into an even deeper hole. Taking advantage of Albany’s clear mental and physical exhaustion, Georgetown got a bit showy in the next few minutes, after which Cooley subbed out most of the starts for bench players with minutes to go in the game.
A lackluster ending ensued offensively, with 10 points apiece for both teams in the final five minutes of the game. However, a game ending without excitement is a fantastic sign for Georgetown, as it meant they had done something they haven’t quite been able to do so far this season — decisively beat a non-conference opponent.
By all measures, the Hoyas delivered a convincing and well-rounded performance against Albany. Five different players (Peavy, Mack, Sorber, Fielder and Burks) finished the game with double-digit points. Sorber and Peavy in particular stood out; Sorber had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, as well as 4 assists. Peavy notched a team-high 24 points, as well as 4 rebounds and 8 assists.
The Hoyas’ schedule gets much tougher from here on out as nonconference play wraps up. After facing off against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (5-5) at home on Monday, Georgetown will travel to Morgantown to play West Virginia University (5-2) Friday, Dec. 6 in the Big 12-Big East Battle. Head Coach Ed Cooley will certainly be hoping to carry the offensive momentum from Saturday’s game throughout the rest of the week.
