Cuse is no problem
December 5, 2015 - Going into today's game, questions existed whether Georgetown could handle 14th ranked Syracuse's 2-3 zone and shut down the team's prodigious perimeter scoring attack. The answers were pretty much yes and yes, as the Hoyas prevailed 79-72 before 18,231 fans in Washington, DC's Verizon Center.
First the Cuse's shooting; Syracuse (6-2) was held to just 30.8% from the field in the first half, 38.1% overall, including 15.4% on first half three pointers, 25.9% overall.
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"(The contest) Didn't start so good. At the beginning of the game I thought we came out there, Georgetown was really aggressive defensively" said interim head coach Mike Hopkins afterward, manning head chair duties because of a nine game NCAA suspension of Jim Boeheim, Hopkins' boss. "They did a great job defending our ball screens and forced a little out of character the way we've been playing...shooting 30% from the field and 15% from three in the first half just isn't going to cut it."
Head Hoya John Thompson III shared of his team's man to man defensive scheme "For stretches it was very good. I think from the beginning we had the energy necessary, we had the communication necessary, where we were anticipating what was going to happen. I thought it was very good for long stretches today".
Senior guard Michael Gbinije paced all scorers with 23 points. Junior forward Tyler Roberson added 15 points and eight caroms, while senior center DaJuan Coleman chipped in 10 points, five boards. Senior guard Trevor Cooney finished with 11 points.
When it came to scoring against Syracuse's 2-3 match up zone, Georgetown (4-3), senior center Bradley Hayes was a focal point, scoring a game high 21 points on 8-12 shooting/5-7 from the free throw line, while also pulling down eight rebounds.
Thompson noted "They're hard to score against, they're a veteran team". Key was "getting the ball where we wanted it, most of the time. Getting into the teeth of that zone, and then the person in there having to make a decision under duress. Getting it on the short corner and then that person having to make a decision, under duress".
In the final denominator he believed his zone offense "wasn't perfect, but I thought the guys did a good job of getting it in there".
G'Town shot 48.1% overall, 38.1% on three pointers. Joining Hayes in double figure scoring was a trio of Hoyas; D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera's 11 points and team high five assists, sophomore forward Isaac Copeland had 14 points, while Marcus Derrickson, a freshman forward had 13 points and a game pacing 10 rebounds.
Syracuse made a sizeable comeback, trimming a 20 point, second half Hoya bulge to seven, using a full court man, trap on the catch press to cause multiple turnovers. Hopkins confided his team's come-from-behind bid was sabotaged because "we just got down too much", and thought the Orange "were able to cut it close, just couldn't get that one more stop, make that one more shot".
They get another chance to make those key plays December 8th, when Colgate travels to Syracuse's Carrier Dome. Tip-off is 7p.
Georgetown re-takes Verizon Center's floor a day earlier, welcoming Brown Monday, a 7p start.
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