Hoyas lose close one in Maui

The following is a press release received tonight at 2:12a, just minutes after conclusion of the game. For exclusive commentary, including pros and cons regarding the Hoyas' performance and an in-game, real time discussion, see Premium Court.

Georgetown Falls Shorts Against Kansas in Maui Invitational, 67-63

Maui, Hawaii - Senior guard Jason Clark (Arlington, Va./Bishop O'Connell) scored 15 points and junior forward Hollis Thompson (Los Angeles, Calif./Loyola) added 14 as Georgetown trailed by only two points late in the second half, but it was not enough as No. 14 Kansas used a late run to pull away from the Hoyas en route to a 67-63 win in the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center Monday night.

The loss drops Georgetown's record to 2-1 overall, while Kansas improves to 2-1 overall. Georgetown will play Chaminade in the second round on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 11:30 a.m. local time (4:30 p.m. ET).

Thompson hit 5-of-9 shots from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, to lead the Hoyas, while freshman forward freshman Otto Porter (Sikeston, Mo./Scott County Central) added 12 points.

The Hoyas cut the KU lead to two points, 55-53, with 6:52 left on a pair of free throws from senior center Henry Sims (Baltimore, Md./Mount St. Joseph's), but a layup from Thomas Robinson and an Elijah Johnson layup pushed the lead to six points, 59-53.

Trailing 37-35 at the break, Kansas extended the lead to five points, 42-37, on a dunk and a three-pointer from Tyshawn Taylor. Down 44-39 after a layup from Travis Releford, the Hoyas would go on a 7-2 run over 1:24 and tied the game at 46-all on one of two free throws from sophomore forward Nate Lubick (Southborough, Mass./St. Marks).

The Hoyas took a 48-47 lead on a jumper from Porter with 12:28 to play in the game, but a 6-0 spurt by the Jayhawks, with Thomas Robinson scoring all of the points, gave KU a 53-48 lead. The Kansas lead was still five points, 55-50, after a Relaford jumper, but one of two free throws from Lubick and a pair from Sims cut the lead to 55-53 with 6:52 left in the game.

The Hoyas struggled out of the gate, missing their first three field goal attempts and going 3:52 without a basket until a driving layup from Jason Clark. Trailing 6-2 at that point, that was the start of a 12-3 run that saw Georgetown take a 10-9 lead on a conventional three-point play from Sims with 12:52 to play in the half. The Hoyas capped the run off with a layup from Lubick with 10:52 to play.

It was back-and-forth over the next five minutes. A three-pointer from Taylor gave KU a 15-12 lead, but a jumper from Starks (15-14) and one from Thompson (17-16) kept the Hoyas within one point. Georgetown had narrowed the gap to one point, 24-23, when Clark fed Porter for a jumper with 5:21 to play, but the Jayhawks used an 8-0 spurt over 1:50 to take a 32-23 lead on a dunk from Justin Wesley.

Georgetown quietly got back in, with a pair of free throws from Clark starting a 6-0 run. Sims followed with one of two shots from the line and a big three from Greg Whittington (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills) cut the lead to 32-29 with 1:32 to play. (Conner) Teahan responded with a three for KU to make it 35-29, but a pair of long distance shots, first from Thompson with 51 seconds left and then another from Porter with three seconds left, cut the margin to two points, 37-35 at the break.