January 18, 2019 - In a game that saw 11 lead changes, front court foul trouble for both teams, a sublime performance by Marquette senior guard Markus Howard and late game drama, Georgetown fell in heartbreak fashion 84-80 to the visiting Golden Eagles. The Hoyas had chances and couldn’t secure the win before an energized crowd of 12,514.
What happened?
First, Howard scored 42 points, much out of ball screen action. As G’Town head coach Pat Ewing simply noted afterward, “we didn’t do a good job on their pick and roll”, before indicting both guards and big men in not doing so.
Add “when you play against a team like this, you can’t give them 13 offensive rebounds. We have to do a better job of boxing out…So that’s another area in which we lost it” said Ewing. “We have to step up and make our free throws. And then we have to make shots.”.
The Hoyas made over half their shots – 50.8% from the field, 50% on three pointers – overall, but after junior forward Jamorko Pickett’s layup with 53 seconds remaining, a shot drawing G’Town to within one, they would not score again from the field, missing two jumpers.
Another killer, one adding drama; two free throws missed, one each by sophomore guard Mac McClung and senior backcourt mate Jagan Mosely. The first left Georgetown down one with 10 seconds remaining, the second produced a two point deficit with five seconds to play.
Ewing refused to attribute injury impact – McClung (24 points, six rebounds), an excellent charity strip shooter has been off his mark since an eye injury – or fatigue – all Blue and Grey starters logged at least 34 minutes – to missed charity stripe attempts, as “We take enough free throws in practice for guys to make them”. Specifically regarding McClung, Ewing stated “And he’s one of our best free throw shooters. He just has to step up there and make them”.
Conversely during this pivotal late stretch, Junior Golden Eagle guard Koby McEwen made his four free throw chances. Having gone 1-6 for the game shooting, those four free throws constituted two-thirds of his six point total. McEwen finished with a game best nine assists, while committing a single turnover.
Producing drama himself, Howard sank a three pointer with 1:21 to go, a 76-tie changing shot. Asked about the sequence, Howard attributed its basis to an offensive rebound from senior forward Theo John the play before, then revealed his shot “me coming off a gate play”, in which “I could have shot the first shot when I caught it, but I saw the defender coming at me, so I used my shot fake and had an even more open shot”.
Senior wing Sacar Amin, who Howard dubbed an “unsung hero”, by Howard joined him in MU double figure scoring with 13 points. Brendan Bailey, a sophomore forward, logged nine points for Marquette, which shot 46.9% overall, and 37% beyond the arc.
Senior Hoya center Omer Yurtseven finished with 22 points and a game high 11 caroms secured, though his team as a whole were bested in boarding by three, when it comes to the offensive variety, four.
Marquette, now 13-5, 3-3 and 5th in the BIG EAST, next faces St. John’s, this Tuesday at 9p EST.
Georgetown, 12-7, 2-4/7th travels to Xavier, for a 630p EST tilt, this Wednesday.
Could this close, emotional loss, compounded with a seven-man rotation brought about by four transfers before the Christmas break, destabilize Georgetown going forward?
“I’m always worried about the short rotation” yet “The calvary is not coming over the hill to save us…guys just have to get it done” answered Ewing. “We just have to tough it out.
“We played hard, but just didn’t play well enough to get the job done”.
