February 23, 2020 - When senior center Omer Yurtseven took the floor for Georgetown last night against DePaul, hope sprung forth the team’s leading scorer and rebounder would buttress his team’s victory chances. Returning from a ankle injury suffered against these same Blue Demons three games ago (a Hoya win) surely could help the Blue and Gray salt another high-classified or Quadrant I win, crucial for the Hoyas’ NCAA postseason tournament chances. Prior to the contest most prognosticators had G’Town in the last four in or first four out grouping relative to joining the Big Dance.
Ultimately hope didn’t equal reality, as Georgetown fell 74-68 to DePaul at the latter’s Wintrust Arena home.
Yurtseven tied a team high eight rebounds while scoring five points, over 11 under his season average. This was done in 25 minutes of action in which he missed six of seven shot attempts, was assessed four fouls and three turnovers and from start looked a step slow, whether in pick and roll or transition defense. It was clear a certain measure of quickness had not returned to him.
Yurtseven’s challenges could be attributed to rust and possible re-injury – he left with just over nine minutes in the first half though returned - but those of junior guard Jahvon Blair’s can't: Since being tapped a starter six games ago, Blair scored 23, 18, 30, 16 and 20 points, yet managed only five against DePaul, on 1-10 shooting Saturday night.
The team as a whole struggled shooting, given its final numbers of 36.8% overall and 22.2% from three point land. Graduate point guard Terrell Allen led all scorers with 21 points, tied Yurtseven’s eight carom mark while adding three assists. Joining him in double figure scoring for G’Town were junior forward Jamorko Pickett (19 points, 15 in the first half, seven rebounds) and senior guard/forward Jagan Mosely with 13 points.
DePaul shot 45% from the field, 40% on three pointers and was paced in scoring (20 points) by junior point guard Charlie Moore, also owner of a game best seven assists. Romeo Weems, a freshman wing, logged 19 points, six rebounds. Junior forward Paul Reed was the game’s high rebound man via 10 boards, also adding 12 points.
Georgetown head coach Pat Ewing made multiple adjustments, including deploying 1 2 2 and 2-2-1 ¾ court presses. A strident man-to-man defensive coach, Ewing also deployed a 2-3 zone seen before, as well as a novel 3-2 alignment.
His moves extended to rotation management as well; with perimeter starters Blair, Mosely and Allen logging 38, 39 and 37 minutes respectively, sophomore walk on Jaden Robinson saw action. Another non-scholarship guy, senior forward George Muresan, also played.
Despite their travails, the Hoyas only trailed by five points in the first half, leading by three in that period and entered intermission tied 36.
During the back half G’Town enjoyed several leads/ties, but several sequences seemingly doomed them.
After securing an offensive rebound, Allen scored, cutting his team’s deficit to one, clocking ready 5:53. Twenty six seconds later Reed drove baseline and dunked, followed soon thereafter by an Allen giveaway. Subsequent to Weems then making one of two free throws, a bad three point attempt by Blair and Weem’s immediate fast break three, DePaul led 64-57.
Closing the door was again Weems, who secured an offensive rebound after junior forward Jaylen Butz's missed free throw. Nabbing that carom would have been huge for G'Town, then trailing 66-61 with just over 51 ticks of the clock remaining.
The next opportunity to bolster its postseason play argument exists this Wednesday for Georgetown, now 15-12, 5-9 in the BIG EAST, when they travel to Milwaukee for a tussle with always dangerous Marquette. Tip-off is 830p EST.
DePaul (14-13, 2-12), snapped an eight game losing streak versus the Hoyas and hopes to keep it rolling against Xavier, on the road in Cincinnati, a 730p EST start.
