SID Game Report: Hoyas Can't Contain Creighton
WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University men's basketball team could not contain a second-half Creighton surge, falling 77-60 to the visiting Bluejays at Capital One Arena on Tuesday evening. With the loss, the Hoyas slip to an even 7-7 on the season and 0-3 in BIG EAST play while Creighton improves to 10-4 on the year and 1-2 in league action.
ON THE RECORD
"Tale of two halves there … Our defense disappeared in the second half. I loved our effort in the first 20 minutes. I thought we were connected. I thought we had some passion and enthusiasm. Then … It's back-to-back games in the second half where we've just melted. Just talked to our men about that, we will get better at it and continue to improve. Obviously, we still have a long way to go. There's 17 games left in the BIG EAST… We've got to get healthy, it's unfortunate that we can't catch a break with our lineup as we have had different lineups because of injuries, but that's not an excuse. Defensively, we have to improve … The word collectivity defensively is so important. Right now, game 14, we should be better than this defensively." - Head Coach Ed Cooley
HOYA HIGHLIGHTS
Rowan Brumbaugh led a pair of Hoyas in double figures with a career-high 19 points on seven made buckets, including a trio of 3-pointers. He chipped in a team-best five assists to go along with three rebounds.Jay Heath added 11 points on five made buckets while pulling down three rebounds and recording a team-best three steals.Supreme Cook was GU's leader on the glass, pulling down five boards.Georgetown shot 38.3% (23-60) from the floor while going 7-for-19 (36.8%) from beyond the arc. The Hoyas allowed 55.9% (33-59) shooting from the Bluejays and an 8-for-25 (32.0%) from 3-point land. .Creighton outrebounded GU 42-21 on the glass.The Hoyas forced 14 CU turnovers on seven steals while committing just six turnovers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Georgetown got on the board first as Brumbaugh knocked down a jumper. Both squads traded buckets until the Hoyas reeled off seven straight over the next 1:09, fueled by five from Heath, to take the 11-5 early lead.
Creighton clawed its way back but another Heath jumper pushed the lead back to five (15-10, 12:39) before Creighton staged a 14-2 run to take the seven-point lead (24-17, 4:42). Ismael Massoud drained a triple to give the Hoyas some life and pull within four.CU was able to extend the lead back to eight but the Hoyas managed the final four points of the frame behind a pair of Brumbaugh free throws and a Massoud jumper as the Bluejays took a 28-24 lead into the locker room.
Through the first couple of possessions, Brumbaugh kept the Hoyas in the game, trading buckets and keeping it a two-possession game. However, the Hoyas couldn't get a stop on the other end and Creighton's lead ballooned to as many as 24 (68-44, 5:41).Georgetown strung together 10 straight, fueled by five from Brumbaugh, to cut the lead to 14 (68-54, 2:42) but it was not enough as Creighton went on to take the 77-60 victory at the final whistle.
UP NEXT
The Hoyas will continue their three-game homestand on Saturday, January 6 when they welcome the DePaul University Blue Demons to Capital One Arena. Tipoff in the Nation's Capital is scheduled for noon and the game will be broadcast on FS1 with Jason Ross Jr. calling the play-by-play and Sarah Kustok providing analysis. The radio call of Rich Chvotkin, in his 50th season as the Voice of the Hoyas, can be heard locally on The Team 980 and nationally on the SiriusXM app.
