Ewing and his workforce, nonetheless, had been at residence, and there’s no “X” in Georgetown Hoyas. There additionally wasn’t a lot protection of their 102-89 loss to Xavier within the Huge East opener for each groups. The Hoyas have misplaced 20 straight Huge East common season video games, and the 102 factors they allowed are essentially the most they’ve yielded beneath Ewing.
“They received sizzling, however we allow them to get sizzling,” Ewing mentioned. “If you hand over 50 factors within the paint, 11 second-chance factors and 17 fast-break factors, all these issues harm.
“So it was the errors that we made defensively to present them wide-open pictures, they usually had been in a position to knock them down.”
Georgetown (5-7) struggled to get stops all through the sport, notably within the second half. The Musketeers (9-3) shot 51.5 p.c from the sphere within the opening 20 minutes, then upped that to 68.6 within the second. The Hoyas shot 51.6 p.c — simply shy of their season excessive — however that couldn’t offset the defensive lapses.
“I simply really feel like we simply want to speak extra … when we now have to double, simply talk extra,” Georgetown heart Qudus Wahab mentioned.
Xavier went on a 13-3 run early within the second half to take a 72-59 lead, however Georgetown responded a 14-5 stretch, trimming its deficit to 4. Then the underside dropped out. Souley Boum went on a one-man 8-0 run, and Xavier scored 10 straight. The Hoyas by no means received nearer than 9 the remainder of the way in which.
“Souley Boum was simply superb within the second half,” Xavier Coach Sean Miller mentioned. “He simply type of took over the sport.”
Boum scored a game-high 28 factors to associate with seven rebounds, seven assists and 4 steals. Jack Nunge scored 18 and Zach Freemantle added 17 for Xavier, which scored 50 factors within the paint
Primo Spears led Georgetown with 22 factors. Wahab scored 16, and Brandon Murray completed with 15.
The Hoyas, a season faraway from the worst Huge East marketing campaign in this system’s historical past, proceed to wrestle, and Ewing is staying centered on bettering his workforce for the convention schedule.
“I don’t hearken to the surface noise. I simply fear about what we will do as a bunch to get higher. We’re disillusioned that we misplaced tonight. We’re disillusioned [whenever we lose]. Dissatisfied in the truth that we didn’t do what we anticipated to do final 12 months. However that’s final 12 months. This can be a new 12 months. We nonetheless have, what, 20 to 19 extra Huge East video games to play. We misplaced one recreation.”
Right here’s what else to learn about Georgetown’s loss:
The Hoyas trailed 10-2 within the first minutes of the sport however rallied to chop the margin to 43-38 by halftime. Georgetown stored it shut largely as a result of it received the first-half turnover battle 7-2 and produced eight factors off turnovers.
The Hoyas entered ranked 227th within the nation and eighth within the Huge East from past the arc, making simply 32.7 p.c from deep. These traits continued within the first half, when the Hoyas missed six of seven makes an attempt. They had been marginally higher over the ultimate 20 minutes and completed 6 for 17 from three-point vary.
Miller is within the first 12 months of his second stint at Xavier, and Friday was his first Huge East recreation as a coach (he performed at Pittsburgh).
“I’m grateful to be again at Xavier,” Miller mentioned. “All of us who performed within the Huge East within the ’80s, like I did, early ’90s, it’s like a badge of honor. … I believe generally concerning the coaches that had been within the league once I performed. Jim Calhoun, he was simply beginning out. Rick Pitino, [Lou] Carnesecca. Clearly, John Thompson. Rollie Massimino, P.J. Carlesimo. I imply, these guys are all within the Corridor of Fame.”
Georgetown celebrated a few of its legends at halftime, bringing again quite a lot of basketball alumni. Amongst these honored: Michael Graham, Joey Brown, Robert Churchwell, Irvin Church, Rodney Pryor, Ed Spriggs, Sid Levy, Tyrone Lockhart, Ra’mond Hines, Joey Brown, John Duren, Riyan Williams, Mark Thompson, Kenneth Brown, Lonnie Duren and Eric Smith.
