Chris Wright scored a career-high 34 points to go with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals to lead Georgetown passed visiting Harvard 86-70 at the Verizon Center Wednesday. Greg Monroe scored 16 points and hauled in 16 rebounds, and added 4 steals and 5 blocks, while Austin Freeman scored 21 points to round out an atypically imbalanced scoring effort by the Hoyas.
The game remained close late into the first half, with the teams tied at 33 with just over three minutes remaining. Georgetown then went on an 11-0 run to close out the half, keyed by an aggressive defense that forced four Harvard turnovers during that stretch. Out of the half, Georgetown poured it on, pushing the lead to 66-42 on a 22-9 run to start the half. Wright was the star of the second half, scoring 21 after the break. The two runs put the game out of reach for the Crimson, who were hampered by 21 turnovers and a -9 rebounding deficit.
Hoya fans will note two important patterns in this game. First, this was the first emergence of the three-headed beast–Monroe, Freeman, and Wright–that most of us figured would be responsible for the bulk of Georgetown’s offense throughout the season. Jason Clark was merely mortal, scoring eight points, while Julian Vaughn finished with only four. While Clark and Vaughn will find their spots and reassert themselves on offense soon, Hoya fans should be encouraged by the other three’s assertiveness.
Second, the Hoyas committed 21 turnovers, continuing a season-long trend. Georgetown has committed more turnovers than its opponent and than it has made assists in its two worst performances this year (Temple, Old Dominion), and in several wins that in which the margin could–or should–have been wider (Butler, Harvard, Savannah State). The Hoyas have now wrapped up their nonconference slate, save for a mid-February date with Duke in the Phone Booth, and enter the Big East with questions about their ability to take care of the ball.
Still, 9-1 is impressive, particularly with victories over the two ranked opponents. Georgetown opens its Big East schedule on New Year’s Eve by hosting St. John’s, apparently as part of the athletic department’s ongoing effort to attract fewer fans to Hoya home games (mid-afternoon day game v. Temple, daytime game on the 23rd v. Harvard, evening game on New Year’s eve v. St. John’s…?). St. John’s looks frisky, entering the game at 10-2 with only losses at Duke and versus Cornell (expected to win the Ivy League) to mar their record. A full preview will follow Wednesday.
