Austin Freeman scored 25 points and Jason Clark scored a career-high 24 to lead Georgetown to a 103-90 victory over #2 Villanova Saturday in snow-bound Washington. Greg Monroe (19), Julian Vaughn (13), and Hollis Thompson (12) also finished in double figures; the Hoyas shot well (56.3% FG, 52.6% 3FG) and shared the ball (21 assists on 27 baskets) in cracking triple digits for the first time this season. The loss was Villanova’s first in conference; while the Wildcats heated up in the second half, they never quite recovered from a first-half meltdown that left them in a nineteen-point halftime hole. Some thoughts:
- Star–Clark. The man was on fire, hitting his first six shots from the field, not counting a three he drained after accidentally stepping on the sideline. He hit six threes on the game, provided much of the ball handling with Chris Wright saddled with foul trouble, and chipped in with typical energy plays (2 steals, 1 block). Great game from a guy who’s been in a bit of a rut.
- Supporting cast–Freeman and Monroe. Hard to short-change these guys, given that they’ve been the most consistent performers throughout the season. Monroe had eight boards, six dimes, a steal, and two blocks to go with his 19 points, while Freeman notched his fourth straight 20+ point game. During that stretch, I AM FREE has been shooting 61.5% from the field, and 63.5% from three-point range. Absurd.
- Key stretch–almost 10 minutes in, the game remained tight at 19-18. A little more than 8 minutes later, a Freeman lay-up made it 50-27. That’s 31-9 Georgetown in between. Everyone chipped in, with six Hoyas scoring during the run, but Clark and Freeman in particular stood out, each draining consecutive 3 balls to help put the fork in the Wildcats.
- Interesting twist–Georgetown basically beat Villanova at its own game. It was high-paced, at times sloppier than the weather outside, both of which would normally suit the Wildcats. But Georgetown built a lead and hung on, in part because…
- Villanova’s excuse–fouls. The visitors got whistled for 38 fouls (to our boys’ 20), while the Hoyas shot 50 free throws (to the Wildcats’ 23). Jay Wright was popping mad, almost wrinkling smooth $10k suit. He got T’ed up in the middle of the first half, turning the Hoyas’ big run into an avalanche.
Overall, and impressive and much-needed W. The Hoyas can savor it over a hot cup of cocoa until Tuesday, when they travel to Providence to face the Friars.
Other post-game coverage:
- Dana O’Neil at ESPN.com: “10,000 brave souls who found their seats inside the arena weren’t merely rewarded with a 103-90 victory over Villanova — they witnessed Georgetown assert itself as a team that should be included in the small pack of national championship contenders.”
- Liz Clark at Washington Post: “Georgetown’s dominant performance delivered the affirmation its fans longed for on the heels of a dispiriting loss to South Florida earlier in the week — a defeat that raised questions about the Hoyas’ focus and fight heading into the final stretch of the season, with games against No. 3 Syracuse and No. 6 West Virginia still on the docket.”
