Return to Form: Georgetown 89, Appalachian State 60

Austin Freeman led four Hoyas in double figures with 16 points and Chris Wright spread the wealth, dishing out 11 assists, as Georgetown ran away from Appalachian State Sunday, 89-60. The Hoyas bounced back from their first defeat of the season with a team effort: seven Hoyas scored at least six points, and thirteen Georgetown players made at least one basket. Here are some keys to the game:

• Defense: It’s strange to say in a game in which the Hoyas shot over 60 percent from the field, but the Hoya defense kept the Mountaineers from getting any easy looks.  Appalachian State shot 36% from the field, while leading scorer Donald Sims, who was averaging 27 ppg coming into the game, put in just 14 points on 4 of 15 shooting. Jason Clark, who finished with 15 points on 6 of 12 shooting, was particularly adept at limiting Sims’s opportunities.
• After Intermission: Even though Georgetown seemed to dominate the first half, they entered the break up just nine after a couple of late Mountaineer baskets. Georgetown left nothing to chance after the break, rattling off a 19-6 run to stretch the lead to twenty-five. As in the Utah State game, the Georgetown defense was the catalyst, as the Hoyas allowed those six points over the first nine-plus minutes of the half.
  
• Freshmen: Sunday also was the most impressive day to date for Georgetown’s freshman class: Nate Lubick scored 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds; Markel Starks scored 2 points to go with solid defense; Aaron Bowen scored a bucket in cleanup time; and Moses Ayegba did not disappoint in his debut, scoring four points in two minutes and showing impressive fluidity in transition. Ayegba’s check-in came at the end of the game and drew a huge response form the student section, as did Lubick’s strong finishes at the rim.
• Passing: The Hoyas had 20 assists on 36 made baskets, with Wright’s 11 leading the way.  Through 10 games, Wright is averaging 7 assists; while the Hoya records for assists per game (7.38) and total assists (242) in a season appear to be a stretch, Wright’s distributive abilities have been impressive. Two particular plays stand out from Sunday. Early in the second half, Wright led a two-on-two break, with Freeman as a trailing, third Hoya. Wright slowed just enough for Freeman to cut from behind Wright to the left wing; Wright made a Jerry West-esque hard, high dribble with his right hand before flipping the ball behind his back to Freeman for the easy lay-in. Shortly thereafter, Wright was again in transition, this time on the right side; he again found Freeman on the left side for an easy lay-in, this time via a one-handed bounce pass that found daylight between two Mountaineer defenders. Both looks were electrifying, and helped further spur Georgetown’s second-half run.
  
• Conclusion. Georgetown needed a bounce-back after a dispiriting loss at Temple, and got it, throttling a potentially pesky Appalachian State team. While, as JTIII said afterward, the game was closer than the final score indicated, the Hoyas left no doubt about which team was superior. There are many positives to take from this game, but perhaps most revealing is the lack of a clear star player: Freeman led the scoring effort, Clark on defense, Wright in passing, Lubick, Henry Sims (6 pts, 3 rebs., 3 assts.) and Julian Vaughn (8 pts., 6 rebs.) on the interior.  The Hoyas have a week off for exams before returning to action next Saturday against Loyola. In the meantime, check back here for Hoya news and a look at the season thus far.