Four players scored in double figures, Sorber recorded another double-double to help the 3-1 Hoyas
Coming off a tough loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, your Georgetown Hoyas returned to action late Wednesday night against Mount St. Mary’s in a game for diehard fans only. The Mount entered the game 3-1 with their 1 loss coming at the hands of the Maryland Terrapins (52-86).
Thankfully, the Hoyas responded out of gates. The defense was stout, anchored by the 3 big men Drew Fielder (9PTS, 7REB), Thomas Sorber, and Julius Halaifonua (the first man off the bench). Georgetown jumped out to an early 19-7 lead on the backs of Jayden Epps (19PTS, 4REB) and Micah Peavy (12PTS, 4REB), and they did not look back. Through the first 10 minutes of the game, the Hoyas forced 5 TOs which lead to 9 points in transition, capped off by a Micah Peavy dunk. And while the defense stood tall, Jayden Epps extended the Hoyas lead to 18 with back-to-back contested triples.
At the under 8 minute timeout, the Hoyas led 25-11. But Mount St. Mary’s started to tighten up defensively and sparked up a 8-0 run while sending Georgetown into 5 minute scoring drought. The lead dwindled to 7 into the under 4 minute timeout, which brought a much needed reprieve to the Mount’s run. After the timeout, Thomas Sorber quickly ended the scoring drought and Georgetown righted the ship. With seconds ticking down in the first half, Mount St. Mary’s held for the last shot. Freshman guard, Kayvaun Mulready (2PTS, 3STL) matched up defensively on the ball and forced the Mount’s 9th turnover of the half. Malik Mack (10PTS, 5AST, 4REB) pushed the ball up the floor with a stretch pass to a streaking Jordan Burks (4PTS, 1BLK) who flushed a 2-handed jam as the buzzer sounded. The Hoyas held a 35-22 lead headed into the intermission.
Out of the break, Georgetown continued to pour it on. Ed Cooley must’ve emphasized moving the ball inside because everyone turned into a point guard. Thomas Sorber found Drew Fielder for 2 easy dunks, while Malik Mack feathered a pass to Sorber for a jam. Georgetown’s lead ballooned to 20 early in the 2nd half with all Georgetown’s points coming from inside the arc. The game leveled out over the next few minutes as the Hoyas lead oscillated between 17 and 21. At the midway point of the 2nd half, Georgetown led 53-32.
Although he may not have been 100% tonight, Thomas Sorber (14PTS, 12REB, 5AST, 1STL) brought energy to this game. Down the stretch, he found a slashing Caleb Williams (3PTS, 4REB) for a bucket and a foul, then forced a steal on the other end of the floor. The rest of the Georgetown team fed off Thomas and continued to buoy their large lead: up to 31 at one point. When it was all said and done, the Hoyas bounced back well with a 79-51 win.
I am still not sure what happened on Saturday (maybe Sorber wasn’t 100%), but it was nice to see Georgetown get back to the type of basketball they were playing before their loss to Notre Dame. Several pieces of the game are a work in progress, but the blueprint is there with a deep rotation. Georgetown looks good against the non-power 6 teams so far this season, which I would argue is improvement from years past (e.g., Holy Cross, Dartmouth, Coppin State). I do not mean to jinx it, but the next step that Georgetown is long over due for is a win against a Power 6 team. Their next chance comes against West Virginia (12/6). But for now, the Hoyas will turn their attention to the St. Francis Red Flash on Saturday (11/23) at noon in Capital One Arena.
Of note, Micah Peavy scored the 1000th point of his career tonight. Congratulations, Micah!
Hoya Saxa!