Dontrez Styles leads with career-high 26 points
Your Georgetown Hoyas were only a 9 point favorite against Mount St. Mary’s on an early Saturday afternoon game. Potentially missing two big pieces to injuries, this Hoyas fan was not sure what to think going into today. Like many of the Georgetown faithful initially struggling to find the game to stream via FOX Sports, I found myself tuning into a nice 13-2 lead, which quickly turned into just a 6 point lead at 16-10… There were certainly moments where we thought the “Georgetown struggles to dominate an inferior opponent” storyline might creep back in but the Hoyas pulled out an 11 point victory, 83-72.
After a rough last two games, the Hoyas needed to show up today to get back on track. There is no reason to press the panic button, but a good team win could do wonders going into the week of Thanksgiving with seven games remaining before conference play.
The Hoyas offense got off to a quick start thanks to Dontrez Styles (UNC Transfer) in particular, who had 7 of the first 11 points and started the game going 3-3 from beyond the arc. In addition to Styles, one of the few remaining members of the Ewing era Jay Heath, made his presence felt immediately with an offensive rebound and put-back layup to get the Hoyas started. Heath would finish the first half with 7 points and 5 rebounds in the first half.
Not only were the Hoyas hitting their shots, they were finally starting to crash the boards, a welcoming sight after some lackluster efforts to start the season. I counted 12 rebounds in just the first ten minutes of game play, leading to well-executed fast breaks and open looks that they continued to hit for most of the first half. The players are still learning how to play together, but it looks like they are starting to figure it out and gel. The team has shooters, this offense can be very effective if it keeps the ball moving, which is what we saw today. All the guards were distributing, Epps, Styles and Heath had 7 of the team’s 8 assists in the first half.
While there were a couple of stretches in the first half where the Hoya defense let the Mount back into the contest to tighten up the score, the lead for the most part always felt safe, and the Hoyas would find themselves going into halftime with a 12 point lead up 43-31.
The second half would be more of the same, the Hoyas would go on a big run, followed up with some bad defensive plays/missed shots, which allowed the Mountaineers to keep the game in range. While the Hoyas would maintain a double-digit lead, it’s a reminder of how much work there is still to do with this roster. Turnovers were a big reason the Mountaineers were able to stay in this game, which is why fans were still sweating this out at the under 4 minute mark of the second half with a 7 point lead.
Lots to improve upon from this game, most of which is to be expected with a completely new roster full of transfers, but have to do something about the turnovers (19 on the day). The chemistry needs improvement and hopefully that comes sooner than later for this squad. All in all this was a good afternoon for the Hoyas who got the win and have another chance tomorrow afternoon to add to their momentum going into December. Hoyas Win, Hoyas Cover 83-72.
Notable Performers:
- Dontrez Styles had probably his best collegiate game offensively with 26 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK 4 AST and 0 TOs.
- Supreme Cook made a name for himself today, especially in the second half, with 17 PTS, 8 REB (3 OREB), 3 STL, not to mention adding a couple plays to his highlight reel
- Jay Heath’s 17 PTS, 8 REB and 2 AST was big today, but need him to limit TOs. He is hopefully adjusting since his injury.
- This was not Jayden Epps’ best game, who is likely still dealing with a sore ankle from the Rutgers game. He had 10 PTS with 6 AST to 6 TOs. Hopefully he’s able to get that ankle back to 100% as soon as possible.
The Hoyas will face American University on Sunday at 4:30PM on FS2.