RAIDED: Hoyas Show Fight in Second Half, Lose to Texas Tech 79-65

GU had a 21-2 run… after TT had a 21-3 run in the first

Your Georgetown Hoyas traveled to Lubbock, Texas as 16.5 point underdogs to square up against Texas Tech, where the Red Raiders have won their last 24 consecutive home games – how nice would that be! If you are like me, you assumed a Big East-Big 12 match-up would televised, but that was not the case. Like most Georgetown fans, the first 10 minutes of basketball may have been missed due to failed attempts to find the channel, get an ESPN+ subscription, and stream the game.

The Hoyas got off to a relatively good start, shooting 4-7 from 3, headed into the under 12 timeout all tied at 16.

Out of the timeout, the Red Raiders tried to piece together a little run with the aid of a couple of Hoya turnovers, but Brandon Murray, who had 18 points (8-13 FG, 6 TOs) in the first half, announced his return to the lineup as he made a Red Raider touch earth before knocking down a fade away jumper. I say delayed because it was only a couple more minutes before Ewing had to burn his first timeout to try to end a 9-0 Red Raider with Georgetown down 29-20.

The timeout was useless. Primo Spears (13 PTS, 5-12 FG, 7 ASTs, 4 TOs) turned the ball over in traffic and Texas Tech continued to score the rock with ease as Kevin O’Banner (11 PTS) and Daniel Batcho (15 PTS, 13 REBs) cashed in a pair of jump hooks over the Georgetown bigs: Akok and Wahab. The Georgetown scoring drought, which lasted over 5 minutes, resulted in a 16-0 Red Raider run. The under 4 timeout mercifully brought the run to an end with the Hoyas down 36-23.

In an effort to switch up the defensive look, Georgetown finished the first half in a 2-3 zone. With a small sample size, the zone seemed to work alright, but the Hoyas still went into half down 41-26, as the Red Raiders shot 58% from the field (45% 3PT). This comes as no surprise, as Georgetown continues to ignore the defensive side of the game.

Georgetown started the 2nd half exactly how you would expect down 15: aggressive and hungry to chip away at the lead. Kidding…Jay Heath (5 PTS, 2-8 FG) turned the ball over and Qudus missed a dunk on consecutive possessions as the Red Raiders kept the foot on the gas hitting back-to-back 3s. Ewing called his 3rd timeout only 1:14 into the half, cuing the infamous Texas Tech “Surf Swag” (by Lil Wayne) sway with the score 47-26 Texas Tech. It was hard to think Georgetown had any run in them.

The game evened out over the next 7 minutes headed into the under 12 timeout. Of note, Bryson Mozone (18 PTS, 7-10 FG) continued to be the hot hand for Georgetown as he hit a couple of mid-range jumpers. Soon after, Denver Anglin (3 PTS) and Bradley Ezewiro (5 PTS) checked into the game, and Anglin knocked down a 3. But Georgetown still found themselves down 20.

The next 8 minutes were a whirlwind. Down 23 at one point, the Hoyas flipped the script, firing up a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 12 and forcing a Texas Tech timeout in the full court pressure. The Georgetown scoring continued (I had to pinch myself) as Ezewiro rejected a Texas Tech floater and Spears knocked down a pair of free throws and a heavily contested (and frankly out-of-control) mid-range jumper to chip the lead down to 6: 62-56! It felt like a fever dream, but the run went on longer.

All in all, it was a 23-2 Georgetown run for the Hoyas who had a chance to tie the game with Ezewiro at the line. He went 1 for 2 and the Hoyas had a couple of chances to take the lead, but failed to convert and Texas Tech finally ended their 6 minute scoring drought. On the ensuing possession, Primo Spears, who was hearing “airball” chants every time he touched the ball, succumbed to the chant and airballed another wild shot from deep before we went into the under 4 timeout with the Red Raiders leading 66-61.

What may have been Georgetown’s best 8 minutes of basketball of the season ended as Texas Tech gathered themselves and initiated a 10-2 to gain control of the lead 72-63 before Texas Tech head coach, Mark Adams, called a timeout with 2 minutes left. Adams left nothing to chance out of the timeout and dashed any hopes of another Georgetown run. In the end, the Red Raiders outlasted Georgetown by a total of 79-65.

Next up: South Carolina Gamecocks at Capital One (12/3 @ 12:00pm). That one is set to be televised.

Hoya Saxa!