In a game where the Hoyas could simply not make a shot in the second half, Georgetown gutted out a closer-than-the-score win today against the Howard Bison, 62-48.
The Bison are not a nationally-ranked powerhouse (currently sitting at 306/345 per KenPom's ranking), so I suppose I should be in hysterics. After opening the game with a remarkable 17-0 run, Georgetown seemed to completely lose offensive focus and watched Howard reel off a 32-17 run of their own.
And this was a game where the Hoyas missed their last 11 attempts from behind the arc - many wide open - as well as several bunnies near the rim. The shots were simply not going to drop in the Vespers half, no matter how easy the look.
But I just couldn't get that excited - it felt like the Hoyas had another gear on defense that they could reach for if they had to (and they did). After the under-8:00 timeout in the second half, the Bison made a jumpshot to close the score to 42-40, then grabbed Jason Clark's missed jumper to go back on offense with a chance to tie or even take the lead.
Over the next 14 possessions, Georgetown outscored Howard 18-2 while forcing 10 turnovers. That stretch included 18 free throw attempts by the Hoyas, as they finally took advantage of their size and athleticism to overwhelm the Bison.
Ballgame.
Let's run the numbers:
TEMPO-FREE BOX SCORE . Home Visitor . Georgetown Howard . 1st Half 2nd Half Total 1st Half 2nd Half Total Pace 33 37 70 Points 30 32 62 17 31 48 Effic. 91.4 85.4 88.0 51.8 82.8 68.1 eFG% 38.0 29.2 33.7 29.6 47.4 37.0 TO% 24.4 10.7 17.0 30.5 34.7 32.6 OR% 41.2 18.2 28.2 27.3 30.8 28.6 FTA/FGA 56.0 116.7 85.7 14.8 94.7 47.8 Assist Rate 55.6 28.6 43.8 42.9 62.5 53.3 Block Rate 15.0 6.7 11.4 0.0 10.0 5.6 Steal Rate 12.2 8.0 9.9 6.1 8.0 7.1 2FG% 50.0 35.0 41.7 25.0 40.0 31.4 3FG% 11.1 0.0 7.7 28.6 50.0 36.4 FT% 78.6 64.3 69.0 25.0 72.2 63.6
More stats after the jump
