Hoyas do enough to cast aside Demons
By: Craig Stouffer
Examiner Staff Writer
March 7, 2009
Georgetown 48, DePaul 40
One of John Thompson III’s regular refrains over the course of his tenure as Georgetown head coach has been to avoid talking about the Big East standings during the regular season, instead preferring to “pick our heads up at the end and see where we are.”
An easy thing to do when the Hoyas win the regular season title, as they did each of the past two years.
But after an unremarkable 48-40 win over last-place DePaul – a victory that didn’t affect either team’s seeding in next week’s Big East Tournament – Thompson’s evaluation consisted of little more than a begrudging wish for a few more wins.
“We know what we have to do and how we have to play,” said Thompson. “Now we have to move on... These guys are still excited and hungry.”
As the No. 12 seed, Georgetown (16-13, 7-11 Big East) will open the tournament on Tuesday with a chance for revenge against No. 13 St. John’s – the first of five games in a row they’ll need to win in order to claim the title and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
On Saturday in front of a subdued 12,338 at Verizon Center, including the bare minimum of something resembling a student section, Georgetown made sure the Blue Demons (8-23, 0-18) became the third team in Big East history to finish the conference regular season without a win but not before squandering a 14-point first-half lead.
After the Hoyas took a 24-15 lead into halftime, Will Walker (game-high 20 points) twice knotted the score for the visitors before a DaJuan Summers layup broke a 26-26 tie and put the Hoyas ahead for good with 14:12 remaining.
“It was an ugly game,” said Blue Demons head coach Jerry Wainwright, who like Georgetown has just two upperclassmen on his active roster. “But I think it was a hard fought game – ugly maybe for people looking for a different kind of basketball. But there’s a lot of pressure on those kids, both groups of kids because they’re younger.”
The Blue Demons closed to within 34-31 before Summers ignited an 8-0 run – he scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the second half – by converting a tough move inside and a jumper, and then feeding Chris Wright for a layup to put the game out of reach.
“I thought [Summers] showed some real maturity down the stretch, changed his game a little bit and got in around the basket,” said Wainwright.
The run also awoke the crowd, who reserved most of its applause for Georgetown’s lone scholarship senior Jessie Sapp, who put in one final workmanlike performance at home, with seven points, five rebounds and two steals.
“They appreciate me for the things I’ve done for the program, whether they’re big or small, and that’s what I’m proud of,” said Sapp.
The first half saw Greg Monroe score all six of his points with perfect 2-for-2 shooting from the field and at the line, and Sapp also opened the night 2-for-4. But the rest of the Hoyas were hit just five of their first 19 shots, including one of 10 three-pointers.
However, the Blue Demons topped the 20 percent shooting mark by halftime only by hitting their last two jump shots of the period, which they finished matching their season low for points in a half.
