Orange topples Hoyas, 75-71
Five times this season Georgetown has bounced back from a loss to play even better than it had before the defeat.
In none of those games was the Hoyas’ opponent Syracuse.
Despite a gutsy second-half rally that eliminated 22 of a seemingly insurmountable 23-point deficit, Georgetown fell achingly short with 75-71 defeat in front of a sold out Verizon Center.
With a chance to tie the game at 71 apiece with just over one minute remaining, Greg Monroe (20 points, 9 rebounds) missed the second of two free throws, failing to pull the Hoyas (18-7, 8-6 Big East) even for the first time since the opening tip.
Andy Rautins (season-high 26 points) clinched the win at the line for the Orange (25-2, 12-2), who missed just three of 30 free throw attempts.
The rematch of last month’s Orange win over the Hoyas in upstate New York got off to a another lopsided start. But instead of a quick 14-0 margin for Georgetown, this time it was Syracuse that blitzed the home team, taking a 15-3 lead on a dunk by Kris Joseph (11 points). Wes Johnson added 14 of his 16 points in the first half.
Monroe’s immediate foul trouble — picking up two personals in the first three minutes — added to the Hoyas’ early woes, as did an abysmal first half from Austin Freeman, who missed seven of his first eight shots but still led Georgetown with 21 points.
The Hoyas missed their first five shots after halftime, and a Freeman layup made little impact, sandwiched between another pair of 3-pointers from Rautins. When Rautins and Chris Wright (20 points) mixed it up and earned a pair of technical fouls, it looked like the rout was on for Syracuse, which led, 60-37, before Georgetown charged back over the game’s final 10 minutes.
