Recap: Georgetown
Feb. 21, 2009
Washington, D.C. -- The Marquette Golden Eagles shot an amazing 60.0% in the first half of their 78-72 victory at Georgetown on Saturday, yet needed a Lazar Hayward three-pointer at the buzzer to head into halftime tied, 44-44.
The reason?
By coach Buzz Williams' count, Georgetown had 33 of those 44 points off 7 three-pointers and seven offensive rebounds.
DaJuan Summers and Austin Freeman each had two threes, while freshman phenom Greg Monroe had three of those offensive boards.
Compare that to the final 20 minutes, when the Hoyas had just 1 three and two offensive rebounds.
"I thought in the second half the key to the game was they only got one three, with three seconds left, and they only got two offensive rebounds, one of which was Greg Monroe on the first possession of the second half.
"I think that's how the game changed."
MU, meanwhile, grabbed eight of its 12 offensive boards in the second half. That, coupled with just one turnover of their own and eight by the Hoyas, helped turn the tide.
"We didn't play perfect at all in the first half, but we did a good enough job to stick around," said Jerel McNeal. "When we got into that second half, our toughness just really took over. We started doing an unbelievable job on the glass, taking care of the ball and sharing the ball at a very high rate.
"More than anything it was the fact we were getting some unbelievable stops on the other end defensively. When we're playing like that, it's tough to stop us."
-- Williams, as has been his custom all season, refused to lend any credence to the notion that these final five games have any additional meaning to a Golden Eagles team striving to earn a bye through the first two rounds of the Big East Tournament.
"I probably haven't been a very good interviewee on those questions, and I mean this in a sincere way," he said. "Maybe it's because it's my first year in the league, but they're absolutely brutal to me. Whether they're at home or on the road, the first five, the last five, the middle five.
"Maybe it's my mentality. It could be wrong. It could be immaturity on my part, but I really don't get caught up in what the media says -- and I don't mean that in a disrespectful way. 'The Gauntlet', the last five, whatever. They're all extremely difficult.
"I couldn't be happier for our players. And if that means we have four games left in the regular season, that means we have four games left."
-- Williams was informed at some point in the afternoon that Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee was closed due to snow, and there was some question as to whether the team would be able to get back into town afterward.
"We have a midnight-hour rule. We'll enjoy it until midnight, and hopefully we'll be able to get home safe," he said. "It's snowing back home. And if we're not (able to get home), if you guys know the best place to eat steak in DC, that's where we'll be."
The Golden Eagles were able to fly into Mitchell afterward, as it turned out.
-- My vote for play of the game was McNeal's dribble-drive, spinning pass to a cutting Jimmy Butler on the baseline, who laid it in to give MU a 73-67 lead with 54.4 seconds left.
It was another terrific all-around game for McNeal: 22 points, seven assists, six rebounds and a steal.
Butler, meanwhile, had eight points, five rebounds, an assist and a block in 24 minutes.
-- Interesting to see David Cubillan get three minutes in the first half ahead of Maurice Acker.
-- The game featured four ties and 13 lead changes.
-- Georgetown guard Chris Wright, who led Georgetown with 17 points, was 7 for 7 from the free-throw line. The other eight Hoyas that played? They went 1 for 4.
-- Dominic James and McNeal both did a great job staying avoiding the costly fouls that would have sent them to the bench for good in the second half.
James finished with four and McNeal three. Both went all 40 minutes for the second time this season.
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