No.7 Georgetown stymies Rutgers in Big East opener
Offensively, it won’t be looked upon as a stellar game for the No.7 Hoyas, but then again the old saying is defense wins championships and the Hoyas can defense with the best of them. No.7 Georgetown’s defense was in full effect on Saturday as they held Rutgers to 31.1 percent shooting, defeating the Scarlet Knights 58-46.
Georgetown (11-1, 1-0) won their sixth straight over Rutgers and seventh straight victory in Big East opening games. The reigning Big East champs opened conference play with their first victory, led by freshman Austin Freeman who scored 13 points. Jonathan Wallace had 11 points, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, and Jessie Sapp and DaJuan Summers both added 10 points.
Rutgers (8-7, 0-2) has lost four of their last five games and they’ve dropped eight of their last nine against the Hoyas. J.R. Inman led the Scarlet Knights with 11 points and was the lone Knight in double figures. Rutgers welcomed back second leading scorer Corey Chandler back to the lineup after missing the last three games with an injured foot, but struggled in his first game back finishing with six points on 2-of-13 shooting.
Rutgers had their chances in this one, but they missed a plethora of open, uncontested looks, from layups to dunks to free throws. Despite their win, Georgetown had problems of their own, problems that seem to be carrying over into 2008. Their free throw shooting continues to be a problem; the Hoyas were only 7-of-13 from the line with center Roy Hibbert missing on four of his six attempts. Speaking of Hibbert, the big man is not having the type of season many expected for the pre-season Big East Player of the Year. He struggled against a smaller Rutgers squad, finishing with only six points and four rebounds on 2-of-7 shooting from the field, and 2-of-6 from the free throw line.
Maybe the most alarming factor is Georgetown’s rebounding. They were outrebounded 43-26, and a whopping 22-4 disadvantage on the offensive glass. Georgetown can get away with being outrebounded by Rutgers, but as they get deeper and deeper into Big East play, they simply won’t get by on being the more talented team. Rebounding is an attitude, a feeling that you’re going to outwork the next guy no matter what it takes.
The Hoyas need to find that killer instinct when it comes to hitting the glass, and it needs to start with Hibbert. He cannot continue to be a non-factor and sleep walk through games.
Georgetown only led 27-20 at halftime, but they used a 12-3 suffocating run in the first five minutes of play in the second half to lead 41-25. Their largest lead in the second was 47-30 with 10 minutes to play and the Scarlet Knights failed to mount a late charge.
Georgetown will face DePaul on Tuesday night at 9 p.m., while Rutgers will travel to Providence on Wednesday night 7:30 p.m.
Tags: Big East Basketball, Georgetown Hoyas, NCAA Men's basketball, Rutgers Scarlet Knights