Teams

Georgetown:
Georgetown finally got off the schneid, winning for the first time in six games. It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but the team did enough to get the job done. They again had a slow start, but fought through it to take a nine point lead into the break. Georgetown then took over for the first part of the second half, extending the lead to 20. From then on, the Hoyas simply coasted, and perhaps let Rutgers get too close. But, for a team that had not had that leisure for most of last month, I think I can forgive them this once, as it was good to see Georgetown finally get a win.

Rutgers:
The Scarlet Knights have struggled mightily in recent years, and the same holds true this season. They were sloppy throughout, ending the game with 21 turnovers to only 17 field goals. If the Big East Tournament had not changed formats, Rutgers would again be on the outside looking in.

Players

Georgetown:
“I’m back.” That’s what Jessie Sapp said in the postgame press conference. He has been in a slump for most of the season, but recently Jessie has been showing signs of a resurgence. Last night’s game continued the trend, as he ended with a team-high 11 points on 4-5 shooting, including a perfect 2-2 from three point land. When a team is in a slump, it sometimes takes senior leadership to right the ship, and last night Jessie showed that he has what it takes.

Rutgers:
Mike Rosario came in averaging over 17 points a game, and put up 20 in this game. However, most came after the Hoyas had a sizeable lead and had stopped focusing as hard defensively. Still, he was 4-8 from beyond the arc and made some tough, contested shots, including one with Austin Freeman right in his face that slowed Georgetown’s momentum momentarily.

Referees

The refereeing was particularly bad this game. They called very few fouls overall, but an inordinate number of offensive fouls. DaJuan Summers picked up his second foul early in the first half on a play where he was going for a rebound and knocked the ball out of bounds. On his way to the bench for a timeout he heard the loud speaker announce his second foul, and turned around in disbelief. Disbelief was a common emotion with regards to the officiating. Fortunately, the game was not close enough for it to matter.

Fans

The crowd was much smaller than we have become accustomed to at Verizon Center. Perhaps it was due to the opponent, perhaps to the team’s recent skid, but even the student section looked particularly sparse, and surprisingly quiet, even during the Hoyas’ run. We will see if the upcoming weekend game can draw a larger crowd.

Number of the Game

50%: Georgetown’s free throw percentage in the second half. Georgetown shot 55% from the field and 56% on three pointers in the second half, both higher than their free throws. The team was 53% on the night from the stripe.

Another Number

11: The sum of the Rutgers’ starting lineup’s jerseys. The Scarlet Knights start a #00, #1, #2, #3, and #5, meaning that two of Georgetown’s starters, #15 Austin Freeman and #21 Jessie Sapp, had higher numbers than their opposition’s entire starting line.