Teams

Georgetown:
Georgetown cruised in this game, and even though the Hoyas started a little flatfooted offensively, there was never a question about the outcome. The Hoyas jump-started their scoring by playing tough defense, getting steals and blocking shots that led to transition baskets, and once the offense started clicking, it was lights out for American.

American:
The Eagles lost a huge chunk of their team last year, and they are rebuilding this season. It shows. They shot 27% from the field on the night, while allowing the Hoyas to shoot 50%. Unable to score and unable to stop, American had no tools to make the game competitive.

Players

Georgetown:
It was truly a team effort against American, with no one player taking over. Six players had between nine and 12 points, a sign of a balanced offense. I would say the player to make the biggest impression on me was Jason Clark. He scored nine points, but it was his defensive prowess that was on display yesterday. He had a career-high five steals, with three of those leading to transition dunks. There should have been a fourth, but Clark was fouled on the way to the basket, and the officials inexplicably ruled that he was on the floor, so Clark did not even get a trip to the free throw line.

American:
As we mentioned in the recap, Eagles’ leading scorer Stephen Lumpkins had a nightmare of a game, going 1-17. Junior Nick Hendra stepped up in his place, scoring 14 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out four assists. He was about the only bright spot for American in this game.

Fans

In the last home game before final exams start, the student sections were crowded but for the most part quiet. Even after runs that forced American coach Jeff Jones to call a 30, there was not the rousing applause that usually accompanies an opposition timeout. Perhaps the 4:00 PM start time threw some people off.

Number of the Game

16: Number of missed field goals by Stephen Lumpkins. Also the number of made field goals by the entire American team. It is never a good sign when a player has missed as many shots as his team as made. Or vice versa.

Happy V-Day

Freshman Vee Sanford celebrated his 19th birthday yesterday. As the game was winding down, the student section serenaded him with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.” Sanford ended the game with two rebounds and two steals in 10 minutes of action.

[Image via our friends at PrincetonBasketball.com]