The win snapped a two game skid for the Hoyas
After losing two games in a row, the Georgetown Hoyas were in desperate need of a better outcome at home against the Longwood Lancers. Despite getting off to a rocky start in both halves, Patrick Ewing’s team steadied itself and was able to score some clutch points down the stretch. The game was still within reach for the Lancers with less than a minute left and only down four. That’s when Kaiden Rice splashed one of this team-high five three-pointers to make it a seven-point lead and seal the victory 91-83 for Georgetown.
Four Hoyas starters scored in double digits but it was Collin Holloway who led the team in scoring, dropping 23 points on seven of nine shooting off the bench. Rice and Aminu Mohammed both had 15 and were instrumental in holding off the Lancers from completing the upset. The latter even got a double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds. Donald Carey played all but one minute of this game, scoring 12 points and notching five assists. The win puts Georgetown back at .500 with a record of 3-3.
Overall Georgetown’s numbers offensive were decent. They won the battle on the boards but struggled with the ball at times, committing 12 turnovers. As a team, they shot 45 percent from the field but were solid from three at 43.5 percent. The Hoyas hit 27 of their 33 attempts from the free-throw line, including some key makes in crunch time. Georgetown generated some second-chance opportunities as well with 13 offensive rebounds, using their size as an advantage on the glass.
It was all Lancers in the opening minutes of the game. They scored the first nine points, prompting a quick timeout from Ewing. The Hoyas offense started slowly, hampered by a handful of turnovers and tough shots. Momentum was all on the side of their Big South opponents as the lead was 21-14 Longwood halfway through the first half. Georgetown did start to wake up offensively after that, going on a 10-3 run to tie the game. It was their three-point shooting that was the spark with both Rice and Carey knocking down shots from downtown to get the Hoyas back into it.
Minutes later, the lead was back to the home team thanks to a layup from Mohammed. Also aided by Longwood’s offense going cold, the Hoyas were able to add to their lead. They scored the last four points of the half to go into the break up 36-31. It was a solid effort from the Hoyas, especially considering what took place in the first couple of minutes.
The start of the second half wasn’t like the first with Georgetown scoring seven points in the opening three minutes to keep their lead. The Lancers responded by cutting the lead back down to three thanks to DeShaun Wade, who was their best player in this game. He had 21 points on five of eight shooting from three along with four rebounds.
After that shot, the Hoyas ramped up the pressure and reeled off a 10-0 run in a matter of a minute. Holloway and Carey each had five points during this stretch and it looked like Georgetown was finally taking control of this game. They even got the lead up to fourteen at one point in the second half. But Longwood kept fighting back and responded with a double-digit run of their own. They reeled off 12 straight as the Hoya offense went cold, not scoring for nearly four minutes. It was a one-point game before two free throws by Dante Harris snapped Georgetown’s drought.
The Hoyas went on a mini 6-0 run of their own to get some distance between them and the Lancers with under ten minutes to play. Yet the visitors won’t go away, keep within striking distance as the game entered crunch time. Each time Georgetown made a key shot, Longwood would respond right back. It was only a four-point game with two minutes to go after Wade made another jumper. Holloway and Harris responded with layups to keep Georgetown up six as we entered the final minute. After two free throws from Isaiah Wilkins, the game was still hanging in the balance. Georgetown let the shot clock run down and had the ball in the hands of their best three-point shooter. With 24 seconds left, Rice drilled a three to seal the deal for the Hoyas. It wasn’t as easy of a win as projected but it’s a victory nonetheless for Georgetown.
They now travel to face South Carolina before returning home to play UMBC next week.