Hoyas Finally Find Answer for the Orange
Hoyas move on the Big East semis
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Arinze Onuaku of Syracuse challenges the shot of Chris Wright.
The third indeed was the charm for Georgetown against Syracuse.
The Hoyas (22-9, No. 22) moved on to the Big East semifinals with a 91-84 win Thursday afternoon at Madison Square Garden -- the Orange's other home court (when they aren't playing St. John's).
Much like their two meetings in the regular season, it was a hard fought game. Unlike those match-ups, Georgetown managed to solve Syracuse's zone defense this time around. Ninety-one points is a ton against Syracuse, which hadn't given up more than 85 in a game (a 99-85 defeat of Providence) all season. Guards Chris Wright and Austin Freeman led the way with 27 and 18, respectively. Guard Jason Clark contributed 17 points, and center Greg Monroe scored 15 to go with 10 rebounds.
The Orange (28-4, No. 3) led 40-37 at halftime. Midway through the second half, Georgetown took its first lead since midway through the first half and managed to keep Syracuse at bay for the remainder of the game.
Forward Wes Johnson -- the Big East player of the year -- led Syracuse with 24 points but fouled out late. Scoop Jardine (19 points) and Kris Joseph (18) made big contributions off the Orange bench.
"It's definitely a confidence boost," Wright said. "I don't think this team lacks confidence. I just think we're ready to play."
Playing before a lively crowd, Georgetown rebounded from two losses to Syracuse earlier this season and took a 7-6 edge in Big East tournament games between the longtime rivals, the most common matchup in the 31-year history of the event.
"I thought our guys did a pretty good job -- very good job, actually -- of just trying to hunt and peck and make the right decisions against their zone," said Georgetown coach John Thompson III, whose famous father sat a couple of rows behind his former team's bench.
Little-used freshman guard Vee Sanford put the Hoyas ahead 60-59 on a baseline floater with 10:37 to go, their first lead in nearly 21 minutes since they were up 14-11. The basket was part of a 13-0 run and 19-2 surge that gave Georgetown a 70-61 advantage with 7:24 left.
The Orange cut it to 74-72 on Jardine's two free throws, but Monroe converted a pair of three-point plays as the Hoyas pushed the lead back to 85-76 with 1:39 to go.
In the teams' first meeting on Jan. 25, Georgetown stormed to a 14-0 lead before getting completely run over by the Orange and losing 73-56. In their second meeting, Feb. 18, Syracuse came out strong and held a 44-31 lead at the half before the Hoyas made a second half run that fell four point short, 75-71.
But this meeting was most important, with the Big East championship on the line and the NCAA tournament selection committee considering seedings.
It was the second-straight strong showing for Georgetown, which crushed South Florida 69-49 Wednesday afternoon. The Hoyas will play Marquette, which upset No. 10 Villanova 80-76, on Friday.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC4 Washington
Posted Thursday, Mar 11, 2010 - 2:13 PM EST
