Georgetown 77, Xavier 80 Game Recap:
Saturday, Georgetown fell to Xavier in an early-season Big East matchup, 77-80.
Early on, it was clear Xavier focused on limiting sophomore center Julius Halaifonua on both ends of the floor.
Xavier had forward Tre Carroll, who is a bit undersized compared to Halaifonua, challenging him off the dribble early, as this was indicative of the different matchups the Bulldogs could throw at the Georgetown big.
You saw Carroll use his ability to attack using his athleticism, and also plenty of minutes for 7-footer Pape N’Diaye to match up with his size.
Overall, Halaifonua was still efficient from the field, shooting 7-of-9, but the different matchups and pressure forced him into three turnovers.
The increased attention also forced him to the line, where he shot 5-of-11, a trend that plagued the Hoyas all night.
The missed free-throw trend made itself relevant by halftime. Looking at the box score, while Georgetown held a 40–35 lead, rebounding was even between the two teams at the break.
Georgetown only had one more three-point shot at the half (4 to Xavier’s 3), and even turnovers were equal at six apiece.
Heading into the second half, the Hoyas were 8-of-15 from the line. Typically, when you see an even game with a high discrepancy of missed FTs, there’s not much room for error to lose any other statistical category in the next half.
In the second half, despite getting a bevy of scoring from Malik Mack, who had 14 of his team-high 21 points in the half as he crossed the 1,000-point threshold for his career, Georgetown ceded control of the game from the charity stripe and on the boards.
The Hoyas finished the game 25-of-43 from the free-throw line. As much as we can look at stats that decided the game, a below-average night from the line in what amounted to a one-possession loss is the story.
However, if there’s a silver lining, it’s that the Hoyas showed an aggressiveness to get to the line to shoot 43 times. Xavier coach Richard Pitino mentioned in his postgame press conference that the free-throw disparity was more of an example of his guys not being aggressive enough to “force the refs to make calls.”
Despite the issues, Georgetown still had a chance to win as Mack got a good look from three to close the game.
The Hoyas will look to bounce back from a frustrating game Monday night against Coppin State without coach Ed Cooley, who is serving a one-game suspension for throwing a water bottle postgame.
Cooley was extremely apologetic for his actions in the post-game presser, and a one-game suspension would put him back in action when the Hoyas take on 22nd-ranked St. John’s on New Year's Eve.
