In the larger perspective of a 28-game season, Georgetown's 66-53 victory over Penn State likely will be remembered merely for what it was -- a win. But it was much more for Hoyas Coach John Thompson III and his players.
Last night at MCI Center before 6,127, this young Georgetown team made significant progress in its development by demonstrating unexpected maturity as it withstood a furious second-half rally by the Nittany Lions.
Georgetown's Brandon Bowman backs off Penn State's Danny Morrissey, who loses the ball.
(Toni L. Sandys - The Washington Post)
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"This is a big win for this team," Thompson said. "It's a big win because of how we won. . . . We could have caved in. We could have given in and said, 'Okay, here we go.' . . . It was the way our guys responded when they made a run at us -- they made a big run at us -- and we found a way to gather ourselves and rally and not just hold on, but we stretched [the lead] out again and then held them off at the end."
Brandon Bowman scored 28 points to lead the Hoyas (3-1) to their third consecutive victory. Freshman Jeff Green added 18 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks for his first double-double. Marlon Smith finished with 14 points for Penn State (5-3), which had won four straight.
Starting where it left off against Davidson, Georgetown opened the game by sinking back-to-back three-point baskets. The Hoyas, who made a school-record 16 three-pointers in their last game, had three field goals from behind the arc in the first six minutes. By the time Jonathan Wallace made his three-pointer, Georgetown had a 17-0 lead.
"Early on, a lot of things went well on both ends of the floor," Thompson said. "As it turned out, I'm glad that that happened."
Penn State finally got on the scoreboard when Aaron Johnson made a three-point basket from the top of the key. The Nittany Lions' scoring woes had much to do with sloppy ballhandling. Although it missed its first six shots, Penn State also turned the ball over on its first four possessions. The Nittany Lions had eight turnovers -- three of which were steals by Bowman -- on their first 10 possessions.
"We were very sloppy, very lethargic on offense," Penn State Coach Ed DeChellis said. "Nothing was crisp."
Georgetown's torrid shooting cooled over the next few minutes as the Hoyas missed their next eight shots. They were getting the shots they wanted, but the ball refused to fall through the net. Jump shots rattled around the rim and popped out. Layups bounced away in all directions. Georgetown did not make a field goal the final three minutes of the first half.
"I think maybe we got a little bit complacent as much as we didn't want to," Bowman said. "It happens."
Penn State capitalized on Georgetown's ineffective shooting by going on a 9-5 run to go into halftime trailing 31-21. The Nittany Lions headed into the break with more turnovers (12) than field goals (five).
Georgetown switched tactics in the second half, pounding away inside rather than shooting from the perimeter. The Hoyas went 4 of 14 from behind the arc in the first half then attempted only eight three-pointers after halftime, making two. Green opened the second half by scoring five consecutive points.
"Everyone was getting antsy," Thompson said. "It's early in the year. We have a young team. They make a run at us, and everyone got a little tight and started aiming their shots instead of just shooting. . . . We wanted to put the ball in Jeff's hands and let him make the decisions in terms of whether he had something or threw it to one of his teammates."
It may seem odd to place that much responsibility on a freshman, but Green rewarded his coach's faith with a strong performance. He scored in double figures for the second straight game, tied his season-high rebound total and had more blocks in one game than he had in the first three games combined.
"He is a heck of a player," Bowman said. "I'm so glad we got him because he's a type of player that rebounds, goes hard all the time, plays defense, blocks shots and will get you buckets down low when you need them."
Penn State, which had been chipping slowly away at Georgetown's lead, came within three on a smart play by Smith. Smith stole the ball from Darrel Owens then raced down the court for a layup. He didn't convert the basket, but Ashanti Cook was called for an intentional foul. Smith made 1 of 2 foul shots to cut Georgetown's lead to 42-39 with 11 minutes 45 seconds remaining. Many of the Nittany Lions fans, who sat in stunned silence for most of the first half, rose out of their seats and began chanting "We are Penn State."
Their cheers seemed to jolt Georgetown out of its funk. The Hoyas went on an 11-3 run to extend their lead to 53-42. From there, Penn State never threatened again.
