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Hoyas and Terps: Far From Home, Far Apart
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"He has played against good defenses before," Williams said of Vasquez. "We weren't able to get him shots, to get him scoring. I really don't know why he struggled so much. He just didn't seem to have his usual quickness."
Maryland proved rudderless without him. Only one starter scored in double figures for the Terrapins -- Eric Hayes, whose 11 points were matched by sub Adrian Bowie.
Maryland shot 31.6 percent and hit just three of its 18 attempts from three-point range.
The final score would have been more lopsided had Georgetown Coach John Thompson III not turned to backups Omar Wattad and Julian Vaughn, as well as freshmen Henry Sims and Jason Clark, in the second half.
Austin Freeman, a sophomore guard from Mitchellville, led the Hoyas with 18 points and six rebounds. Also in double figures: DaJuan Summers (14 points), freshman center Greg Monroe (12 points, six rebounds) and Sapp (10 points).
"The stars just aligned themselves well for us," said Thompson, as if serendipity rather than across-the-board superiority had determined the outcome.
But Georgetown's strong defensive showing was particularly encouraging given the 90 points it surrendered in Friday's loss to No. 12 Tennessee.
Sunday's game offered contrast in styles, pitting Georgetown's imposing front court against Maryland's vaunted speed and tenacity from the perimeter.
While the Hoyas took a step forward by nearly every statistical measure following the Tennessee loss (they won the battle of the boards, 35-24, and reduced their turnovers), Maryland regressed during the four-day tournament.
The unranked Terrapins were the story of the opening round, toppling fifth-ranked Michigan State to send notice that they were a team to be reckoned with, brandishing quickness, intensity and shooting prowess to compensate for any deficiency in size.
But they were manhandled by ninth-ranked Gonzaga. And against 21st-ranked Georgetown -- a cross-town rival that should have had their competitive juices flowing -- they turned in an error-prone effort on offense and made a half-hearted stab at defense.
Said Thompson: "I feel like our team improved this week. We learned a few lessons from that Tennessee game and a few from this game. We were better today than we were the other day."
