Georgetown, Maryland and American all had home games as we get closer to the conference schedule. George Washington was on the road at Harvard. The Hoyas and Eagles would win while the Terps would fall to Seton Hall.
Georgetown 102 Arkansas Little-Rock 94 (OT)
The Hoyas got all they wanted from University of Arkansas Little-Rock. The 102-94 overtime win saw Hoyas freshman Mac McClung go for a career high 38 points. Not only did McClung have quite a few highlight moves but he also attempted 16 free throws (14 made). Coach Patrick Ewing started three freshmen (McClung, James Akinjo, Josh LeBlanc), a sophomore (Jamorko Pickett), and a senior (Jessie Govan). Senior Trey Mourning was in concussion protocol and didn’t dress.
It looked like the Hoyas were going to close the game out in regulation but a banked in three pointer at the buzzer by Little-Rock’s Ryan Pippins. It was the only basket he made from the field.
From the outset, the game was close. The Trojans is one of the few teams that attacked Georgetown in the paint. Nikola Maric would score 27 points and grab 8 rebounds before fouling out in overtime. When asked about attacking Govan, Coach Darrell Walker said “I just thought Nikola is just as good post player as Govan.” Fouls would eventually catch up with Govan. The Hoyas senior fouled out with 3:14 left.
Kaleb Johnson has largely become a forgotten man but he came up big today. Not only did he cover the bigger Maric, he also came up with several key rebounds. “Kaleb Johnson came off the bench and played his butt off,” said Ewing.
But the day belonged to McClung and fellow freshman, Akinjo (25 points, 7 assists). The two freshmen have impressed Ewing. “They’re playing extremely well. They’re growing every game.”
In the overtime, McClung took over scoring 10 of his 38 points in overtime. His four point play sealed the game in the extra period. When asked if he came out with an aggressive mentality, McClung said, “I just tried to stick to the game plan”.
The Hoyas don’t hit the court again until December 29th when they face Howard.
Seton Hall 78 Maryland 74
The Terps played a back and forth game with the Pirates before falling at the end. Seton Hall’s Myles Powell exploded for 27 points. Myles Cale chipped in with 23.
For Maryland, Bruno Fernando dominated the first half once Romaro Gill got in foul trouble. Seton Hall raced out to an early 11 point lead but when Gill went to the bench with two fouls, the Terps started finding success in the paint. Fernando would score 13 points and grab 6 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. He would finish with 19 and 10. “I thought Bruno was terrific, said Coach Mark Turgeon. Bruno was amazing.”
The second half went back and forth for the most part until the Pirates went on a run that put them up by six with 1:56 left. The Terps didn’t fold cutting the lead to 1 after a Cowan three pointer with :34 seconds left. But Seton Hall would close the game out at the free throw line and secured a big road win. “Points off turnovers and free throws were the difference in the game,” said Turgeon
With conference season approaching, Maryland has one non-conference game left in Radford.
“Today would have been an amazing win for our young team,” said Turgeon.
American 82 UMES 58
American broke a two game losing streak with an 82-58 victory over UMES. The win moved the Eagles to 6-4 on the season. Mark Gasperini missed his second straight game with strep throat. The Eagles would lead by as many as 27 points.
Four Eagles scored in double-digits led by Larry Motuzis’ 15. Sa’eed Nelson had 11 points and 11 assists.
For more information on today’s game, visit the @auhoopspodcast Postgame Wrap Up
Other Local Games:
Harvard 75 George Washington 61
VCU 70 Wichita State 54
Hampton 89 Howard 82
