A win most foul: Georgetown turns back UNC Wilmington, 87-82
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Version 0 of 1. Georgetown didn’t so much defeat North Carolina Wilmington in Saturday’s BB&T Classic as it did survive the Seahawks and the flurry of fouls that accompanied them. The Hoyas earned a rugged 87-82 victory before 8,132 at Verizon Center, fending off UNC Wilmington’s rally in the final eight minutes thanks in part to a thunderous dunk from L.J. Peak out of a timeout in the final minute. Georgetown (6-3) led by 25 before the Seahawks pared the deficit to three in the final minute. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera had a game-high 27 points for the Hoyas, who have won five in a row to start a seven-game homestand but were not enthused with how they closed out the game. “When we shared the ball, we got really good shots,” Coach John Thompson III said. “When the guys started hunting for their shots, we didn’t.” Freshman Marcus Derrickson, a two-time All-Met at Paul VI, had a career-high 15 points for Georgetown, and sophomore Isaac Copeland added 10. It was the first of the loss of the season for the Seahawks (5-1), who entered as one of 10 undefeated teams left in Division I but had yet to face a major-conference opponent. Chris Flemmings had a team-high 16 points for UNC Wilmington. “In the first half, they did a great job. They made shots,” UNC Wilmington Coach Kevin Keatts said. “I thought D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera was very good, he got to the free throw line, he ran the team and did some stuff and we were back on our heels. In the second half, I think we started believing once we made some shots.” Georgetown led 73-48 with eight minutes remaining, having withstood the pressure defense that has defined the Seahawks in two seasons under Keatts. But the Hoyas frittered away nearly all of that advantage with breakdowns at both ends of the floor. UNC Wilmington’s initial push came on offense as it gradually whittled the Georgetown lead down to 78-64 entering the final television timeout. That it happened during a whistle-filled stretch was hardly a surprise; there were a combined 55 fouls and 75 free throw attempts in the disjointed contest. But the Seahawks also started to find success from the outside as well. “We can’t be nonchalant, especially defensively,” Smith-Rivera said. “They were getting too comfortable. They were getting a lot of shots that were in rhythm and they felt would go in.” The Seahawks made enough shots to eventually find success with their press, forcing five turnovers in the final four minutes. They eventually closed within 81-78 with 50.7 seconds remaining, and Georgetown milked the clock. After a timeout late in the possession, Peak took the inbound pass and delivered an emphatic slam with 22.8 seconds remaining to provide a five-point cushion. Smith-Rivera and Tre Campbell combined to make four free throws in the final moments. But it didn’t erase the sloppiness that defined Georgetown’s attempt to wrap up the victory. “Our decisions, both offensively and defensively, were not good,” Thompson said. “We’re never going to hold the ball, but you’re playing the clock and much as you’re playing the opponent at a certain point, and we had too many poor decisions. One pass, shot. Two passes, shot. You beat the press, you try to go running in there and it ends up in a turnover.” The win served as a reminder of how much growth Georgetown still requires — especially with a Monmouth team in possession of name-brand victories over Notre Dame and UCLA coming to Verizon on Tuesday. |