Your Georgetown Hoyas hosted the St. Peter’s Peacocks this afternoon at the historic McDonough Gymnasium and earned a highly charged victory over the visitors from the Garden State, 76-68. Julius Halaifonua was a bright spot, dropping 22 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in a game that should never have been this close. Jeremiah Williams had 6 points in OT and played all five minutes.
After three straight road losses, Georgetown was favored in this one, a welcome change from last weekend’s rough experience in North Carolina. They were still without Vince Iwuchukwu, and DeShawn Harris-Smith was also absent from the team as he dealt with a personal matter.
Isaiah Abraham opened the scoring with a corner kick; KJ Lewis got to the line and connected not long after.
Halaifonua looked off balance early in the attack, but was an effective disruptor in defence. Caleb Williams also scored a triple on Lewis’ smooth extra pass. Georgetown was able to run their offense while St. Peter’s struggled to get their only two early buckets. At the first media break it was 10-4 Hoyas.
A Malik Mack cutting Lewis alley-oop on the baseline was a surprise, more Kenner League than we expect to see in the regular season (free).
Mack followed that up by hitting one from well beyond the arc, and Williams did the same from the corner, giving Georgetown an early double-digit lead.
Halaifonua finally found his footing and knocked down a dunk after receiving a well-aimed pass from Kayvaun Mulready. While the Hoyas delivered a balanced offensive performance, all but one of St. Peter’s points came from Bryce Eaton.
The Peacocks’ defensive adjustments, a pair of failed finishing attempts from Georgetown and a highly questionable offensive foul were later committed against C. Williams… and the home team went more than five minutes without a field goal. Langston Love ended that stretch with a basket that put the Hoyas up 25-17 with just under four minutes left in the half.
Jeremiah Williams finished via (foul-worthy) contact after a Lewis steal to freshen the 8-point lead. Jayden Fort had an excellent block on a three-pointer, and it was encouraging to see a fan’s spirited double bird salute on the off-the-ball whistle in the same sequence.
Mulready was called for a foul when a Peacock tripped over his own feet, and it seems Ed Cooley would have been happy to offer the aforementioned hand gesture to the officiating crew. Georgetown took a 31-24 lead into the break.
Halaifonua and C. Williams both hit hard hook shots to start the vespers half (a name especially apt given the unusual 2:30 tip-off). A couple of unfortunate misses from the Hoyas and a stronger rebound from St. Peter’s briefly opened the door, cutting the Georgetown lead to four points around the fourteen-minute mark.
Soon after, a basket and a pair of free throws from Halaifonua doubled the lead back to eight, and Fort added another bucket. Both Lewis and Mack had committed three fouls at that point and they took a few risk-mitigating minutes on the bench.
Fort, J. Williams and Halaifonua all put in solid minutes and found the basket during this stretch, protecting the Hoyas’ fortunes and a 52-42 U8 lead.
A few missed rebounds by Georgetown caused some upset, but the Peacocks’ scoring woes evened that out… for a while.
Three unanswered field goals by St. Peter’s once again brought the Peacocks within four minutes with 2:47 remaining.
A save jumper from Halaifonua and a pair of free throws from St. Peter’s kept the status quo going. An uncharacteristic turnover by Lewis forced a foul, and Eaton’s free throws cut the Hoyas’ lead to two. A Mack turnover and the immediate foul gave the Peacocks an opportunity and the score was tied, 60-60.
Another Hoyas turnover gave St. Peter’s the ball back with the shot clock out. The Peacocks missed buzzer three and it was headed to overtime.
The Hoyas scored first in overtime.
St. Peter’s failed to convert, with Abraham simply refusing to give up the rebound on the ensuing possession. He missed the line, but Halaifonua kept him alive and got the bucket. Peacocks emerged empty again.
J. Williams finished via contact for the basket and 1 (converted). It was 67-60 Hoyas with 2:35 left in OT.
St. Peter’s was back within 5 when a long inbound pass from Abraham to Mack resulted in a turnover. Fortunately, C. Williams authoritatively corralled the Peacocks’ miss and was fouled, making both.
Halaifonua grabbed the long rebound after the Peacocks’ errant three-point attempt, and J. Williams got the layup. 73-64 Hoyas, with 43 seconds left.
In the end, Georgetown did not lose and the score was 76-68. They shouldn’t have lost their 12-point lead, but at least they didn’t lose the game.
Next up, BIG EAST play begins as the Hoyas take on Marquette at 8:30 PM on 12/17, airing on FS1. Hoya Saxa.
#OVERTIME #Georgetown #outlasts #Peters #win