LINKS: Moving Past Marymount Loss, Hoyas look at South Florida in Jamaica Classic

After the Georgetown Hoyas suffered their first loss to zone pressure and sloppy turf, Pat Ewing and the team look to save the Jamaica Classic weekend with a win facing the South Florida Bulls.

Marymount game links:

Loyola Marymount knocks off Georgetown in Jamaica, 65-52 | WASHINGTONPOST

Georgetown took a 26-21 lead at intermission, but the Lions opened the second half on a run. Erik Johansson hit a 3-pointer and Batemon followed with a layup to tie the game at 26-26 and spark a 12-0 run. Mattias Markusson’s dunk with 5:22 left pushed the lead to 15.

Loyola Marymount (4-0) shot 19 of 55 from the field (34.5 percent), including 5 of 20 from distance, but did much of its damage from the free-throw line, where it converted 22 of 25 attempts. Batemon, who has led the Lions in scoring in all four games, was a perfect 13-for-13 shooting from the line. Markusson added nine points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Jessie Govan finished with 20 points to lead the Hoyas (3-1). Josh LeBlanc added 12 points.

Men’s basketball falls to LMU in Jamaica | GEORGETOWNVOICE

After a tightly contested start with seven lead changes, the Hoyas built a 26-21 halftime lead with a 6-1 run in the final three minutes of the first half. The first half of play featured a defensive showdown, as both teams shot under 40 percent, and they combined for 12 turnovers. LMU dominated in the early minutes of the second half with an 15-2 run, taking a 36-28 lead.

After the under-16 media timeout, the Hoyas bounced back, bringing the game within four points with 14 minutes to play. After that, however, it went downhill for the Blue and Gray, as the Lions went on a 16-7 run, bringing the score to 54-39 with 5:22 to go.

Georgetown Falls to Loyola Marymount, 65-52 | BIGEASTCOASTBIAS

But the Blue & Gray’s fortune quickly dried up in the second half. Loyola Marymount tied the game in just over a minute of game time before taking the lead at the 17:09 mark. Batemon spearheaded the Lions’ strong second half, scoring nine consecutive points within three minutes to break the game open.

On the defensive end, the Lions implemented a 2-3 matchup zone, which exasperated the Hoyas’ offensive struggles by forcing turnovers and contested shots. The Hoyas turned the ball over 10 times in the half, and James Akinjo made the team’s first 3-pointer of the game with just 4:14 remaining.

CBB Sharp Report: Loyola Marymount-Georgetown Attracting Wiseguy Action | ACTION NETWORK (prediction)

Pro bettors are getting down on three Friday college basketball games, headlined by Loyola Marymount-Georgetown (7 p.m. ET). Sharps are also betting Towson-Pepperdine (8 p.m. ET) and Oakland-UNLV (10 p.m. ET).

Professional bettors are always looking for an edge. When it comes to college hoops, one of the best kept sharp secrets is betting unders in neutral court games. The unfamiliar rims, backboards and “road” games for both sides have historically led to lower-scoring games. Since 2005, neutral court unders have hit at a 53.6% clip with +108.48 units won.

South Florida pregame links:

First-half run propels South Florida to 73-46 win over Ohio | BOSTON25NEWS

Yetna was 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Michael Durr added 10 points and Laquincy Rideau had six points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals for USF (3-0).

After making their first two shots and taking a 4-0 lead, the Bulls missed eight consecutive field goal attempts and Teyvion Kirk’s steal and layup gave Ohio a 12-7 lead midway through the first half. Brown answered with a 3-pointer that sparked the decisive run during which the Bobcats committed five turnovers, shot just 1 of 15 from the field and sandwiched scoring droughts of nearly three and five-plus minutes around a free throw by Gavin Block...

Overall, Ohio hit just 2 of 25 from behind the arc.

USF Men’s Basketball Annihilates Ohio University 73-46 in the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic | THEDAILYSTAMPEDE

With 11:32 left in the first half, the Bobcats led 12-7. Over the next seven minutes, and 50 seconds, the Bulls went on a 20-1 run to bust the game wide open.

USF’s lead ballooned to 29 during the second half as they cruised to the finish line. Ten different Bulls scored and 13 players saw action.

USF held Ohio to just 22% shooting in the first half, and the Bobcats missed all 12 three-point attempts in the opening half. Ohio went 1-of-17 during a stretch in the first half that saw them go from up five to down 20 early in the second half.

USF Men’s Basketball Gores Alabama A&M 80-63 | THEDAILYSTAMPEDE

USF men’s basketball got a season-opening win Tuesday night with an 80-63 victory over Alabama A&M inside the newly-named Yuengling Center. “We didn’t lose our poise,” head coach Brian Gregory said after the Bulls briefly let A&M take a 41-40 early in the second half. “Games are gonna be tough. We’re a work-in-progress.”

Sophomore guards David Collins (17 points) and Justin Brown 16 points) helped pace the Bulls on a night where seven players made their USF debut.

Bulls Begin Season Two Under Gregory at Home Tuesday Night | GOUSFBULLS

Gregory’s Bulls will hit the court after topping the University of Tampa, 80-52, in an exhibition test at the Yuengling Center on Oct. 30. Sophomore Justin Brown (Birmingham, Ala.) and senior T.J. Lang (Mobile, Ala.) each scored 15 points and combined to make seven of USF’s 10 three-pointers. Freshman forward Michael Durr (Atlanta, Ga.) also showcased his skills with 11 points, four rebounds and five of the Bulls’ nine blocks.

Brown, sophomore David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) and 7-foot-2 senior center Nikola Scekic (Serbia) all return after helping the Bulls post the program’s first double-digit win season since 2013-14. USF ended the 2017-18 regular season with victories over Memphis and SMU before Collins poured in career-high 30 points during the Bulls’ two-point loss to Memphis in the first round of the conference tournament.

THROWBACK (2011) - No. 9 Georgetown Travels to South Florida for BIG EAST Game Saturday Night | GUHOYAS

The trio of Hoya guards - Freeman, Wright and Clark - have combined to average 43.6 points per game and accounted for 59 percent of Georgetown’s scoring (1,133 points of 1,935 total).

Georgetown leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage and ranks second nationally, connecting on 49.7 percent from the floor.

The Hoyas are third in the league in three-point field goal percentage and 43rd in the country, hitting 37.9 percent from long distance. GU is also 18th in the country in assists per game (16.2).