LINKS: Hoyas Hold off Hot Liberty Flames

Have we had enough puns regarding the Georgetown Hoyas beating the Liberty Flames?

I think so. Here are the links:

Govan, Georgetown beat Liberty 88-78 | USATODAY

Freshman James Akinjo scored 19 points, Jessie Govan had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Georgetown beat Liberty 88-78 on Monday night Georgetown made 53 percent of its shots, including 11 of 18 from 3-point range, against a Liberty team ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense at 56.1 points per game.

Freshman Mac McClung added 12 points for Georgetown (7-1), which closed out a three-game homestand to remain perfect at home. The Hoyas were 19 of 29 at the free-throw line compared to Liberty’s five attempts.

Men’s Basketball Uses Second Half Run to Overcome Liberty | GEORGETOWNVOICE

Whatever coach Patrick Ewing told his team during halftime worked, as the team quickly went on an 18-2 run which put the game out of reach early. Akinjo, especially, came out of halftime ready to take the game to Liberty. “I thought he was trying to be aggressive, trying to get to the basket,” head coach Patrick Ewing said. However, the whole team made a concerted effort to be more prepared to play.

“We started playing together, moving the ball,” Govan said. “Instead of getting the first shot, we took the best shot.” The game was not over just yet, as Liberty never gave up and continued to play hard into the waning moments. With 1:30 left in the game, the Flames cut the lead to 10, but they would get no closer, making the final score 88-78. Besides excellent performances from Akinjo and Govan, McClung finished the game with 12 points, and reserves Blair and sophomore guard Jamorko Pickett had nine apiece. For Liberty, Scottie James added 18 points.

Bullet, Dodged: Georgetown Beats Liberty, 88-78 | CASUALHOYA

Liberty attempted to overcome its size disadvantage by doubling the Hoyas in the post and putting a third defender in the lane to clog passing lanes. To some degree, the Flames were successful, forcing 19 Georgetown turnovers.

Fortunately, just as often, overcommitting to the strong side of the floor left the Hoyas clear driving lines and open looks from three, where the Hoyas connected on 11 of 18 tries. That scoring wealth was spread around. Six Hoyas scored at least nine points, a figure that was matched by Blair as well as Jamorko Pickett, who also kicked in 5 rebounds and 5 assists. For both sophomores, it was somewhat it was a reemergence, with Blair returning from a one-game benching and Pickett coming off the pine. Pickett’s play was particularly welcome, with the bulk of his contributions coming inside the arc, beyond which he’s spent too much time lingering early this season.

Georgetown takes care of the ball — and Liberty — with a second-half rally | WASHINGTONPOST

Liberty (7-2), which got 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting from forward Scottie James, owned a 23-9 margin in points off turnovers, with 15 of those in the first half. But the Hoyas used their considerable advantage in size and length in the frontcourt to finish plus-11 on second-chance points. They also had a 44-26 rebounding edge, heeding Ewing’s message shouted multiple times from the bench during the second half. Not even regularly sending double-teams at Govan, Trey Mourning and other Hoyas post players yielded much in the way of positive outcomes for Liberty, which ended at an 11-7 deficit on the offensive glass and attempted five free throws to 29 for Georgetown.

Georgetown second-half surge leads Hoyas past Liberty | AUGUSTAFREEPRESS

Georgetown controlled the glass all night, outrebounding the Flames 44-26. James Akinjo led the way for the Hoyas in the second half, scoring 14 points during the final 20 minutes.

“Give credit to Georgetown tonight, I thought they played really well,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. “Despite the score in the first half, we knew that we didn’t play well. What surprised me was we wilted a little in the second half and that is my job to make sure we have the toughness to endure situations like that. I knew it was going to be hard with five games in 11 days, but I want to schedule games like this because that will prepare us for conference play.”

Georgetown Rolls to Victory Over Liberty, 88-78. | BIGEASTCOASTBIAS

The Hoyas played well after the intermission. Akinjo led the pack, scoring 10 points in a four-minute stretch to catalyze an 18-2 Georgetown run. LeBlanc’s layup with 9:39 remaining capped the run and provided the Hoyas with their largest lead of the night at 23 points. The Flames would not be extinguished easily, however. Darius McGhee hit three three-pointers in the final eight minutes as Liberty would climb to within 10, but the team was unable to mount a serious comeback effort.

As coach of Georgetown’s men’s basketball team, Patrick Ewing is always thinking big | WASHINGTONPOST

Georgetown is a great place, a great academic and athletic institution. So that’s what I try to sell. This is a place where I felt like I came in a boy and left a man. Was given the opportunity to grow and blossom into the person I am today. Everybody wants to get to the NBA. But unfortunately, there’s 30 teams, two rounds of drafts, and people trying to get in from China, Africa, Canada. Only 60 people are going to really have the opportunity. So you always have to have a backup plan. And a Georgetown degree will open a lot of doors. So for the ones who are here, you develop them, teach them and educate them to be the best player and person you can. If you look at the teams that win in the NCAA, the majority have guys who have been around for a while and learned how to play together as a team.

Go to the games.

Note: Syracuse game is, in fact in the Carrier Dome. Sorry for the confusion.