View from the Student Section: Hoyas Exorcise Late Game Demons

After tearing our hearts out four times in less than three weeks, Georgetown returned to winning form for the first time since January 20th with a thrilling 83-80 victory against Seton Hall. After building a lead as large as 17 points early in the second half, the Hoyas held off a furious charge from the Pirates to move to 14-10 (4-9) in Patrick Ewing’s maiden voyage as head coach. Marcus Derrickson put together one of the best games of his career as a Hoya, scoring 22 points, grabbing 18 rebounds, and draining this game winner.

Derrickson was certainly the star, but he was backed by another strong performance from Jamorko Pickett, who poured in 18 points and made a great effort to harass Myles Powell on his potential game-tying three-pointer as time expired. He also emasculated Khadeen Carrington earlier on in the afternoon.

Trey Dickerson and Jagan Mosely also played important supporting roles against the Hall, with Dickerson being trusted with late game ball-handling duties and Mosely delivering the game-winning assist and drawing two offensive fouls to increase his nation-leading total*. A great crowd was on hand to witness the Hoyas’ victory. Results notwithstanding, we’ve been treated to a lot of exciting games both at home and on the road this year, but Saturday’s game was as loud as I’ve heard a Georgetown game this season. The early onslaught that led to Georgetown playing their best half of the season combined with late-game heroics and back-and-forth play in-between created a fun, tense atmosphere. Pandemonium ensued when Derrickson’s prayer went in and fans were finally able to breath when Powell’s look just missed as the buzzer sounded.

I admittedly was very concerned about the prospects of Georgetown’s season following the DePaul loss. With a daunting three-game road trip kicking off the Hoyas’ toughest stretch of the season, it seemed unlikely to me that a team that occasionally struggled against the likes of Howard and North Carolina A&T could put up much of a fight against the likes of Creighton and Xavier. However, the past few weeks have been a pleasant surprise. Though having another win or two would be much more satisfying, the improvement in this year’s team is undeniable. Georgetown heads to Indianapolis on Tuesday night in an attempt to avenge December’s home loss to Butler. The Bulldogs look to be headed to their fourth straight NCAA Tournament next month, but the Hoyas have proven that they can compete with strong opposition. I see no reason why Georgetown can’t give Butler trouble, especially coming off of a win that put many of the demons haunting this team to rest.

*I have no idea if Mosely actually leads the country in charges drawn, but it sure seems like he does!