HOYAS WATCH LEAD, NCAA DREAMS EVAPORATE IN LOSS

March 4, 2009


Even with their win over Villanova last weekend, an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament was a severe longshot for Georgetown. The Hoyas still might have had a chance with factors such as the #1 rated schedule in the country, road wins against UConn and 'Nova and a little momentum with expected wins over St. John's and DePaul heading into the 2009 Big East Tournament where anything could happen if the Hoyas picked off another win or two, which wouldn't have been that unheard of.

Instead, In the End, Hoyas Just Fade Away (Washington Post), blowing a 15-point second half lead as St. John's Rallies, Forces OT and Tops Georgetown (Newsday), 59-56, in front of nearly 10,000 fans at Madison Square Garden.

The Hoyas led 45-30 with 10:42 left in regulation before the Storm embarked on their comeback. Georgetown looked like they were going to run over SJU, racing away from a two-point lead at the half, 31-29, with an early run as the Redstorm seemed like they could not get out of their own way. The 21-6 run was completed with a pair of Rob Thomas free throws with 2.3 seconds left to force overtime.

The St. John's Comeback Stuns Georgetown (SNY.tv) and a Justin Burrell dunk with 10 seconds remianing in OT provided the final score as a DaJuan Summers desperation three-pointer was off the mark.

The Hoyas played without starting small forward Austin Freeman who suffered a hip-pointer in practice Monday. However, the major problem again was toughness as St. John's dominated Georgetown on the class, outrebounding the Hoyas 46-25.

Greg Monroe had a agme-high 18 for Georgetown. It was the Hoyas' 10th loss in their last 13 games and is likely to send the Hoyas, who were once ranked in the top 10 in the country, onto the NIT.