box score
audio - coach john thompson, jeff green, dajuan summers & patrick ewing jr
audio - jonathan wallace
Jonathan Wallace tracked down the loose ball as it was heading out-of-bounds and hurled it towards the rafters. By the time gravity brought it back down near center court the final buzzer had sounded and Georgetown was advancing to the Big East Tournament championship game. The Hoyas and Notre Dame gave a sold out Saturday night Madison Square Garden crowd a treat, Georgetown coming out on top 84-82.
Behind Jeff Green's critic-silencing 30 points and 12 rebounds, Georgetown rallied from a 14 point first half deficit. Green scored on a hook shot and was fouled with thirteen seconds to play, providing the Hoyas with a lead that would survive an open three point shot by Notre Dame's Russell Carter with six ticks on the clock.
The Hoyas did a good job of sticking with their stuff as Notre Dame tossed in eight three point shots in the first half. Georgetown never lost composure, making defensive adjustments and knowing that the law of averages would not allow the Fighting Irish to shoot this well all game. Notre Dame was 2-14 from behind the arc after starting 8-12.
Patrick Ewing Jr. had 15 points in 28 minutes off the bench, including six straight to open the second half as the Hoyas took their first lead of the night, a short-lived 50-49 advantage. Freshman DaJuan Summers tallied 18 and Jon Wallace recorded 10 points along with a game-high 5 assists.
Notre Dame grabbed a remarkable 24 offensive rebounds in defeat.
For the second consecutive postgame press conference Coach John Thompson's opening statement was not a word but the same sound - "whew."
princetonbasketball.com will be back courtside at MSG later tonight as Georgetown goes for their first Big East Tournament title in 18 years and we'll be in the locker rooms after the game for more exclusive postgame interview audio.
