box score
audio - coach john thompson III, jessie sapp & jonathan wallace
audio - jessie sapp
audio - jonathan wallace

Georgetown set a school record and tied a Big East Tournament record with 17 made three point shots, and the Hoyas exploded for runs of 14-2 and 14-3 in the second half as they pulled away from Villanova for a 82-63 victory in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

West Virginia awaits Georgetown on Friday night in the tournament semi-finals.

With Roy Hibbert suffering through possibly the worst game of his collegiate career (zero points, four turnovers and five fouls in 14 minutes) the rest of Georgetown's lineup more than made up for the absence of their 7'2" center. "To say Roy had a rough time getting in a rhythm would be an understatement," observed Georgetown head coach John Thompson III. "The nature of our team is – when any particular guy is struggling we have other people who can step up and our team is confident in everyone."

Jessie Sapp knocked down six three pointers and scored a game-high 23 points. DaJuan Summers hit three times from outside on his way to 19. Jonathan Wallace scored 19 of his 20 points in the first half, connecting three times early from behind the arc as Georgetown opened up a quick 12-4 lead.

The return of freshman guard Chris Wright took the pressure off of Georgetown's starting backcourt to both distribute and score. Wright made his return after missing the prior 18 games with an injured right foot, seeing his first action with 13:41 left in the first half.

"It was nice having Chris back. Ol' Lumpy," joked Wallace within earshot of his embarrassed teammate in the Georgetown locker room. "He came out and provided a lot of energy."

"I always feel that Chris Wright is going to make me a better basketball player," added Sapp. "He was aggressive. He got me started with my shots [today]. It was good to see him running around, like coach said. When he was out there, he was the spark that we needed."

Georgetown led 14-10 after a made three point shot by Villanova's Scottie Reynolds. Wright immediately picked up an assist as he drove into the lane and kicked out to Sapp waiting outside. Jeremiah Rivers was the next Hoya to penetrate, again finding Sapp for his second straight trifecta.

Anotnio Pena put back his own miss to draw the Wildcats within 11, but Wright found Wallace with the shot clock running low for an NBA-distance three that made the score 23-12.

The Georgetown lead reached a game-high 15 when Wright gathered a long outlet pass from Patrick Ewing, Jr. and sized up an open three of his own before the Villanova defense could track him down.

At the other end of the floor Wallace was whistled for a foul that the entire Georgetown bench took exception with. With play frozen, Ewing was flagged for a technical as he threw the ball in the air. Corey Stokes hit both of the technical free throws and Corey Fisher made both sides of his free throw attempts. Villanova had cut four points off the lead with no time cut off the clock.

The Wildcats trailed by the same margin at the break as Antonio Pena converted one of two free throws with two seconds to go.

Wallace made his first seven shots of the game, five from downtown. As a team, Georgetown was 10-17 from deep (58.8%) in the opening frame.

To start the second half, Villanova scored 11 straight to even the scoreboard at 40. Dwayne Anderson's three in transition widdled the Georgetown lead down to six as John Thompson III called time out with 17:45 to go. Scottie Reynolds' triple following DaJuan Summers stepping out of bounds driving baseline for Georgetown took the Hoya lead down to three.

The Wildcat momentum continued on the defensive end, as Hibbert was whistled for his fourth personal foul, pushing off trying to create space in the post.

Villanova's Antonio Pena missed a dunk, but Dwayne Anderson gathered the rebound and scored while being fouled by Summers. The free throw tied the score for the first time since the opening tip.

Chris Wright used a Ewing screen to make room for a three that gave Georgetown a short-lived lead. Anderson answered outside 20 seconds later.

The Wildcats extended their lead to 47-43 with 12:53 on the clock on a Pena putback.

The Villanova run did not phase Georgetown. "We stuck together, as we do. That's what we do," stated Thompson reflecting on this stretch of the game.

DaJuan Summers was the first Hoya to go to the free throw line, fouled going up with a Wright pass as the ball trickled off the iron. Georgetown trailed by two after Summers' two conversions.

Ewing rebounded a Stokes miss, fired an outlet to Wright who left the ball to a trailing Ewing down the lane for a two-handed throwdown while being fouled by Dante Cunningham.

The lead swung back to Villanova as Stokes connected from deep behind the line.

Back came Georgetown. That's what they do.

Ewing bounced a backdoor between two Wildcat defenders as Saap cut down the paint and scored while bodied by Shane Clark.

Wallace, replacing Wright on the floor, directed a play with a spin dribble, passing to Sapp in rhythm for a three from right in front of the Georgetown bench.

A lob cut from Sapp to Summers was laid in to take the lead up to six.

Villanova called time, but Georgetown was no less relentless when play resumed. That's what they do.

Sapp tossed in his fifth three from the left wing to make the score 59-50 Hoyas.

Georgetown was up by eight and had possession with five minutes remaining. As Villanova settled into a 1-2-2 press, the Hoyas went over the top, as Ewing passed up a contested shot, instead choosing to patiently wait for Summers racing down the baseline for two off glass.

A Summers three point shot and Sapp's sixth trey made the lead 15 and Villanova called time again.

The Hoyas began to run possessions down until there were single digits on the shot clock, knowing they had withstood Villanova's best punch and responded with a knockout blow. That's what they do.

Summers finished off the final Georgetown offensive series of the afternoon with a two-handed dunk as he converted an Austin Freeman pass. "We were able to slowly, methodically pull away," said Thompson. "That's what we do."

Scottie Reynolds was the Villanova high scorer, totaling 13 points on 3-9 shooting. Reynolds had five of his team's 16 giveaways. Reynolds played most of the game with a sizable bandage above his right eye after being cut open on a drive. Reynolds left a trail of blood on the floor as he came out of the game to seek medical attention with 5:49 left in the first half.

Notes:

-Hibbert returned with 5:34 left in the game but fouled out 25 seconds later as he tangled with Cunningham on defense.

-Georgetown's 17 three pointers came in just 28 attempts (60.7%).

-Patrick Ewing Jr. had seven assists, grabbed nine rebounds and scored seven points.

-The Hoyas had assists 25 of their 28 field goals.

-Georgetown is now 45-21 in the Big East Tournament.