Georgetown puts game out of reach in first half The message imparted by coach John Thompson III during a timeout 37 seconds into the second half of Georgetown’s season-opener on Saturday resonated two days later. Extra effort and energy was the difference between letting a lesser opponent stay in a game and putting it quickly out of reach.
With that in mind, Georgetown never allowed UNC Greensboro to get comfortable Monday, forcing eight turnovers in the first nine minutes, taking a 25-point lead into halftime and cruising to an 86-45 victory.
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Nate Lubick twice crashed into open chairs along the Verizon Center court sideline sprawling for loose balls. Jason Clark ripped possessions away from his adversaries, making three first-half steals. And Thompson had plenty of time to experiment more with his freshmen, leaving all four of his healthy ones on the floor for good minutes. Otto Porter, Greg Whittington and Mikael Hopkins all grabbed at least four rebounds.
Hollis Thompson (19 points) paced Georgetown’s scoring effort, hitting the first of five 3-pointers on six attempts off a feed from Henry Sims (eight points, seven rebounds) to start the Hoyas’ game-opening 7-0 run. His second 3 pushed Georgetown’s lead to double-digits at 12-2, and his third forced Spartans coach Mike Dement to call a timeout with his team down 24-8 and more than eight minutes left to play in the first half. The Hoyas (2-0) led at the break 41-16, with the Spartans (0-2) avoiding setting a record for fewest points in a first half by a Georgetown opponent by three.
With his lengthy, athletic teammates flying around on the defense and the boards, Clark pushed his offensive game, scoring 17 points in the first half but needing 17 shots to get there. Markel Starks came alive in a second half that took on the feel of a scrimmage, adding a career-high 11 points. Georgetown’s fifth freshman, center Tyler Adams, also made his season debut, though his limp was evidence of a recently sprained ankle.
The contest technically opened the Maui Invitational in Hawaii, where the Hoyas will play No. 12 Kansas in the first of three games next week. The Spartans will play in the tournament’s other four-team regional event at Middle Tennessee.
