Story By: Sol Tucker
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
Not only did Ed Cooley get his 350th victory as Head Coach tonight, but he also got another solid second half effort from his Hoyas to lead them to an 86-62 victory over UMBC.
Thomas Sorber, graduate guard Micah Peavy, junior guard Jayden Epps and sophomore guard Malik Mack, found themselves struggling early to the Retrievers and were down 12-9 behind strong shooting from long range. Coming in as the 21st best three-point shooting team in the country at 39.4%, UMBC got going from distance early, nailing 3-6 in the early stages. After that point it was mostly Hoyas controlling the offense but not without some struggles of their own.
After falling behind again at 17-11, the Hoyas woke up behind Sorber and Epps and Georgetown went on a 21-4 run to take a commanding 32-21 lead going into the final minutes of the half.
Starting off the second half, UMBC struggled again just as they did during the first half run by the Hoyas and by 7:30 mark in the second half, Georgetown rode a 6-minute 19-4 run to a 70-47 lead and held UMBC to 28.8% shooting (6-21) for most of that period.
After 5 more missed attempts from long range by UMBC it was all but over for the night for a team that came in with hope of giving the Hoyas a challenge found no way to stop the defense in the second half.
“I thought today tested us, not so much from a physical standpoint, but from a fundamental defensive standpoint. There wasn’t a lot of set play, so we had to stick to our fundamental principles. I️ thought in three-consecutive games that we got better defensively. Obviously, the competition is going to change, and we systematically scheduled this way to build confidence, continuity and chemistry. A lot of players feel what it is like to win, and that’s something that hopefully we’ll have some carryover as we now get ready to head on the road for the first time. The level of play will step up ten-fold. We’re excited about that, but we feel we’re prepared, and hopefully we’ll go out there and compete at an elite level, said Hoyas Head Coach Ed Cooley.
The Retrievers (5-5) were led by Josh Odunowo with 18 points and two blocks. Marcus Banks totaled 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Bryce Johnson added nine points and two blocks.
Georgetown opens the season for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Their next biggest challenge this season comes when they make a trip on December 6th to visit Morgantown against WVU, who stands at 5-2 on the season.
