Story By: Richard Thomas
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse for the Georgetown Hoyas, well, it just did. Today they did the unthinkable, lose to UNC Ashville, in yet another disappointment on the court.
Many of the Hoyas faithful are calling for Head Coach John Thompson III to be removed before the start of the Big East schedule on January 2nd. The three losses this season to sub-part Division I programs has many what is wrong on the Hilltop.
UNC Asheville made 9 of those 19 shots (47 percent) to beat the Hoyas, 79-73, and send them to a third upset loss at Verizon Center that could be chalked up largely to deficiences beyond the arc. Georgetown (6-5) — which missed all but four of its own threes in Saturday’s game.
Trailing 41-39 at halftime, Georgetown’s Isaac Copeland tied it at 43, then gave the Hoyas a two-point lead with a layup. The Bulldogs re-took the lead on a 3 by Vannatta and led by as many as eight until Georgetown closed within 70-68 with 4:42 left on a free throw by Bradley Hayes. Thomas made a layup and a free throw for a 75-71 Bulldogs lead and Smith iced it with two free throws.
“We’ve just got be disciplined for the whole shot clock,” Center Bradley Hayes said. “There were a lot of good defensive possessions that we had and we just eased up when the shot clock started going down, and that’s what got them a lot of those late back-door cuts and those dump-offs.”
“Certainly in a game like this, to beat Georgetown, you have to shoot it pretty well ourselves and hope that they have a little bit of an off-night,” UNC Asheville Coach Nick McDevitt said. “Both happened.”
