Physically overwhelmed and noticeably rusty, Harvard couldn’t compete on the glass and turned the ball over 21 times, en route to a 86-70 loss to Georgetown at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC today.
The Hoyas grabbed 15 of the 34 available boards (44 percent) on their offensive end, including six by Greg Monroe as part of a 16 point, 16 rebound performance. The Georgetown sophomore center was unstoppable on the glass and was a defensive force with five blocks and four steals.
The Crimson’s inability to lock down the interior doomed it from the start. The Hoyas’ 54 percent EFG shooting probably would have been enough for the victory anyway, but retrieving 15 of those misses served to secure the win beyond all doubt. Throw in Georgetown’s eight blocks on 53 Harvard shots, and it’s safe to say that the Hoyas won this one with their superior presence in the paint.
Harvard senior guard Jeremy Lin never got comfortable with the Hoyas’ double-teams and was one of many Crimson players who were frustrated with the chippy, physical play. The officials generally tended to let the players play on both ends of the floor, something which seemed to benefit the stronger, more aggressive Georgetown team.
Lin still finished with 15 points to lead all Harvard scorers but was relatively quiet throughout the contest before ultimately being pulled late in the game after the result was no longer in doubt. Lin hit the floor many times on the day and came up hobbling after a few of his spills, likely hastening Amaker’s desire to give him the hook.
Harvard was able to turn the Hoyas over 20 times on the day, but only converted those into 20 points, while Georgetown cashed in 21 Crimson turnovers for 36 points on the game. Harvard also managed to get to the line 24 times on the day and made 21, but once again the Hoyas countered with a 15-for-18 performance of their own.
Harvard had some success pounding the ball into the paint early on, getting six quick points from sophomore forward Keith Wright and layups by Lin and sophomore guard Oliver McNally later in the first half to draw the score even at 33. But the Hoyas’ 11-0 run over the final three-plus minutes of the half put Georgetown up 44-33 at the break. The Crimson would never again get closer than nine over the duration of the contest.
The game was played at a frenetic 76 possession pace, tied for Harvard’s fastest non-overtime contest all year and Georgetown’s second-fastest. The faster pace should have been an advantage for the Crimson, which came in averaging five more possessions a game than the Hoyas, but on this day it was Georgetown that looked more comfortable pushing the tempo.
Hoyas guard Chris Wright had a career day with 34 points, six rebounds and six steals, while Georgetown guard Austin Freeman added 21 points on 17 shots. McNally joined Lin as the only other Crimson player in double-figures on the day with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Harvard is now 3-5 against BCS conference schools under coach Tommy Amaker.
