Georgetown 85, Elon 76
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Elon University men’s basketball team fell just short of snapping Georgetown’s 46-game non-conference home winning streak on Tuesday, Dec. 17, as the Hoyas rallied in the second half to claim an 85-76 decision over the Phoenix.
“Our performance tonight was a sign of improvement,” said Elon head coach Matt Matheny. “I thought we competed and the number that stands out to me to show that is the rebounding number. It’s been an Achilles heel for us and we rebounded the ball better tonight. When we play Georgetown, our margin for error is ever so slight and so free throw percentage, missing a couple of free throws, a couple of untimely turnovers are not good for us.”
With a strong maroon and gold contingency inside the Verizon Center, Elon (5-6) led Georgetown (7-2) by one at intermission, 40-39, after knocking down eight first-half threes and matching the Hoyas on the boards.
Georgetown began the second session on a 14-5 run to go ahead by eight, 53-45, with 14:26 to play on a Markel Starks triple.
The Phoenix battled back to make it a four-point game with 1:04 to play after Sebastian Koch completed an old-fashioned three-point play following a jumper off the glass and a made free throw to limit the Hoyas to a 78-74 lead.
But Georgetown made Elon pay with key free throws late, hitting 7-of-8 from the line from that point forward to keep the Phoenix at arm’s length to secure the win.
Lucas Troutman and Tanner Samson each finished with a team-best 18 points in the setback, while Koch added 15. Troutman went 8-of-11 from the field, while Samson and Koch both connected on four makes from three-point range.
Elon won the battle on the glass against the Hoyas, 31-30, and shot 45 percent (13-of-29) from long range against the BIG EAST’s leader in three-point field goal percentage defense. Elon’s 13 makes from beyond the arc more than double the highest amount of three-point field goals the Hoyas have given up in a game this season.
Behind eight triples in the first 20 minutes, Elon carried a 40-39 edge into the locker room at intermission. The Phoenix held its own on the boards against the Hoyas, as the two squads each grabbed 16 rebounds in the opening frame.
The Hoyas jumped out to an early five-point lead, 10-5, but the Phoenix responded with two Jack Isenbarger triples and a Ryley Beaumont layup to take a 13-10 lead.
Elon carried that momentum throughout the first period, answering the bell six times when Georgetown came back to take a lead.
VCU 72, Wofford 57
RICHMOND, Va. – The Wofford men’s basketball team fell 72-57 to Virginia Commonwealth University on Tuesday night at the Siegel Center. The Rams had a ten point lead at the half, but the Terriers were down only eight with 3:27 left before a 9-1 run by VCU sealed the game.
Wofford is 3-7 on the season and VCU is 9-3 overall. The Terriers were led by Karl Cochran with 17 points and eight rebounds. Treveon Graham led the Rams with 18 points. The Terriers outrebounded and outshot VCU in the game, but the Rams had a 34 to 14 advantage in free throw attempts.
“The final score was not indicative of how close of a game it was,” said head coach Mike Young. “To hold them to 72 points and 37 percent from the field and outrebound them 38 to 35 is an accomplishment. They have great players and were a preseason top 25 team. We had a look at it and had a shot to make it real interesting but left a couple of things on the table. We are getting better. The Rams would win our league in a landslide. It was not the outcome we wanted, but our kids played their guts out.”
The Rams scored the first six points of the game before Karl Cochran had a lay-up for a 6-2 score. Lee Skinner hit a jumper to make it an 11-4 game with 14:26 on the clock. Buckets by Aerris Smith and Justin Gordon cut the lead to 11-8, but the Rams responded and had a 14-8 advantage. Karl Cochran hit a three from the far corner to make it a 14-11 score with 11:09 left in the first half.
A quick 7-0 run by the Rams was ended by a C.J. Neumann lay-up with 7:49 on the clock in the first half for a 21-13 score. Another three by Karl Cochran made it a 21-16 game thirty seconds later. Wofford cut the lead to 26-20 with a shot by Justin Gordon, but the Rams scored the next nine points for a 35-20 score at the 2:18 mark. Gordon ended the run with a bucket and free throw to make it a 35-23 game with 1:50 remaining in the half. After VCU pushed the score to 38-23, Wofford scored the final five points of the half with two free throws by John Swinton and a three pointer by Karl Cochran. At the break the Rams led 38-28.
To open the second half, Karl Cochran had two free throws and a three pointer to make it a 38-33 game after less than two minutes. A lay-up by Indiana Faithfull kept it a five point game at 40-35, but the Rams scored the next four points for a 44-35 lead at the 14:23 mark. Jaylen Allen hit a three for a 44-38 game before VCU added five more points for a 49-38 advantage with 13:05 on the clock. Spencer Collins ended the run with a lay-up for a 49-40 score with 12:30 remaining in the half.
The Rams scored the next five points to push the lead to 54-40. Wofford had two free throws by John Swinton to make it a 54-42 game with 9:11 remaining in the second half. The Terriers cut the lead to ten at 58-48 after lay-ups by Lee Skinner and Indiana Faithfull with 6:27 on the clock. A three pointer by Jaylen Allen kept it a ten-point game at 63-53 with 4:25 left in the half. Another three by Allen cut the lead to 63-56 a minute later, but the Rams went on a 9-1 run for a 72-57 advantage with 56 seconds left that marked the final score.
Wofford shot 38.5 percent from the floor while VCU shot 37.5 percent overall. The Terriers were 7-of-17 from with three, while the Rams were 5-of-20 from behind the arc. VCU was 25-of-34 from the line while Wofford was 10-of-14 on free throws. Wofford had a 38 to 35 lead on the glass. The Rams blocked five shots and forced twenty turnovers. Eric Garcia missed his second straight game due to a concussion suffered in practice. Indiana Faithfull fouled out with 6:19 left in the second half.