Nov. 17, 2008 WASHINGTON (AP) - Greg Monroe delivered 14 points and seven rebounds in his college debut, and anchored a suffocating defense that helped No. 22 Georgetown build a lead and then hold on to beat Jacksonville 71-62 on Monday night. Jacksonville missed its first eight shots from the field en route to shooting only 28 percent for the first half and 35 percent for the game. Many misses came from beyond the new, farther 3-point line: Jacksonville went 3-for-20 (15 percent) from there. Thanks mainly to the 6-foot-11 Monroe and new starting guard Chris Wright, who had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists, the Hoyas won their first game without departed seniors Roy Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace and Patrick Ewing Jr. Jessie Sapp and DaJuan Summers each scored 13 for Georgetown (1-0), while Ben Smith led Jacksonville (0-2) with 17 points - all but two after halftime. The Hoyas had their own problems at the offensive end, going just 5-for-23 (22 percent) on 3s. This was hardly supposed to be a tough nonconference tuneup for Georgetown, which beat Jacksonville by 32 points last season. But one of the visitors' rare makes on a 3 was by Smith with 7:18 to go, pulling upset-minded Jacksonville within 54-47. Moments later, Monroe picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench, and Marcus Allen's inside basket made it 54-49 with a little under 6 minutes left. When Allen went 2-for-2 from the line 30 seconds later, Georgetown's lead was down to 55-51. Monroe came back in with 4:12 to go, and he moved into position to stop Smith's layup with 3 minutes to go, swinging momentum back to Georgetown.
Georgetown led by as many as 14 in the first half, and 37-25 at halftime. Hibbert was the Hoyas' top scorer and rebounder last season, and his 7-2 presence was key as Georgetown led the nation in field goal percentage defense. Wallace topped the team in 3-pointers, was its third-leading scorer and started every game for four years. Now Wright, a sophomore, has taken Wallace's spot, and the freshman Monroe - a prized recruit from Louisiana - is manning the middle. Monroe took advantage of an opportunity to open up against a Jacksonville starting five with no one taller than 6-7 and two 5-10 guards. Right from the outset, Monroe made a difference. He cut to the basket to drop in Wright's assist on the game's opening possession. The second time Jacksonville had the ball, Monroe grabbed an air ball. The next time, he swatted Ayron Hardy's shot. Jacksonville didn't score until more than 4 minutes elapsed, on two free throws by Szymon Lukasiak. Less than a minute later, though, Lukasiak was having one shot blocked and another altered by Monroe. Georgetown didn't allow a field goal until Allen's jumper 6:13 into the game. |
 
 |
