Nov. 18, 2005
Postgame Notes in PDF Format
Annapolis, Md. - Georgetown sophomore center Roy Hibbert (Adelphi, Md./Georgetown Prep) scored a career-high 20 points to lead four players in double figures as the Hoyas cruised to a 72-49 win over Navy in front of 4,104 fans at Alumni Hall in the season opener for both schools on Friday night. Hibbert connected on 8-of-11 shots from the field - career highs for shots made and attempted - and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to lead the Hoyas. Sophomore forward Jeff Green (Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern) scored 13 points and had seven rebounds; senior guard Ashanti Cook (Inglewood, Calif./Westchester) added 12 points and senior guard Darrel Owens (Napoleonville, La./Assumption) chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds off the bench. Georgetown led by 17 points at the half (35-18), but the Midshipmen narrowed the gap to 12 points, 36-24, on a pair of free throws from Greg Sprink with 17:28 left to play. The Hoyas, however, outscored Navy 18-6 over the next 5:07 and opened a 24-point lead at 54-30 on a layup by Cook with 12:21 left to play. Back-to-back layups from Hibbert and Cook started the run and six different players scored during the spurt.
Georgetown's biggest lead - 28 points - was matched twice, on a free throw from Cook with 8:10 remaining (63-35) and on a Green jumper (65-37) with 7:16 left to play. The Hoyas had taken a 17-point halftime lead, 35-18, connecting on 48.3 percent of their field goals in the first half (14-of-29). Hibbert paced the way, hitting 5-of-7 shots from the field, for 12 points. Georgetown scored the first seven points of the game - a dunk from Hibbert followed by a natural three-point play and a jumper from senior forward Brandon Bowman (Santa Monica, Calif/Westchester) - and limited the Midshipmen to only four points over the first 10 minutes of the game, opening up a 16-4 lead. Georgetown connected on 53.8 percent of its field goals (28-of-52) - including a blistering 60.9 percent (14-of-23) in the second half - 38.5 percent (5-of-13) of its three-pointers and 57.9 percent of its free throws (7-of-11). They controlled the boards, grabbing 36 to Navy's 33, while forcing the Midshipmen into 16 turnovers. The Hoyas added nine steals and six blocks, including four by Hibbert. The win was the fifth in the last six season openers for the Hoyas, who improved to 82-16 all-time in season-opening games. Second-year Head Coach John Thompson III is now 3-3 all-time in season openers. Georgetown returns to action on Monday night, traveling to play at James Madison. Tipoff at the Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia is slated for 7 p.m. The game can be heard live in SportsTalk 980 AM, with Rich Chvotkin calling the play-by-play for the Hoyas. |
 
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