Dec. 29, 2007

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Washington, D.C. - Sophomore forward DaJuan Summers (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) scored a team-high 16 points to lead four players in double figures as the eighth-ranked Georgetown men's basketball team hit 71 percent of its first half field goals and beat American University, 78-51, in front of 10,564 fans at Verizon Center Saturday afternoon.

Georgetown, ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press and in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches' poll, improves to 9-1 overall, while the Eagles fall to 7-6 overall.

The Hoyas had balanced scoring in the first half, with Summers scoring seven of his 16 points during the opening 20 minutes, and hit 15-of-21 shots form the floor (71.4%) to open a 10-point lead at the break (38-28). In the second half, Georgetown used a 16-6 run over the first 6:17 and widened its lead to 20 points, 54-34, on a Summers fast-break dunk. Senior center Roy Hibbert (Adelphi, Md./Georgetown Prep) scored six of his 14 points during that stretch.

After an Eagles timeout, the Hoyas scored nine-straight points, extending its run to 25-6, with Summers recording a conventional three-point play and sophomore Vernon Macklin (Portsmouth, Va./Hargrave Military Academy) added a pair of baskets. Georgetown's biggest lead of the game was 29 points, first on a Macklin dunk with 9:39 to play, and then on a pair of Summers free throws with 8:49 left.

In the first half, American jumped out to an early lead and was in front during the first eight minutes of the game, thanks to five three pointers from the Eagles. A layup from Hibbert 11 seconds in gave the Hoyas a 2-0 lead, but Garrison's Carr gave AU a 3-2 lead. The Hoyas took the lead back on a jumper from Summers, but it was the last lead GU would hold until there were less than nine minutes left in the first half.

Carr hit a pair of three-pointers to give American a 13-8 lead and the Eagles took their biggest lead, 19-13, with 12:53 to play on a long distance shot from Derrick Mercer. Georgetown, however, wrested control of the game with a 9-2 run over a span of 4:01, taking the lead for good on a three-pointer from the corner from freshman guard Chris Wright (Bowie, Md./St. John's College High).

The Hoyas outscored American 16-7 over the remaining 8:52 of the first half, with five different players scoring. The lead grew to 29-21 after a pair of layups from Wright were sandwiched around a three-pointer from senior forward Patrick Ewing, Jr. (Marietta, Ga./National Christian Academy [Md.]). A layup from Frank Borden cut the margin to 29-23, but Georgetown hit three three-pointers in the final 3:31 - the first by Wallace, then by Summers and another from junior guard Jessie Sapp (New York, N.Y./National Christian Academy [Md.]) - as the Hoyas took a 38-28 lead at the break.

Summers connected on 6-of-9 shots from the field and 3-of-3 from the line for 16 points, while Hibbert hit 6-of-9 for 14 points. Senior guard Jonathan Wallace (Harvest, Ala./Sparkman) added 11 points and Wright finished with 14 points, four assists and three rebounds. Sapp added three points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals and Ewing had four points, three assists and two rebounds.

The Hoyas shot 60.4 percent from the floor (29-of-48), 50.0 percent from three-point land (8-of-16) and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (12-of-16). Georgetown controlled the boards, collecting 28 rebounds to American's 26. The Blue and Gray handed out 20 assists, committed 14 turnovers and forced 21 Eagles turnovers.

Georgetown closes the 2008 calendar year with a home game Sunday afternoon against Fordham. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.