Georgetown Basketball: Hoyas outlast Syracuse at the Carrier Dome

By Mike Knapp | Dec 17, 2016

Dec 17, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; Georgetown Hoyas center Bradley Hayes (42) blocks the shot of Syracuse Orange guard Frank Howard (1) during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

Georgetown basketball defeated Syracuse, 78-71, in a former Big East rivalry game.

In an old Big East rivalry game, the Georgetown Hoyas squeaked out a 78-71 win over the Syracuse Orange in the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

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Syracuse looked to have control of the game early on, maintaining a 6-point lead through most of the first half. ‘Cuse was crashing the offensive glass and getting to the free throw line at will. But, despite their 13 first half attempts, the free throw line ended up hurting Syracuse just as much as it helped them. They may have taken four more freebies than Georgetown, but the Hoyas made just as many.

The Orange’s struggles at the charity stripe allowed the Hoyas to claw their way back into the game and eventually tie things up at 33 by the intermission.

L.J. Peak led the charge during the first 20 minutes, leading all scorers with 12 points. He looked like the best player on the floor in the first half, going 5-for-7 and knocking down two threes.

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Georgetown probably could have found themselves with the lead at the break, but they really struggled to hold onto the ball. The Hoyas had 10 first half turnovers, something that has plagued them all season. They are currently turning the ball over on one out of every five possessions, according to KenPom.

The second half featured a much more frenetic pace that favored Georgetown (85th in adjusted tempo). The Hoyas took an early second half lead and were in control throughout the final 20 minutes.

Rodney Pryor, the Hoyas leading scorer, rebounded from a sluggish first half to really come on after intermission. The Robert Morris transfer finished with 20 points and six rebounds.

Peak still was, however, Georgetown’s best player all afternoon. He didn’t slow down after his great first half and ended up leading the Hoyas with an efficient 23 points to go along with 11 rebounds and four assists.

The two wings have accounted for almost half of Georgetown’s scoring all season, and they combined for 43 of the Hoyas’ 78 against the Orange. Georgetown has to find another consistent offensive performer moving forward – especially that they are now without Isaac Copeland.

While the Hoyas did really impress after halftime, Syracuse did make things interesting with a final push late in the game.

The Orange cut the deficit to three with just over a minute left on the strength of Tyler Lydon’s ridiculously efficient performance. The sophomore finished with 29 points on 12-for-13 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from three.

While this is without a doubt a disappointing outcome for a Syracuse squad that has yet to defeat a top 60 team this year, seeing Lydon come on after struggling offensively for most of the season is a great sign for them moving forward.

With that being said, the Orange will continue to have issues if they don’t improve from the free throw line. Syracuse is shooting just 66 percent on the season, and they were even worse than their season average on Saturday — they finished just 14-for-25 on freebies.

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Both these teams have disappointed so far this season, and neither looks like a legitimate second weekend NCAA Tournament team at this point. But in what used to be one of the fiercest rivalries in college basketball, its clear that a win for Georgetown could be huge in building some momentum as they move forward into conference play.