Sunday, November 27, 2016

Home Sweet Home: Georgetown Men’s basketball picks off Howard Bison in return to Verizon Center

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Georgetown men’s basketball team (3-4, Big East) defeated Howard (0-5, MEAC), 85-72, on Sunday afternoon. While the Hoyas led from the tip to the final buzzer and the Bison never threatened, Georgetown’s cushion was earned early on, as they had built a 16-0 lead by the under-16 timeout, and then were outscored 72-69 in the subsequent 36 minutes. Graduate guard Rodney Pryor led the Hoyas with 26 points as well as 6 rebounds. Redshirt junior guard James Miller carried Howard with 30 points. This was the closest game of the season for a Howard team with a KenPom ranking of 308th amongst Division I schools.

Georgetown invested fully in the press in the early minutes, and it payed dividends, yielding three early steals sparking the early lead. Junior guard L. J. Peak had four steals on the game to compliment his 14 points. Peak also limited himself to three personal fouls, an area in which he chronically struggles, despite starting for the Hoyas. However, after building a lead as large as 17, Georgetown began to struggle. Learning from their initial miscues, Howard began breaking Georgetown’s pressure, and midway through the second half, the lead was back to single digits.

“We knew they were going to press us, but not having [senior]point guard [James Daniel III] on the floor, we kinda had to learn on the fly,” said Howard Head Coach Kevin Nickelberry. Daniel, who averaged over 27 points a game last season, is out indefinitely with a sprained ankle.

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