Rutgers University
Georgetown
Rutgers Falls to Georgetown 68-54
Jan 17 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (January 17, 2007) - The Rutgers men's basketball team dropped a 68-54 BIG EAST Conference match-up to Georgetown on Wednesday night at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The Scarlet Knights (8-10, 1-4 BIG EAST) were led by sophomore forward JR Inman (Pomona, N.Y.), who scored 13 points, one of four players to post double-digits.
Senior swingman Marquis Webb (Paterson, N.J.) scored 12 points, including two three-pointers, the first marking the 123rd of his career and moving him into the top-10 on the RU all-time list. Senior forward Adrian Hill (Canton, Ohio) tallied 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, all in the second half, while junior forward Ollie Bailey (Chicago, Ill.) came off the bench to add 10 points and grab a team-high six rebounds.
Freshman DaJuan Summers had 17 points for the Hoyas, who moved to 12-5 overall and 2-2 in the BIG EAST. Junior Roy Hibbert added 16 points as nine players put points on the board for Georgetown.
Despite the loss, the Scarlet Knights' defense held Georgetown's second and third leading scorers below their season averages. Jeff Green, averaging 11.8 points per game, scored just four, while Jonathan Wallace managed just five points, falling short of his 11.1 points per game average.
After winning the jump ball to start the game, the Scarlet Knights held possession for nearly a minute and a half. RU grabbed two offensive rebounds before Farmer drove the right side of the lane for the first score and RU's only lead.
Georgetown responded with a 10-0 run, four points coming from Green. The scoring spree ended on a pair of free throws by Inman at the 11:02 mark to cut the advantage to six (10-4). After exchanging field goals over the next five minutes, RU again trailed by six (17-11) on two from the charity stripe from Webb.
The Hoyas closed out the half with an 11-2 spurt to take a 28-13 lead at intermission.
"In the second half I thought that we made plays and big players make plays," said head coach Fred Hill. "I thought that we took the dribble penetration when it was there and we got a couple lay-ups and we got a couple dishes inside and we got to the free throw line."
Georgetown stretched the lead to 35-16 on a pair of free throws by Hibbert with 17:09 remaining in the game. RU put 41 points on the board in the final 20 minutes, but could not overcome its slow start.
Bailey and Hill each tallied 10 points for the Scarlet Knights in the second half. In addition, RU posted a 20-18 rebounding advantage in the half.
Rutgers is back in action on Saturday, January 20 traveling to Providence for a 7:30 p.m. showdown.
POSTGAME NOTES
WITH THE LOSS'?
With the 68-54 loss to Georgetown, the Scarlet Knights fall to 8-10 on the season and 1-4 in BIG EAST play, while the Hoyas improve to 12-5 on the season and 2-2 in conference games. Georgetown also snaps its two-game losing streak and has now won five-straight games against Rutgers.
TOP TEN FOR WEBB
With his two made three pointers against the Hoyas, senior guard Marquis Webb cracked the top 10 on RU's all-time list of three point field goals made. Webb passed Rob Hodgson (1995-99) and moved into sole possession of tenth place on the all-time list. He now has 124 career made three pointers. Webb also now stands just nine made three pointers away from the ninth spot, currently held by Tom Savage (1987-1991), who finished his career with 133 made three pointers.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
The Scarlet Knight defense held Georgetown's second and third leading scorers below their season averages. Jeff Green, averaging 11.8 points per game, scored just four, while Jonathan Wallace managed just five points, falling short of his 11.1 points per game average.
THIS AND THAT
Four Scarlet Knight players scored in double figures against the Hoyas: Adrian Hill, JR Inman, Marquis Webb, and Ollie Bailey. It marked the seventh time this season that at least four players have reached double-digits.
Baileyset a season-high in rebounds with six and tied his season-high in points with 10. The junior forward surpassed his previous rebounding high of five, which he had reached in two games this season, and tied his scoring-high which he set against St. Thomas Aquinas on Nov. 19.
With his 13 points, Inmanreached double-digits for the 14th time in 17 games, the only Scarlet Knight to do so this season. The sophomore forward also led the team in scoring for the tenth time this season, the most of any Scarlet Knight.
Fred Hill Quotes from Georgetown Post-game Press Conference:
On the overall game:
"It's very difficult to guard Roy Hibbert, but I thought that we did a very good job especially Adrian [Hill]. We've got some young guys coming in the game and I thought that it was a good experience for Hamady [N'Diaye]. I thought that our guys battled like they always do. We just have to make some shots."
On the team's performance:
"I like the character of our team and I think that there is a point where it becomes mental in terms of shooting the basketball, and I felt that we had good looks, but I didn't feel that we stepped up to them, especially in the first half. We talked about that a little bit at half time. In the second half I thought that we made plays and big players make plays. I thought that we took the dribble penetration when it was there and we got a couple lay-ups and we got a couple dishes inside and we got to the free throw line."
"There are going to be some tough times, but were just going to keep working, keep playing and going after it and keep defending and hopefully start to get a little more confidence and get a little better offensively and that's all you can do."
On the play of Ollie Bailey:
"Ollie Bailey came in off the bench and gave us great energy, we went inside and he just kind of bulled his way to the basket a couple times and got to the free throw line for us."
"It's great to see Ollie [Bailey] play well because he brings huge energy to the club and works hard everyday in practice. We talk all the time about match-ups, and tonight he was able, with his quick first step, to take his man inside one-on-one and it was a great match-up for him and exploited it really well."
