Feb. 12, 2006
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Washington, D.C. - West Virginia fought back from an eight-point halftime deficit and limited Georgetown to 19 second half points as the ninth-ranked Mountaineers posted a 69-56 win over No. 15 Georgetown in front of 16,263 fans at the MCI Center Sunday evening.
The loss ends the Hoyas' seven-game win streak as they fall to 17-5 overall and 8-3 in the BIG EAST, while West Virginia improves to 18-5 overall and 9-1 in the league.
West Virginia scored the first eight points of the second half and tied the game at 37-all on a layup from Mike Gansey. Like the first half, the teams battled back and forth - there were six lead changes in a five-minute span in the second half - and Georgetown took a 47-46 lead on a three-pointer from sophomore forward Jeff Green (Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern). The Mountaineers, however, went on an 8-0 run over a 3:15 span, taking a 54-47 lead on a layup from Darris Nichols with 8:01 to play.
The Hoyas pulled to within a basket after Green made a fast-break dunk to cut the lead to 54-51 with 6:09 to play, but could not get any closer. West Virginia scored eight-straight points - six from senior Kevin Pittsnoggle, who scored a game-high 25 points - and opened a 62-51 lead with less than a minute to play. The Mountaineers connected on seven of eight free throws in the waning moments.
The first half saw both teams go on runs, with the Mountaineers taking a seven-point lead (20-13) near the midpoint and the Hoyas turning the tables to take an 11-point lead (33-22) in the waning minutes.
There were three lead changes and two ties in the first five minutes of the game. WVU broke a 7-all tie with a 13-6 run over a 4:32 span, taking a 20-13 lead on a Gansey three-pointer. The Hoyas, however, went on a tear, out-scoring West Virginia 20-2 over an 8:05 span to take a 33-22 lead on a fast-break dunk from senior swingman Darrel Owens (Napoleonville, La./Assumption). Georgetown hit four three-pointers during the span and senior forward Brandon Bowman (Santa Monica, Calif./Westchester) led the way with nine points. The Hoyas led by nine points, 37-29, at halftime.
Green scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Hoyas, while Bowman finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Pittsnoggle scored 25 to lead three West Virginia players in double figures. Gansey added 13 points and 10 boards, Johannes Herber had 13 points.
Georgetown hits the road for the first of a pair of key BIG EAST matchups, visiting Marquette on Thursday, February 16. Tipoff at the Bradley Center is slated for 8 p.m EST. The game will be shown live on ESPN and can be heard on SportsTalk 980 AM.
