Feb. 19, 2006
Box Score
Villanova, Pa. - Senior guard Randy Foye scored a game-high 22 points and fourth-ranked Villanova outscored No. 17 Georgetown 16-6 over the final five minutes en route to a 75-65 win over the Hoyas in front of 6,500 fans at the Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. It was the third-straight loss for Georgetown, as they fall to 17-7 overall and 8-5 in the BIG EAST. Villanova improves to 21-2 overall and 11-1 in league play.
Villanova had opened up a 10-point lead midway through the second half, but Georgetown used a 10-2 run to pull within two points, 59-57, on a layup from sophomore center Roy Hibbert (Adelphi, Md./Georgetown Prep) with 5:37 to play. Kyle Lowry converted a three-point play with 4:49 left to play and after the teams traded baskets, Allan Ray connected on a three with 3:21 to play that gave Villanova a 67-59 lead.
A three-pointer from senior guard Ashanti Cook (Inglewood, Calif./Westchester) pulled the Hoyas to within five points, 67-62, but Ray hit one of two free throws and then drained a three to make it 71-62 with 1:55 to play. Hibbert hit a layup to pull within seven points with 1:34 to play, but a layup by Foye, who scored 14 second half points, with just under a minute to play sealed the win for the Wildcats.
Georgetown had trailed by only two points, 30-28, at halftime, and took a 38-37 lead on a three-pointer from sophomore forward Jeff Green (Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern). The Wildcats went on a 16-5 run over a 5:31 span and took a 53-43 lead on a dunk by Will Sheridan with 10:28 to play. The Hoyas, however, pulled back into it. Trailing 57-47 with 8:07 to play, they went on a 10-2 run over a 2:30 span to pull within two points on Hibbert's layup.
The Hoyas came out strong in the opening minutes of the game, with Cook and Green hitting jumpers and senior Brandon Bowman (Santa Monica, Calif./Westchester) adding a three to take a 7-3 lead. Villanova scored 12-straight points over a 3:34 span - keyed by three-pointers from Ray and Kyle Lowry - and took a 15-7 lead on a Foye dunk. Georgetown quickly got back into it, as Green and sophomore guard Jonathan Wallace (Harvest, Ala./Sparkman) each hit three-pointers to make it 15-13. The Wildcats got three's from Foye and Mike Nardi to extend the lead to 21-14, but a long distance shot from Cook and a layup from freshman guard Jessie Sapp [New York, N.Y./National Christian Academy (Md.)] hit a layup to make it a four-point game with 10:27 left before intermission. A three-point play from Hibbert with under five minutes left and one of two free throws with 10 seconds remaining pulled the Hoyas to within two points, 30-28, at the break, as Georgetown held the Wildcats scoreless for the final 4:57.
Hibbert led the Hoyas with 20 points and 12 rebounds, his sixth double-double this season. He connected on 6-of-13 shots from the field and 8-of-12 from the line in his third 20-point game of the season. Cook tied a career-high with four three-pointers and had 16 points, while Green added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Georgetown connected on 48.9 percent of its shots from the field (23-of-47), 44.4 percent of its three-pointers (8-of-18) and 64.7 percent of its shots from the line (11-of-17). The Hoyas were out-rebounded, 31-20, handed out 15 assists and committed 10 turnovers.
Georgetown returns home to the MCI Center on Wednesday, February 22, hosting Rutgers in a key BIG EAST matchup. Tipoff for the game, which will be shown on ESPN Classic, is slated for 7:30 p.m. The game can also be heard live on SportsTalk 980 AM.
