Feb. 9, 2008
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Louisville, Ky. - David Padgett scored 18 points and Jerry Smith added 16 as Louisville used a 15-4 run over the first six minutes of the second half to race back from a 10-point deficit en route to a 59-51 win over No. 6 Georgetown in front of 20,083 fans at Freedom Hall Saturday night. The loss ends a six-game win streak for the Hoyas, as the team falls to 19-3 overall and 9-2 in the BIG EAST. Louisville improves to 18-6 overall and 8-3 in league play.
Georgetown led by eight points at the half (31-23) and a hook shot from senior center Roy Hibbert (Adelphi, Md./Georgetown Prep) on the first possession of the second half extended the margin to 10 points, but the Cardinals went on a 15-4 run over a span of 4:47 and took a 38-37 lead - their first since the opening five minutes of the game - on a three-pointer from Smith with 14:14 to play. Georgetown was scoreless for more than six minutes as the Louisville lead grew to seven points, 44-37, after one of two free throws from Padgett.
After connecting on 51.9 percent of their first half field goals, Georgetown struggled from the field in the second half, hitting only two of its first 13 shots. The Hoyas went 8:03 without a field goal before junior guard Jessie Sapp (New York, N.Y./National Christian Academy [Md.]) fed sophomore Jeremiah Rivers (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park) for a backdoor layup with 8:10 remaining, making it 44-39.
Hibbert followed with a hook in the lane, making it 44-41 with 7:36 to play, but Louisville responded with six-straight points, capped by a three-pointer from Earl Clark, and took its biggest lead to that point, 50-41, with 4:27 to play.
A three-pointer from Sapp as the shot clock expired made it 50-44, but Clark hit a jumper and Smith hit a pair of free throws to make it 54-44. Georgetown pulled back to within five points, 54-49, after a layup and free throw from senior forward Patrick Ewing, Jr. (Marietta, Ga./National Christian Academy [Md.]) and a runner from senior Jonathan Wallace (Harvest, Ala./Sparkman), but Louisville hit five of six free throws in the final minute and held on for the win.
Behind the fourth-largest crowd in Freedom Hall history and fans enthusiastic with ESPN Gameday on campus, the Cardinals jumped out to a quick 9-4 lead in the opening five minutes of the game. The Hoyas, however, tied the game after a three-pointer from Freeman and a mid-range jumper from Hibbert. That started a 14-3 run over a span of 7:35 as Georgetown took an 18-12 lead on a layup from Wallace with 7:10 to play. Six different players scored during the run.
The lead was extended to eight points (22-14) after Ewing put-back his own miss and Freeman did the same, but a 7-2 Louisville run capped by a three-pointer from Jerry Smith pulled the Cardinals to within four points (24-20). After another three from Smith, the lead was 26-23, but Freeman hit a three-pointer and raced down a loose ball as the clock wound down and scored a layup to make it 31-23 at the break.
Hibbert and Freeman scored 14 points apiece to lead Georgetown. Hibbert hit 7-of-9 shots from the field, added four rebounds blocked two shots. The Hoyas shot 44.0 percent from the floor (22-of-50), hit only 18.2 percent from three-point land and 75.0 percent of their free throws (3-of-4).
Georgetown returns home on Monday, hosting Villanova in a key BIG EAST Conference matchup at Verizon Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. The game will be shown live on ESPN and can be heard locally on SportsTalk 980 AM.
