WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University men's basketball team defeated the UMBC Retrievers 86-62 on Monday evening at Capital One Arena. Thomas Sorber led the Hoyas with 23 points on an efficient 6-for-7 shooting to propel the Blue & Gray to its fifth-consecutive victory. With the win, the Blue & Gray improves to 7-1 while the Retrievers slide to 5-5 on the season.
 
ON THE RECORD
"I thought today tested us, not so much from a physical standpoint, but from a fundamental defensive standpoint. There wasn't a lot of set play, so we had to stick to our fundamental principles. I? thought in three-consecutive games that we got better defensively. Obviously, the competition is going to change, and we systematically scheduled this way to build confidence, continuity and chemistry. A lot of players feel what it is like to win, and that's something that hopefully we'll have some carryover as we now get ready to head on the road for the first time. The level of play will step up ten-fold. We're excited about that, but we feel we're prepared, and hopefully we'll go out there and compete at an elite level." - Head Coach Ed Cooley
 
"I? would say today was just me trying to dominate at my position. We found that they had a smaller interior so we were just going to attack that. That's what the game plan was." - Thomas Sorber
 
"I feel like that connection that we are starting to build as a team is definitely going to come into play when we go on the road and play against these big teams, but also for when we hit adversity. For me, as a freshman, I'm gonna be looking to lean on our guys, and I'm sure they're gonna be right there to build me up and keep encouraging me." - Caleb Williams
 
HOYA HIGHLIGHTS

• Sorber led the offensive attack for GU with 23 points on an efficient 6-for-7 performance from the floor and an 11-for-12 effort from the charity stripe.
• Jayden Epps followed up with 16 on seven made field goals, followed by Malik Mack's 13 and Caleb Williams' 10 points off the bench.
• Drew Fielder led the Blue & Gray on the glass totaling nine rebounds, followed by Sorber's eight boards.
• Mack and Micah Peavy paced the offense, dishing out five assists apiece.
• Peavy led the defensive effort for the Hoyas, totaling four of GU's 13 steals.
• Georgetown shot 48.5% (33-68) from the floor and 77.3% (17-22) from the charity stripe
• The Blue & Gray outscored UMBC 52-36 in the paint, while also outrebounding the Retrievers 39-34
• GU forced a season-best 21 UMBC turnovers on 13 steals while committing just 10 turnovers of its own.

 
UMBC HIGHLIGHTS

• Josh Odunowo led UMBC with 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the floor. Marcus Banks Jr. was the other Retriever in double figures, finishing with 16 points.
• Banks Jr. was the leading rebounder for UMBC, grabbing six boards. Odunowo and Bryce Johnson were right behind Banks Jr. with five rebounds apiece.
• The Retrievers shot 25-for-63 from the floor (39.7%) and were 8-for-9 from the free throw line.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both teams traded baskets to open the game before UMBC took a 17-11 advantage less than eight minutes into the game. Georgetown staged a 12-2 run capped by a pair of Sorber buckets over the next 3:03 to swing the momentum in favor of the Blue & Gray, taking a 23-19 lead.
• The Retrievers made it a one-possession game (23-21) but nine unanswered from the Blue & Gray sparked by a Caleb Williams pullup jumper provided the double-digit cushion with 6:18 on the clock.
• Despite leading by as many as 12 (36-24), UMBC would not go away, clawing back to within two (37-35) before Georgetown closed the frame on a pair of layups. A defensive stop on the other end secured the 41-35 lead as the squads went into the locker room.
• The second half started much like the first until the Hoyas went on a tear, tallying a 17-4 run, including 12 unanswered, to take a commanding 63-43 lead.
• Georgetown was able to hold off UMBC cruising to the 86-62 victory at the final whistle.

 
OF NOTE

• Scoring 23 points, Sorber tallied his third 20-point game of the season. Since 2004-05, only seven Hoya freshmen have managed multiple 20-point games. Sorber ranks fifth on that list behind Jeff Green (6; 2004-05), Mac McClung (6; 2018-19), James Akinjo (4; 2018-19), Aminu Mohammed (4; 2021-22) and ahead of Greg Monroe (2; 2008-09) and Jamorko Pickett (2; 2017-18).
• The Hoyas tallied their fourth 20+ point win in five games, defeating Mount St. Mary's (W, 79-51; 28), Wagner (W, 66-41; 25), UAlbany (W, 100-68; 32) and UMBC (W, 86-62, 24).
• With the win, Head Coach Ed Cooley tallied the 350th win of his career as a head coach, combining wins from Fairfield, Providence and Georgetown.

 
UP NEXT
Georgetown will return to action on Friday, December 6 when the Hoyas head to Morgantown, West Virginia to face West Virginia University in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle. Tipoff at WVU Coliseum is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2. The game can be heard locally on Team 980 with Rich Chvotkin, in his 51st season as the Voice of the Hoyas, calling the action.