Game Recap: Xavier 80, Georgetown 67

In an effort to get his team to narrow focus during games, Xavier Coach Chris Mack breaks each game into ten four minute wars, defined as the score between media timeouts. The strategy is particularly useful in lopsided games, with the hope of getting teams not let their effort tie into a lead or deficit. Down 17 to Georgetown early in the second half on Wednesday night, the Musketeers won the last four four minute wars, eventually getting the Hoyas to wave the white flag. Xavier outscored Georgetown 10-0 after the final media timeout en route to a 80-67 victory at the Cintas Center.

Four Minute Wars – Second Half

Entering the contest as a six-point favorite, Xavier was caught off guard by the perimeter shooting of Georgetown to begin the game. The Hoyas, who entered the game a shade under 31 percent as a team, made 7 of their 11 triples in the first 20 minutes. The hot shooting continued in the second half, hitting their first three 3-point attempts of in consecutive possessions. The Musketeer defense locked down after that, using better communication and discipline in limiting the Hoyas to only four attempts in the last 16:47, all misses.

A portion of Georgetown’s 3-point efficiency was due to Dee Davis only playing 8 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. Davis is widely considered Xavier’s best 3-point defender, and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera made his first two 3-point attempts following Davis’ departure to give his team a 26-21 lead. Davis returned in the second half and played a perfect 20 minutes, scoring 14 points while not missing a shot from the field and chipping in five assists.

In addition to getting torched from behind the arc in the first half, Xavier also failed to take advantage of Georgetown’s propensity to foul. Georgetown entered the game with a FTA/FGA defense of 54.2 percent, 330^th in the nation according to Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency rankings. Despite getting nine field goal attempts from front court players Matt Stainbrook and Isaiah Philmore in the first half, the Musketeers only attempted two free throws.

In the second half, Xavier got a taste of the Georgetown team that had been foul plagued all season. The Hoyas committed 16 second-half fouls, leading to 20 Xavier free throw attempts, as Nate Lubick spent time on the bench in foul trouble, and Moses Ayegba fouled out of the contest. The home team made their last nine free throw attempts in helping close out the contest. Converting on 18-22 (81.8 percent) for the game, Xavier’s free throw percentage in the Big East is now a stout 76.2 percent.

Playing without Joshua Smith and Jabril Trawick, Georgetown may have fell victim to fatigue late in Wednesday’s game. Markel Starks and former Xavier commit Smith-Rivera each played 40 minutes as Georgetown did not score in transition during the second half, while also allowing 9 second chance points to the Musketeers after the break. The fatigue may have impacted offensive production, as a Smith-Rivera jump shot at the 6:14 mark were Georgetown’s last points of the game.

Xavier survived a long-term scare, as Isaiah Philmore twisted his right knee after getting fouled with 5:11 left in the game. Initially unable to put pressure on his right leg, Philmore was able to re-enter the game in the closing moments. The senior contributed 14 points in a rough shooting night for Matt Stainbrook, who finished 2-10 from the field. Stainbrook was still effective in the game, manning the middle of Georgetown’s zone, and dishing out a career-high six assists.

The win moves Xavier to 4-1 in the Big East, where they sit in 3^rd place behind Creighton and Villanova. The Musketeers return to the court Monday at DePaul, who has won consecutive conference games for the first time since 2008. In that time, Xavier has had 12 winning streaks as a member of the Atlantic 10 and Big East.

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