Georgetown vs. La Salle 2016 final score: Hoyas defeat Explorers 93-78

Georgetown defeated La Salle 93-78 in the Hoophall Miami Invitational.

Hoyas junior forward L.J Peak led the way with 22 points, while Rodney Pryor tallied 19 points of his own. Jessie Govan and Marcus Derrickson came off the bench to score 18 and nine respectively, with Derrickson also tallying eight rebounds.

For La Salle, Jordan Price was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points on a 7-for-18 mark from the field. Syracuse transfer B.J Johnson also had 19 and three 3-point makes.

The referees stole the show after calling 58 total fouls. Two La Salle players fouled out, and six others were one away from doing so.

Here are our three takeaways from the Hoya win.

L.J Peak and Rodney Pryor were dominant once again

It was a tale of two halves for Georgetown’s two stars. While Peak was dominant in the first, scoring 15 of his 22 points on only six shots, Pryor was integral in the second with 14 of his 19 points. For the Hoyas’ two leading scorers, these offensive numbers are not new; they are the only two Hoyas who average over 10 points per game.

With each commanding the Georgetown offense in opposite halves, this was a sign of their true potential. Entering Big East play in the coming weeks, Georgetown needs these two to continue their incredible performances if they wish to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.

Jagan Mosely showcased his potential

In a matchup between two of the higher scoring teams in the nation, someone needed to take the pressure off of Peak and Pryor. While Tre Campbell has picked up his play recently, it was Jagan Mosely who consistently knocked down outside jumpers. His 14 points (4-5 from the field and 3-4 from long range), were key in the second half, especially with the two stars struggling with foul trouble. He helped the Hoyas retake a double digit lead after losing it early past the break. If Mosely can continue this play, the Hoyas offense will only continue to improve.

That Georgetown does not have a pass-first, ball-dominant point guard is perhaps their biggest weakness. They lack the Chris Wright/Markel Starks-type player who can find open shooters in space and control the flow of the offense. Today, Mosely showed that he can be that type of player. His six assists dictated the pace of the offense and led to open jump shots throughout the game. The Hoyas need him to continue to play at this high level throughout the rest of the season.

Marcus Derrickson and Jessie Govan took over the paint

Georgetown has struggled throughout the entire season on the glass. Jessie Govan has not taken the next step that many predicted, as he has lost his starting role in the process. Neither Marcus Derrickson nor Akoy Agau have been able to solve this issue either, leading to teams dominating Georgetown rebounding wise.

Yet today, the two sophomores (Derrickson and Govan) played up to their recruiting rank. Coming off the bench, the two combined for 14 rebounds. Come the second half, Thompson gave the two most of the playing time (Derrickson was in the game for 18 of the last 20 minutes). With no other true grit and grind rebounding presence on the roster, Derrickson and Govan will have to step up and play to their potential for the Hoyas to consistently win games.