On Monday, Maryland guard Andre Mills said getting revenge against Georgetown for a 10-point loss last year in College Park was “personal.”
The sophomore will have to wait another year for retribution after Maryland barely appeared to show up Saturday night.
Georgetown brutalized Maryland’s defense with a barrage of 3-pointers all night long, and the Terrapins were never able to catch up in an 86-74 loss to the Hoyas at Capital One Arena.
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“They have responded through all of the things that we’ve done in practice. They have responded to everything that we’ve taught them this summer,” Williams said, “and we’re going to need to have the best response thus far.”
In front of a frenzied atmosphere amid the first game between the two in the District in a decade, the Hoyas met and exceeded the moment. Of Georgetown’s 15 made field goals in the first half, eight were from three. The Hoyas shot 47% from beyond the arc. The second half was nearly identical as the Hoyas finished 15-30 in 3-point shooting.
“I wouldn’t say surprised. I think our coaches did a pretty good job on the scout and telling us what was going to happen,” Maryland center Pharrel Payne said. “We just didn’t play to the level we should”
Jaland Lowe led the way for Georgetown (2-0) with 22 points and 5-of-8 shooting from three. Kayvaun Mulready knocked down five triples and finished with 15 points. Elmarko Jackson added 17, and center Vince Iwuchukwu scored 12.
“We were really fortunate. We shot it well, we shared the ball at a high, high clip, and it was a good win,” said Hoyas coach Ed Cooley.
Payne led all scorers with 28 points, 18 of those in the second half when the game was already out of reach, and pulled down eight rebounds.
“They punched us in the mouth and hit us with a level of physicality,” Payne said, “and we didn’t respond.”
Georgetown has won three of the last five games against Maryland, including two straight after the resumption of the rivalry last year.
“I appreciated all the fans that came out from both schools to support this game, of which is something we wanted to do and something we hope to continue to play as we move forward,” Cooley said. “I think it’s a great game for our community, a great game for both fan bases, alumni, faculty and staff. Just was a good night here in the district.”
As he did in the season opener against Bucknell, Mills again led the way early with five of Maryland’s first nine points and an early lead. But that was the only familiar feeling to the first game.
Maryland looked unsettled throughout, as if it didn’t know whether to attempt threes to match Georgetown’s pace or try to find an opportunity to drive the lane. Perimeter shooting was downright ugly, with the Terrapins making only three the entire game on 20 shots. Attempts to find any opportunities inside were also unsuccessful due to Georgetown’s interior defense.
“Our response has to improve, and I don’t think that that’s specific to one person. I think that’s specific to the entire operation. That includes me,” Maryland coach Buzz Williams said.
Freshman forward Baba Oladotun — who was likely headed to Georgetown before switching his commitment last year to Maryland — was more of a liability than an asset. Oladotun unsuccessfully tried to find a way to the basket against the Hoyas’ twin 7-footers, Iwuchukwu and Chol Machot. He finished with 2 points and only took three shots.
The Hoyas led 16-11 after 8 minutes behind Lowe’s 8 points, as Maryland struggled through a 1-of-9 shooting stretch.
Lowe continued to pour it on. He hit his third triple while falling down at the top of the key. Following a Mills miss, Jackson added one from the far corner, forcing a Maryland timeout with the Hoyas up 29-17.
“We need our offense to be better so that we can get our defense set. [Lowe]’s a dynamic guard, and when he has multiple shooters and [Iwuchukwu] as an anchor at the rim, when the floor is broken to start the possession, you’re going to struggle,” Williams said.
The Terrapins found a bit of momentum as Wagner went coast to coast off a missed Hoyas three. He drew a foul after he made a layup. It cut the Hoyas’ lead to six, 32-25, with 3:35 to go.
That’s as close as Maryland got.
The Hoyas took a 44-28 lead into halftime on the back of 14 points each from Lowe and Jackson. And any hopes that the Terrapins would regroup after halftime dissipated immediately.
Maryland committed four fouls in the first 33 seconds — three by Mike McNair Jr. alone — putting it immediately in trouble. Maryland committed enough to put Georgetown in the bonus after only 3 minutes, something that wouldn’t matter with the way the Hoyas continued to rain down 3-pointers.
“We should have played with our chest more and played less with our hands,” Payne said. “I think that’s something me and the guys got to talk about. But yeah, we just got to be physical with our chest.”
Another rival is on tap next for Maryland (1-1), as the Terrapins welcome No. 9 Virginia to College Park on Friday night.
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