The 100th meeting of storied rivals Syracuse basketball and Georgetown didn't disappoint. Well, the final result certainly disappointed the Orange program and its fan base, but you get what I'm saying.
On Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome, these long-time former Big East Conference adversaries went back and forth in the second half, with each squad having a great shot to ultimately prevail.
However, in the game's waning minutes, the 'Cuse couldn't buy a bucket. Literally. In a tightly fought non-conference affair, Syracuse basketball went more than four minutes down the stretch without scoring a field goal.
Yuck. Georgetown beat Syracuse at the Dome, 75-71. The Orange falls to 5-5 and will play Maryland in Brooklyn, N.Y., next Saturday afternoon.
— InsideTheLoudHouse (@LoudHouseFS) December 14, 2024
What kept the Orange in this encounter is that it possessed a large edge at the charity stripe, where it was plus-14 points. Still, those pesky Hoyas did just enough to notch a 75-71 road triumph on Saturday, dropping the 'Cuse to 5-5 overall so far in the 2024-25 campaign.
Up next, Syracuse basketball will head to Brooklyn, N.Y., to face Big Ten Conference member Maryland on Saturday, Dec. 21, with the tip-off scheduled for 12 pm and television coverage on ESPN.
The Orange are back in action next Saturday vs. Maryland in Brooklyn
— Syracuse Athletics (@Cuse) December 14, 2024
'Cuse x @SRCdefense pic.twitter.com/VviOhFyPmd
My key observations as Syracuse basketball suffers a bad loss at home to Georgetown.
•I'm not a Hoyas hater, but no matter how you slice it, this is a tough setback for the Orange. Based on Georgetown's current NCAA NET ranking of No. 97, this is a quadrant-three loss for the 'Cuse and the team's first defeat at the Dome. By extension, so far in 2024-25, Syracuse basketball still has yet to conquer a foe from a power conference, with the squad's five losses coming to Georgetown, Texas, Texas Tech, Tennessee and Notre Dame.
•Collectively, the Orange made 42.6 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from 3-point land and 72.4 percent from the free-throw line. The Hoyas, on the other hand, connected on 47.7 percent from the field, 24.0 percent from beyond the arc and 63.6 percent from the charity stripe.
•In other statistical categories, Syracuse basketball led 17-3 in bench points, 3-2 in blocks, and 15-9 in second-chance points. Georgetown, conversely, held advantages of 36-34 in rebounding, 20-12 in assists, 19-5 in fast-break points, 6-5 in steals, 13-11 in points off turnovers, and 48-34 in paint points. Each group committed 10 turnovers.
•Graduate student center Eddie Lampkin Jr. paced the Orange with 18 points along with five boards while hitting on 8-of-12 from the field. Senior forward Jyare Davis tallied 15 points and six rebounds, while senior point guard Jaquan Carlos chipped in 15 points and five assists. Freshman shooting guard Elijah Moore had 10 points, while freshman power forward Donnie Freeman contributed eight points.
•In the second half, the 'Cuse found itself down by a score of 54-46. But then Syracuse basketball upped its defensive intensity to fuel an 18-4 run to give the Orange its largest lead at 64-58. However, Syracuse basketball couldn't grow its edge by more than a half-dozen points, and when the 'Cuse went cold in the final few minutes, the Hoyas seized their opportunity to prevail.
•With this loss, the Orange is now 54-46 in its all-time series with Georgetown.