PUPPY CHOW: Hoyas Roll Over to Butler Bulldogs, 90-66

Ruff second-half shooting led to big off-the-leash runs

Your Georgetown Hoyas (8-11, 1-7 BIG EAST) were eaten up by the Butler Bulldogs (13-7, 4-5) at home, 90-66. This is a back-to-back game where Ed Cooley’s team allowed 90 points but tonight the Hoyas failed to crack 70 on their own side of the scoreboard. For much of the matchup the difference was essentially a 12-point first half run by the Bulldogs, but a ruff shooting game by Jayden Epps (4-19, 2-13 3PT) and some sloppy second-half defense dogged any hopes for a Hoyas comeback. Not even the refs could throw Cooley a bone in this one.

Georgetown again started Jayden Epps, Jay Heath (9 pts, 3-8 FG, 3-6 3PT), Dontrez Styles (11 pts, 4-10 FG, 0-4 3PT), Ismael Massoud (7 pts, 3-5 FG, 1-2 3PT), and Supreme Cook (12 pts, 5-10 FG, 12 reb). Thad Matta started Posh Alexander, DJ Davis, Pierre Brooks II (20 pts, 8-15 FG, 4-6 3PT), Jahmyl Telfort, and Jalen Thomas for Butler.

The game started relatively evenly matched, with the teams trading buckets and shooting fairly well. The Bulldogs and Hoyas were knotted up at 23 before Butler went on a 12-0 run powered by Brooks, who scored 18 points in the half (7-11 FG, 4-6 3PT). DJ Davis had 8 points and 4 of Butler’s 8 first-half assists.

Epps led the Hoyas with 13 points in the half on 3-10 shooting from the field and 2-7 shooting from three. He also went 5-5 from the charity stripe but he peaked in the first. Heath contributed 9 points on 3-4 shooting, all threes. The Hoyas had only two assists in the half and did not make a field goal in the last four minutes of the first period.

At halftime, Butler led 44-32. The Bulldogs did it with 11 points off of turnovers compared to Georgetown 3 in the half, and Butler had 18 points in the paint compared to Georgetown’s measly 10 points in the paint. Butler also had five fast-break points, while Georgetown didn’t have any. Neither team had any bench points before intermission. There was hope Georgetown could get some better shooting in the second.

In the beginning of the second half, it was almost a carbon copy of the first as the lead didn’t really change for quite a bit. Epps did catch cold and starting out 0-5 (0-4 3PT) on the first 12 minutes of the latter period. In the second, Epps was 1-9 FG and 0-6 3PT. Likewise, Heath was 0-4 from the field and 0-2 from the perimeter in the second period.

An 11-0 run over two minutes by Butler, helped by a 1-10 shooting stretch by Georgetown, had the score 73-51 at the under 8 media timeout. It was beyond over as the run extended to 19-2 to give Butler the 80-53 lead with 4:09 left.

There was no home cooking. The fans were quiet. The referees were no help. Any brief instance of physicality by Georgetown was discouraged by a whistle. Butler, not necessarily known for its size and strength over the years, found ways to keep encouraging the Hoyas to take long twos and contested threes. Cooley was the recipient of a technical foul after complaining about the discrepancy on calls when Epps and Heath were driving.

Cooley put in Cameron Bacote, Austin Montgomery, and Jon Kazor to mop up the mess. Bacote hit a three pointer and Kazor had a nice assist to a Montgomery three for the Hoyas to get to 66 points. Wayne Bristol (5 pts, 2-4 FG, 1-3 3PT in 20 min) score the only other points from the bench (11 bench points total).

Georgetown was destroyed on points in the paint 42-26 and lost the rebound battle 41-32. The Hoyas were an ugly 23-66 from the floor and 9-34 from the perimeter. Each team only had 8 turnovers. Butler edged GU on the assists 12-9.

Cook had a double-double in 29 minutes and Styles was a rebound away from the feat (11 pts, 9 reb) in 36 minutes.

Ed Cooley and the Hoyas will visit the Providence Friars (12-6, 3-4) on Saturday at 12:30PM (FOX) for a “Coaches vs. Cancer” game. In the meantime, the Friars visit Seton Hall Pirates (13-6, 6-2) on Wednesday night (6:30 PM, FS1).