OH NO-MAHA: Creighton Crashes Georgetown’s Landing in 86-83 OT Loss

Your Georgetown Hoyas traveled out to Omaha to visit the Creighton Bluejays tonight, falling in overtime in maddening fashion, 86-83. Malik Mack led with 17 points and 4 assists, while Julius Halaifonua was right on his heels with 16 points and 6 boards. KJ Lewis’ scoring came alive in the second half to drop 14 points accompanying 6 rebounds/3 assists/2 steals, while Caleb Williams and Vince Iwuchukwu dropped 12 apiece.

The Hoyas had given up a second half lead to fall to Seton Hall over the weekend and extended their BIG EAST losing streak, while Creighton was also coming off a road loss to St. John’s. Georgetown would also be without Isaiah Abraham who did not travel with the team due to illness. Iwuchukwu got his first start since returning from surgery; Langston Love also got what I believe is his first start of the season.

Both teams began their scoring with what one would expect to be their gameplan — behind the arc for the Jays, and Mack finding Iwuchukwu inside for the point-blank basket. Caleb Williams hitting an early three was a bright spot given the team’s consistent outside shooting struggles. 

Mack’s shot was on early as well, hitting a floater from the lane and a wide-open triple that put Georgetown ahead 13-12 at the first media break. The Hoyas briefly made it a two possession game when Halaifonua got the putback and-1, but Creighton quickly answered with a long three.

A pullup off the window from Mack dropped in smoothly, drawing into sharp relief how much different a game looks when the tough shots actually fall. Creighton continued to hit from outside, while Georgetown kept pace through a hooker from Iwuchukwu, a driving layup from Mack, and generally effective rebounding. The Hoyas led 24-22 at the midway point of the opening half. 

Creighton was heavily swarming Iwuchukwu inside at this point, making finding clear passing lanes into the paint increasingly challenging. While the Jays were trying to neutralize him, he was returning the favor on defense. With the inside option looking less favorable for Georgetown, Mack found Williams outside to grow the Hoyas’ lead to five. A triple from KJ Lewis, and it was an eight point gap; a layup from Julius Halaifonua made it a 10 point advantage, 34-22 with 5:22 remaining in the period.

Hassling perimeter defense from Georgetown was paying dividends throughout a 16-4 run. However, consecutive triples plus a layup and-1 from Creighton reminded everyone just how tenuous that could be. That ten point lead had evaporated into one point in less than 2 minutes of play. A bad turnover from the Hoyas gave the Bluejays an open look and the home team converted. Creighton took a 2-point lead into the break, 38-36.

Perimeter defense was delayed in coming out of the locker room for the Hoyas, giving up back to back threes to Swartz. Iwuchukwu bodied in a jumper and Love found the bottom of the net twice before Swartz struck again from long range. A turnaround jumper from Iwuchukwu a layup from Mack kept it to a one possession game. Halaifonua kept fighting inside and was rewarded with a dunk. Hoyas trailed 53-51 with seven minutes gone.

With Mack, Lewis, and C. Williams on the bench for foul consideration, Georgetown had to look elsewhere for offense. Kayvaun Mulready got a layup, and Jayden Fort added one freethrow plus a tough angle second-chance layup off an Iwuchukwu miss. Lewis forced a turnover at one end, then Fort found him as the trailer at the other end for a triple, briefly putting the Hoyas back on top 59-58 with 9:40 remaining. Three FTs for the Jays and a pair from Mack locked it all up at 61.

Jeremiah Williams’ jumper put Georgetown ahead by a pair heading into the U8. Halaifonua and C. Williams both scored twice, but were countered by (you guessed it) three pointers from Creighton. The Jays were kind enough to finally miss a triple, and it was 71-67 Hoyas at 4:20 when a lengthy review stopped play.

While Lewis missed the subsequent freethrow, he capitalized on Creighton’s the turnover during the next possession to extend the lead to seven via driving layup and-1 with 3:37 on the clock.

The two teams traded field goals, and it was still a 7-point game with 1:47 till the buzzer. A pair of buckets from Creighton, including one off a forced turnover, cut it to three. Swartz hit yet another triple to tie it up. The Hoyas’ lead had been erased, and their offense could not muster an organized look. After an interminable, agonizing review, Love’s buzzer-adjacent putback that would have given Georgetown the win was overturned. 76-76. Overtime.

Off the opening OT tipoff, Iwuchukwu went down with a right leg or foot issue, and Swartz made the and-1 layup. Not sure which was more painful. A whole minute elapsed before Halaifonua found Lewis in the corner for a three tie it up again.

The rare perimeter miss by the Jays set Mack up to get it inside, where Halaifonua finished. Swartz answered with a fallaway jumper in the paint. 81-81 with 1:56 left in the first overtime. 

Lewis answered a Creighton layup with a pullup jumper, but Swartz extended his career high to hit again and put the Jays ahead by two with 25.8 remaining in OT. The Hoyas got the ball back with the shot clock and game clock synced up, but Lewis had it stripped. That was the end.

Georgetown’s shooting was markedly improved, as was the rebounding. And for the first time in a several weeks, the team looked both organized and hungry for a victory. The inability to hang onto that lead at the end of regulation is going to haunt them.

Whatever solace they could theoretically take from knowing they came in as 10-point underdogs on the road and played their opponent into overtime is likely going to be overridden by the knowledge that this game was absolutely winnable. (Also, any review that takes that long is NOT conclusive.)

Georgetown gets until Saturday to regroup, when they will host UCONN for a Noon tip, airing on FOX.

Hoya Saxa. Please tell me Iwuchukwu is okay.