| Game Preview: Georgetown | Date: Feb. 1, 2000 |
| Site: Washington, D.C. | Records: U of L: 11-8, Georgetown: 11-8 |
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| The Cards make a venture out of conference play for their first of two matchups vs. the Big East this month. As we move into February, U of L is still searching for a raod win over a Division I opponent as they play at Georgetown for the first time ever. They are also looking to end a three-game skid and a losing spell of four of their last five. The Cards have not faced Georgetown, which has the same overall record and conference record of U of L (3-5) since they met in the Final Four in 1982. |
The Hoyas are led by 6-2 guard Kevin Braswell, who averages 15.1 ppg, and 6-11 center Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, who collects 12.4 ppg and 8.4 rebounds a game. The Cards, who have outrebounded their last two opponents, face another tough batle on the boards. The Hoyas lead the Big East in rebounding at 41.7 a game. U of L, on the other hand, is last in C-USA in rebounding with only 32.3 a game. And what could pose even more problems for U of L is Georgetown's defense. They lead the Big East again in holding their opponents to only 36.2% from the field. If that defense holds, U of L could be in real trouble yet again. The Cards are tied for last in C-USA in allowing opponents to shoot 44.5% from the field. The Cards need a win before their season, and the careers of five seniors, slip away.
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| Game Summary: Georgetown | Score: Georgetown 61, Louisville 59 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Tobiah Hopper (13) Georgetown: Lee Scruggs (21) |
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| Each game is getting uglier and uglier for the Cards, who have now lost four in a row and six of their last seven. The Cards are desparate for a win, struggling to put the pieces together and unraveling as a unit. What hurts the most is that the Cards lost because they could not execute in the final mintues, literally handing the game to the Hoyas after holding a three-point lead and the ball with 30 seconds left. After the game was tied 55-55, Tony Williams hit two inside baskets to give Louisville a 59-55 lead with 1:24 left. The first turnover was actually a bad call against U of L, but such is life when in a funk like the one the Cards are enduring now. Nate Johnson came up big with a steal, but Reece Gaines had the ball stolen from him at midourt with 30 seconds left. Two free throws by Georgetown guard Kevin Braswell pulled the Hoyas within one. After a timeout, U of L never even got the ball inbounds, as Nate Johnson was called for a five-second violation. Georgetown then set up a wide open 15-foot jumper for Anthony Perry, his first basket of the game, for the 60-59 lead with 24 seconds left. It was the Hoyas' first lead since 7-5. |
| The Cards got the ball back, but after another timeout, when U of L used to be strong in its execution, Marques Maybin committed U of L's third turnover in the final minute with only six seconds left. Maybin was driving through the lane, was stripped of the ball by Hoya cener Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, who was then fouled and hit one of two free throws. A last-second three-point attempt by Tony Williams, who missed all five of this threes in the contest, fell off the front rim as time expired. It was the second time this season U of L missed a three-pointer at the buzzer in an attempt to pull out a win from a 2-point deficit. Statistically, the Cards played an OK game. They held Georgetown to 28.8% shooting, the fourth straight road game U of L has held its opponent to less than 40%. The Cards themselves shot 51% from the field against a team that was third in the nation in team defense, a team that on average had held opponents to 44.6% shooting. Like the St. Louis game, it appears the Cards gave away another contest from the line, making only 6-14 free throws. |
| Louisville opened up their biggest lead of the game at 46-36 early in the second half after Tobiah Hopper hit his third three-pointer of the game. But then the Hoyas began to use their size. Boumtje Boumtje and Lee Scruggs, both 6-11, combined for 40 points and 18 rebounds. Scruggs led all scorers with a career-high 21 points and also pulled down a career-high nine rebounds. Using their inside men, the Hoyas went on a 10-2 run to pull within two points at the 9:19 mark. For U of L, Reece Gaines finished with 10 points but also four turnovers, while Nate Johnson scored nine, Maybin and Williams each finished with eight and Dion Edward, who fouled out with a minute remaining, had 10 rebounds. The Cards were outrebounded 39-32 and committed 20 turnovers to Georgetown's 12. Senior Maybin led the Cards in turnovers with six, while Johnson also had four.
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| Game Summary: Georgetown | Score: Georgetown 70, Louisville 63 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (28) Georgetown: Mike Sweetney (12), Demetrius Hunter (12) |
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| In U of L's regular season home opener, the tailspin the Cardinals have been riding since returning from Hawaii continued out of control. Yet again U of L opened with a desparate first half, and despite a steady comeback in the second period, U of L dug itself too great a hole to erase. The Cards looked unconfident, confused, bewildered and as if they didn't belong on the same court--in the first half. And for the second year in a row, Georgetown plays by all means an uninspiring game with a lousy field goal percentage only to beat the Cards anyway. The end of the game provided some ray of hope as the Cards crept back into winning position, but yet again reminders of how far this team has to go were more than evident. |
| For the game, the Cards shot only 31%, and had just as many turnovers (18) as field goals. The Cardinals' bench was outscored by the Hoya bench 24-0. Georgetown themselves shot only 36% from the field, was a dismal 22-39 from the free throw line and committed 20 turnovers. It was enough to boost their perfect record to 6-0. In the first half, U of L shot 5-20 and trailed 34-15 at halftime. U of L scored one point in the first six minutes to fall behind by 10. By the third TV timeout, the Cards trailed 28-9, and even though the Hoyas then went five minutes without a field goal, they still extended their lead by three. |
| In the second half, Marques Maybin caught fire for U of L. He opened the period with a three-pointer to set the tone, but the Cards were unable to take advantage of some solid opportunities to narrow the lead. U of L could have cut the lead to 10 with 7:15 left after a personal and technical foul against the Hoyas, but the Cards made only 1-4 free throws. Luke Whithead hit a jumper with 1:54 left to pull U of L within 62-58, Georgetown then hit two free throws. Mac Wilkinson had a shot blocked with 45 seconds left, and it was only a three by Reece Gaines at the buzzer that prevented another double-digit loss by the Cards. Maybin led all scorers with 28, but was only 6-17 from the field, though he really turned it on in the second period. Gaines struggled to finish with 12 points on a terrible 3-15 from the field. Whitehead had 12 points and 10 rebounds while Ellis Myles had seven points and 11 rebounds. Demetrius Hunter and Mike Sweetney each had 12 for Georgetown, while Kevin Braswell dished out nine assists. The Hoyas killed U of L on the boards 58-38, but the Cards had 12 blocked shots compared to Georgetown's four.
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