New York, NY (Sports Network) – Greg Monroe and Austin Freeman were perfect inside-outside complements of one another, combining for 42 points in No. 15 Georgetown’s 72-65 victory over 22nd-ranked Butler at Madison Square Garden.
No. 15 Georgetown 72, No. 22 Butler 65: Greg Monroe Has A Mammoth Night
Monroe finished with career-highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds, while Freeman hit 4-of-5 from three-point range en route to an 18-point effort for the Hoyas (7-0), who won their previous three games by an average of 27 points.
Jason Clark chipped in nine points, as Georgetown’s prowess on the glass, 43-30, made up for 21 turnovers.
Gordon Hayward posted 24 points for the Bulldogs (6-3), who have split their last six games and face nationally-ranked Ohio State on Saturday. Shelvin Mack and Zach Hahn logged 12 and 11 points, respectively, in defeat.
Georgetown’s inside presence was the difference in the opening 20 minutes, as evidenced by Monroe’s 14 first-half points.
A 10-0 run midway through the stanza erased an 11-10 deficit, as Freeman’s tip-in off a Julian Vaughn miss capped the run.
Monroe’s late layup yielded a 39-31 lead at the break, and the Hoyas did some work on the perimeter in the early going of the second half. Freeman hit a pair of three-pointers around the 15-minute mark, and Hollis Thompson added another from long range a little later for a 52-35 advantage.
Butler inched closer with frequent trips to the foul line, and Hayward’s make from downtown cut the Bulldogs’ deficit to 54-47 with 8 1/2 minutes left.
Monroe’s putback off his own miss three minutes later extended the margin to 60-51, and Georgetown led comfortably until the final minute.
Mack and Hayward hit consecutive buckets with the latter making it 65-59 with 1:21 remaining. After two Freeman free throws, Hahn made a trey to make it a five-point game, through Georgetown made enough at the stripe to ice it.
The game, which was part of the Jimmy V Classic, was the first meeting between these two programs on the hardwood…Next up for the Hoyas is a game against nationally-ranked Washington in Anaheim on Saturday…Butler’s Matt Howard had nine points and six rebounds before fouling out with 3 1/2 minutes to go.
- Via Sports Network
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