Read more at our Georgetown blog, Casual Hoya, and our Connecticut blog, The UConn Blog.
No. 12 Georgetown Hosts No. 13 UConn In Early Saturday Clash
January 9, 2010 - Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Julian Vaughn's tip-in with 44.5 seconds to play set up a frantic finish in typical Big East fashion, as No. 12 Georgetown rallied from a 19-point deficit to shock 13th-ranked Connecticut, 72-69.
Alex Oriakhi's tip-in with 1:20 left in the first half gave UConn a 40-21 lead. Just over 21 game minutes later, Georgetown ran off the Verizon Center with its third conference victory.
The Hoyas (12-2, 3-1 Big East) blitzed the Huskies in the second half with a 14-1 spurt capped by a Vaughn layup and a pair of Austin Freeman free throws with just under 15 minutes to play. Freeman lit up the scoreboard with a career-best 33 points to go along with seven rebounds and made several key buckets down the stretch.
A Freeman trey followed by a jumper from the guard cut the deficit to 50-48 then Chris Wright's three-pointer with just under 8 1/2 to go finally brought the Hoyas back even at 55-55. Wright scored 14 points, while Greg Monroe added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Freeman's layup with just over eight minutes to go gave the Hoyas the lead at 57-55 and the edge reached four before Jerome Dyson and Oriakhi made consecutive shots inside to tie the game at 63-63. Dyson scored 12, while Stanley Robinson paced a balanced UConn (11-4, 2-2) attack with 16 points and eight rebounds. Oriakhi and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel scored 11 points apiece in defeat.
Freeman drained another three -- he finished the contest with five treys -- for a 66-65 lead then Monroe rebounded a Freeman miss and converted a putback to get that one-point edge, 68-67, with 1:30 on the clock. Oriakhi was fouled on the other end and made both shots for a 69-68 game before Vaughn’s tip-in off a Monroe miss.
The Huskies had several quality chances to push in front late. Dyson missed amongst several bodies in close, but Gavin Edwards snatched the rebound and kicked the basketball out to Kemba Walker, who missed a three from the top of the circle. Oriakhi grabbed another offensive board and gave it back out to Walker, who lost control as he stormed into the lane.
The loose ball went off several hands, and even a knee, before it eventually found the welcome hands of Monroe underneath the basket for a layup. UConn got off a 25-foot heave from Robinson just before the horn, but it missed slightly long and to the left.
Georgetown was stuck at 19 points for nearly six minutes in the first half, as UConn went on a 16-0 run to open a 34-19 lead. A Coombs-McDaniel trey, Edwards layup, Oriakhi free throw and another Coombs-McDaniel three ended the stretch.
Georgetown shot 41.5 percent from the floor, but made seven three-pointers and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds...UConn made 48.3 percent of its shots and committed 15 turnovers...Walker had nine points and five assists...Georgetown leads the all-time series, 34-27.
See More:
