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No. 5 Georgetown Returns Home to Host Fairfield at Verizon Center on Saturday |
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Written by Media Relations
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Friday, 30 November 2007 |
Washington, D.C. – After two games away from home, the No. 5-ranked Georgetown University men’s basketball team returns home to host Fairfield on Saturday, December 1 in a non-league matchup at Verizon Center. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.
The game can be heard locally on SportsTalk 980 AM, with Rich Chvotkin calling the game. Fans can also watch a live video stream of the game on the Georgetown Athletics Website – www.guhoyas.com. In order to watch the game, fans need to be members of the All-Access package or will need to register through the website for a monthly fee.
Georgetown improved to 4-0 on Wednesday night, beating Old Dominion, 66-48, in front a sold-out crowd in Norfolk, Va. Senior center Roy Hibbert (Adelphi, Md./Georgetown Prep) recorded his first double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, as nine different players scored in the win. Freshman Austin Freeman (Mitchellville, Md./DeMatha) joined Hibbert in double figures, scoring 11 points.
Georgetown, seeking its first 5-0 start since the 2003-04 season, when the team won its first 10 games, is ranked No. 5 nationally in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll and in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ poll.
Hibbert leads Georgetown in scoring and rebounding, averaging 16.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He has reached double figures in scoring in all four games this season and in 10-straight games dating back to last season.
Junior guard Jessie Sapp (New York, N.Y./National Christian Academy [Md.]) has scored in double figures in three games this season and is second on the team with 12.0 points per game. He has led the team in assists each game, averaging 5.3 per game, and is tied for third on the team in rebounding.
The Hoyas have been led by a stingy defense, which is allowing opponents to score only 50.2 points per game. Georgetown has allowed only 48 points apiece in the last two contests and opponents have not scored more than 60 against the team this season. Since John Thompson III took over as head coach, Georgetown is 57-6 when opponents score 60 or fewer points, including a 25-2 mark in the last two seasons.
The Hoya starting lineup features four players with a combined 276 starts during their careers. Senior guard Jonathan Wallace (Harvest, Ala./Sparkman) will start his 107th career game Saturday, while Hibbert has 91 career starts, followed by Sapp (40) and sophomore DaJuan Summers (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh), who has started 38 games. Senior forward Patrick Ewing, Jr. (Marietta, Ga./National Christian Academy [Md.] has started all four games this season and has 18 career starts.
Fairfield enters today’s game with a 2-4 overall record. The Stags are coming off a 55-51 loss at St. Francis (N.Y.) on Wednesday. Fairfield opened the season with losses to Wake Forest and Holy Cross before bouncing back to beat American (60-52) and Sacred Heart (84-75). Junior guard Jonathan Han is one of two players in double figures in scoring, averaging 11.8 points. He is handing out a team-best 5.5 assists and has connected on 38.1 percent of his three-point attempts (8-of-21). Sophomore forward Greg Nero is second on the team in scoring (10.0 ppg) and third with 4.0 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Anthony Johnson is third on the team in scoring with 9.0 points and leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game. Freshman forward Yorel Hawkins is averaging 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Han scored 20 points and had five assists, while Johnson recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a 69-64 loss at Cincinnati on November 24. The Stags are averaging 62.2 points per game and shooting 39.0 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from long distance and 71.8 percent from the free throw line.
Saturday’s game with Fairfield will be the 19th all-time meeting between the schools. Georgetown leads the head-to-head series, 14-4, and has won the last five meetings between the schools. The average margin of victory in the last five games is 24.8 points. Fairfield’s last win over Georgetown was a 76-65 decision during the 1974-75 season. The teams first met in 1959-60.
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