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Hibbert Leads No. 5 Georgetown to 68-50 Win over Pesky William & Mary in 2007-08 Season Opener |
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Written by Media Relations
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Saturday, 10 November 2007 |
Washington, D.C. – Georgetown senior preseason All-American Roy Hibbert (Adelphi, Md./Georgetown Prep) scored a game-high 23 points and added eight rebounds as the Hoyas used a late run in the second half to pull away from a pesky William & Mary squad in the season opener for both schools in front of 11,364 at Verizon Center Saturday afternoon.
Georgetown (1-0) led by five points at the break and a jumper from Hibbert pushed the lead to seven points, 37-30, but William & Mary kept itself alive in the game with the three-point shot, hitting five of their nine for the game in the second half. After taking the seven-point lead, long distance shots from Nathan Mann and Alex Smith kept the margin close.
The Hoyas again led by five points, 47-42, with less than 10 minutes left in the game when William & Mary guard David Schneider hit a three-pointer to narrow the gap to two points. Georgetown responded with Hibbert, who hit three-straight baskets and keyed an 11-3 run as the Hoyas extended their lead to double digits for the first time, 58-48, with 4:25 to play in the game. A layup from junior guard Jessie Sapp (New York, N.Y./National Christian Academy) and a three-pointer from senior guard Jonathan Wallace (Harvest, Ala./Sparkman) capped the run for the Hoyas.
Georgetown extended its lead to 14 points, 64-50, when Hibbert hit one of two free throws, and extended the margin to 18 points, 68-50, on a layup from before settling for the 15-point win.
After winning the opening tip, a jumper in the lane from Laimis Kisielius and a three from the left of the key from David Schneider gave the visitors an early 5-0 lead just two minutes into the game. The Hoyas responded with a corner three from Summers and a pair of Sapp free throws to tie the game at 5-all.
William & Mary kept things close through the first 10 minutes of the second half, with three ties and three lead changes. Georgetown took its first lead, 7-5, when Hibbert hit a pair of free throws. Tied at 10, Summers and Wallace hit back-to-back three-pointers as the Hoyas took their biggest lead, 16-10, with 14:42 to play. A three from Kyle Carrabine and a jumper from Kisielius tied the game for the third time at 18 apiece.
The game was neck-and-neck through the latter stages of the half as each team traded baskets. A three from Schneider and a free throw from Kisielius gave the Tribe a 24-20 lead, but GU tied it at 24 on one of two free throws from Wallace, followed by a free throw from Hibbert and a layup from the senior center.
Georgetown led 27-26 after a jumper from Summers and held the Tribe scoreless for more than two minutes for a layup from Chris Darnell gave W&M a 28-27 lead. The Tribe would go through another scoreless string, hitting only one field goal in the final 4:58 of the half, and the Blue and Gray took advantage. A three-pointer from Sapp was followed by five points from Wallace as the Hoyas went into the break leading by five points, 35-30.
Hibbert led three players in double figures with 23 points, connecting on 9-of-11 shots from the field and 5-of-8 from the free throw line to go with eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Sapp added 18 points, six assists and six rebounds, while Wallace finished with 15 points, four assists and two steals. Summers added 10 points and six rebounds.
The Hoyas shot 50.0 percent from the floor (24-of-48), including 59.1 percent in the second half (13-of-22), when they outscored the Tribe, 33-23. Georgetown controlled the boards (35-30), handed out 12 assists, blocked four shots and had seven steals. Georgetown returns to action next on Thursday, November 15, hosting Michigan in a non-league game at Verizon Center. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. The game will be shown live on ESPN360 and can be heard locally on SportsTalk 980 AM.
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