Skidding Hoyas crushed by 27

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Seton Hall point guard Andre Barrett didn’t let Georgetown ruin his party.

Playing in the final home game of his career, Barrett was magnificent in a farewell for the home folks. Georgetown just happened to be in Barrett’s way.

Barrett made five of six 3-pointers en route to a game-high 25 points as the Pirates humiliated the Hoyas 75-48 last night before 11,302 at Continental Airlines Arena.

“The only thing I wanted to do was come out and play hard,” said Barrett, who made eight of 11 shots from the floor. “It just so happened that I came out with a good game. I think I’ve been playing pretty well all year and this just tops it off the last game at home.”

The reeling Hoyas (13-12, 4-10 Big East) tied a modern school record with their sixth straight defeat, a low mark reached only twice in the last 30 years. Last season the Hoyas also dropped six consecutive games, and the 1974-75 team did so in John Thompson’s third year as coach.

For the fourth straight game, Georgetown failed to score 60 points. The 27-point loss was the Hoyas’ worst in a season with, mercifully, only two regular games remaining.

“I don’t know whatever it is, it’s just not there,” Georgetown senior co-captain Gerald Riley said. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s not there. We just don’t have it. There’s some things that we’re just not doing right now. If I knew what it was, I could tell you, but I don’t.”

The 5-foot-10 Barrett is one of the elite point guards in college basketball, as Georgetown learned. One play in particular stood out. With Seton Hall leading 45-30 with 13:18 left, Barrett stripped Riley as soon as Georgetown’s leading scorer put the ball on the floor and sailed in for an uncontested layup.

With that basket, Barrett moved into seventh place on Seton Hall’s all-time scoring list with 1,790 points. Throughout the game, Seton Hall fans chanted Barrett’s name. He is on a mission to get the Pirates (19-7, 9-5) into the NCAA tournament, and last night’s win was a step in that direction.

“They have a lot more to play for than we do right now,” Georgetown coach Craig Esherick said.

Georgetown went scoreless for the first 4:48 before Brandon Bowman made a 3-pointer from the right wing. The first half was an embarrassment for Georgetown, which was 3-for-22 (13.6 percent).

The Hoyas also scored a season-low 14 points in the first 20 minutes as Bowman made all three of their field goals. The rest of the Hoyas went 0-for-14. By halftime, this game was essentially over at 30-14.

The reeling Hoyas will need help to qualify for the Big East tournament. If Miami loses at Villanova on Tuesday, the Hoyas will get a berth even if they lose both of their remaining games at Notre Dame on Thursday and at home against Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Barrett played 12 minutes in the first half, giving sophomore point guard Donald Copeland valuable time against a Big East foe. He finished with a career-high 12 points.

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