Hoyas lose to Irish, down to last game

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Georgetown gave a clinic against Notre Dame on how to miss shots.

Brandon Bowman missed on a dunk. Gerald Riley missed on an easy layup. So did Courtland Freeman. Then Riley again. A shot by Ashanti Cook rolled once around the rim and popped out.

The Hoyas shot just 28 percent in losing 61-48 to the Irish last night, their seventh straight loss.

“We couldn’t put the ball in the ocean if we threw out of a boat,” said Bowman, who led the Hoyas with 17 points. “We couldn’t buy a bucket.”

The Hoyas still can still qualify for the Big East tournament with a win tomorrow against Virginia Tech at MCI Center or if Miami loses at home to West Virginia.

“It’s a must-win this weekend,” Bowman said.

The 48 points were the fewest ever allowed by the Irish (15-11, 8-7) in a Big East game, breaking the mark of 51 in a victory over Seton Hall in 2002.

“That was really great for us,” said Chris Thomas, the leading Irish scorer with 19 points. “We really guarded them and made them take tough shots. Nobody really got good looks, and if they did we were blocking out and limiting their second-chance opportunities.”

It didn’t seem like it mattered how many chances the Hoyas got. They simply couldn’t put it in the basket.

“We missed some real good shots that I think we can make,” coach Craig Esherick said. “Most of the game I thought we got some shots I’d take again.”

It was the second straight game in which the Hoyas (13-13, 4-11) were held to 48 points — and they needed a 15-foot jumper by Ray Reed at the buzzer to get that many.

The Irish, though, preferred to see it as strong defense.

“We really defended well and didn’t take any possessions off,” Torrian Jones said.

Notre Dame was in control throughout after opening a 13-4 lead early. The Irish shot 37.5 percent and had just five turnovers.

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