Hoyas Cook up victory at Oregon

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EUGENE, Ore. -- With center Roy Hibbert dominating inside and Georgetown's rebounders stifling Oregon's transition offense, the Hoyas hardly needed a career-game from guard Ashanti Cook to end the Ducks' 35-game nonconference home winning streak.

They got one nonetheless.

Helping the Hoyas to a 71-57 victory in the Hispanic College Fund Classic yesterday afternoon at McArthur Court, the senior scored a career-high 25 points.

Cook also made eight of 10 field goals, including a career-high-tying four 3-pointers on five attempts. Combined with Hibbert's 16 points and 10 rebounds, the Hoyas (3-1) proved to be too balanced for Oregon (3-2).

"That's how our offense works," Hibbert said. "They can take away one thing, but they can't take away the other one. If I'm hitting shots down low, eventually they're going to get sucked in and Ashanti is going to be able to take you off the dribble and hit his shot."

That's how things got turned around in Georgetown's favor midway though the first half.

With the Hoyas trailing 12-4 after missing five of their first seven shots, Cook came off a screen and sank a 3-pointer to spark a 13-1 run that ended with a 17-13 lead for Georgetown with 6:30 left in the first half.

Cook had 10 points during that run and scored 16 in the first half, when he made all four of his 3-point attempts.

"I just came off one of our plays that we had and I was open and I just knocked it down," said Cook of his initial basket. "I didn't think, 'I need to make this bucket,' or anything like that. I was just open and I just made the shot and I guess that did give us spark and it went from there."

The Hoyas scored the first seven points of the second half to lead 35-23 at the 17:51 mark, and from there they never led by fewer than nine.

"That's a very good win against a very good team, and that's an understatement," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said.

While Cook was knocking down shots from the perimeter, the 7-foot-2, 285-pound Hibbert was controlling his matchup against Oregon center Ray Schafer, who was giving up two inches and 55 pounds. Hibbert had eight points and seven rebounds by halftime. He finished 5-for-6 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Schafer finished with five points and three rebounds.

Georgetown outrebounded Oregon 37-20 and shot 50 percent from the field to the Ducks' 40. That helped the Hoyas slow Oregon down on offense.

"The whole week of practice we just worked on transition," Cook said. "It was engraved in our minds."

In the Hoyas' only loss this season -- 68-61 to Vanderbilt last weekend -- Hibbert was limited to 13 minutes and six points because of foul trouble, and Cook was scoreless in 17 minutes for the same reason. Against the Ducks, Hibbert committed only one foul and stayed in the game for 29 minutes, while Cook -- who was on the floor for all but one minute -- was whistled for three fouls.

"I had to play smart," Cook said. "I know my team needs me in the game in order for us to be successful. I taught myself from the last game to not to be as aggressive but still stay aggressive at the same time."

Whatever formula he used worked, and Oregon never figured out a way to stop him.

"I was able to just make shots," Cook said. "I was open and we practice making open shots. ... I was just able to provide for the team today."