Quote:Hoyas finally get best of a ranked opponent

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Georgetown finally saw some reward for having such a tough schedule. Preston Shumpert could barely see at all, and Syracuse had no chance without him.



Kevin Braswell collected 16 points, six steals and five assists in Georgetown's victory.
Kevin Braswell had 16 points, six steals and five assists Monday night in Georgetown's 75-60 upset of the Orangemen (No. 10 ESPN/USA Today, No. 14 AP), giving the Hoyas the type of quality win they needed to stay in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth.


Mike Sweetney added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Hoyas (13-7, 4-4 Big East), who had been 0-6 against teams currently ranked in the Top 25.


"It's important for us to be able to say we beat a team like Syracuse," said Georgetown coach Craig Esherick, who beefed up the nonconference schedule after a disappointing NCAA seeding last year. "I looked at the Top 25 yesterday, and there's a whole lot of teams that we've played. We've played a tough schedule, and when you have eight underclassmen, there's going to be some inconsistencies."


The Orangemen (17-5, 6-2), however, were hardly a quality-looking opponent Monday night as they lost for the third time in four games.


Shumpert, a senior forward and the Big East's second leading scorer, wore goggles after a flare-up of an eye injury and played just 19 minutes -- including just one minute in the second half. He scored three points on 1-for-5 shooting, his lowest scoring output since the third game of his sophomore year.


Shumpert scratched the cornea in his right eye during the Orangemen's loss to Pittsburgh last year in the semifinals of the Big East tournament. Although the injury has bothered him periodically, this was the first time he wore goggles in a game.


Coach Jim Boeheim said the eye was swollen shut when Shumpert woke up Sunday morning.


"Before the game, he really couldn't see out of it, but he thought he could go," Boeheim said. "We need him out there. He was in more pain at halftime. It flared up, and I just didn't think he could go anymore. ... I don't think a good player should be playing when he can't see. Obviously, without him, we're not the same team."


Boeheim said the eye hasn't been reinjured, and doctors say it could clear up in two or three days.


"He's had a little bit of trouble with it, but not a lot, from time to time," Boeheim said. "But this is the first time that it's flared up this bad. It's pretty ugly looking."


The Orangemen also missed eight straight free throws and were just 8-for-18 from the line for the game. They made just five baskets outside the paint and were badly outrebounded (47-22) for the fourth consecutive game.


"We have a problem there, there's no question about it," Boeheim said. "This team's bigger and stronger than we are, and we've got to find a way to get a few more rebounds to be competitive. We're not a great rebounding team. We're going to get outrebounded."


DeShaun Williams scored 13 points to lead the Orangemen, who fell into a tie with Pittsburgh for first place in the Big East's West Division.


Even with Syracuse's problems, Georgetown didn't pull away until a 10-2 run early in the second half, with six points from Braswell and four free throws from Sweetney. Two freshmen had big games: Harvey Thomas scored a career-high 14 points, and Tony Bethel had 14 points and nine rebounds.


The first half was extremely ragged. There were 19 turnovers -- 10 by Georgetown -- and the game's first successful jump shot didn't come until Thomas' 3-pointer with 11:09 to go in the half. Braswell's 3-pointer with six seconds left put Georgetown up 37-30, the biggest lead by either team in the first half.


Before the game, Georgetown announced that junior forward Victor Samnick will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a nagging foot injury. Samnick, who started 12 games this season, hurt his foot Dec. 6 against South Carolina and had missed the last two games.

criticslovesnatch Wrote:heh. :lol:

Grumpy Wrote:What? Like Maryland has such a great team? Puuuhhleease....those fuckin pansies couldn't play football if their fucking lives depended on it......