In each of its past two games, Georgetown failed to deliver the stout defensive performance it needed to notch an impressive win over a power-conference opponent.
The Hoyas can recover on defense and snap their two-game losing streak when they host low-scoring Coppin State on Tuesday in Washington.
Georgetown (5-4) struggled to slow Syracuse’s duo of Judah Mintz and JJ Starling in the Hoyas’ 80-68 home loss to the Orange on Saturday. Mintz scored 25 points and Starling added 21 for Syracuse, which shot 53.7 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from 3-point range.
Georgetown was also routinely beaten in transition, as the Orange tallied 20 fast-break points.
The Hoyas’ defensive struggles on Saturday came a game after they surrendered their season high in points in an 84-83 loss to visiting TCU in the Big East-Big 12 Battle on Dec. 2.
“Our players’ personalities come out when we can score, so for us to continue to improve we have to hang our hat on defense, ’cause the ball can only be in one basket,” Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said Saturday.
The Hoyas deploy four double-digit scorers in Jayden Epps (18.9 points per game), Dontrez Styles (15.3), Supreme Cook (11.4) and Ismael Massoud (10.7).
Coppin State (1-10) manages a futile 55.1 points per game, which ranks 361st among 362 Division I teams entering Monday. The Eagles’ scoring woes persisted in their 76-45 loss at George Washington on Saturday despite taking a season-high 77 shots.
All but two of Coppin State’s scorers missed over half their field goals. The Eagles shot 26 percent from the field against the Revolutionaries and finished 2-of-22 (9.1 percent) from 3-point range.
Coppin State has yet to develop a core of dependable scorers even though first-year coach Larry Stewart said last month that the Eagles had multiple players capable of becoming go-to contributors.
“Good players are consistent. You just have to get them into that mindset,” Stewart said on Nov. 3, per Press Box Online. “There’s a difference between a lion and a deer, we want all lions.”
Justin Winston produces 13.4 points per game as Coppin State’s lone scorer averaging double figures. No other Eagle supplies more than 8.4 points per contest.
–Field Level Media