2009-2010 Georgetown Hoyas Basketball: Georgetown vs Washington

The Georgetown Hoyas know that the month of December wasn't their problem last season, but one can never have enough high-quality non-conference wins. After a successful Saturday in Southern California, the dudes from Washington, D.C., are headed in the right direction.

In December of 2008, Georgetown beat Memphis and raced to a 9-1 record entering conference play. Last year's Hoya club thrived for the six weeks of competition, but then fell apart in the Big East. Everyone who has returned for the 2009-10 season is aware of the need to sustain a high level of performance; based on this wipeout of Washington, Coach John Thompson III has to be cautiously optimistic about his team's prospects.

After an ugly first half that featured a total of 18 turnovers, the Georgetown roster had to re-evaluate its level of concentration. Having endured a cross-country plane flight and all the challenges that accompany an extended amount of travel, the Hoyas needed to acquire an extra dimension of precision if they were going to hold off Coach Lorenzo Romar's Huskies, who revel in a helter-skelter style of play and depend on their ability to rattle their opponents. The ragged nature of the first 20 minutes at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., played into Washington's hands. Thompson needed to see his lineup deliver a statement at the beginning of the second half.

Did it ever.

The GU crew became a juggernaut in the first six and a half minutes after halftime. Georgetown reeled off a 21-2 run powered by 8-of-9 field goal shooting and the inside power of forward Julian Vaughn, center Greg Monroe, and guard Austin Freeman. Vaughn scored three buckets in the decisive spurt, Monroe scored two baskets, and Freeman assisted on four made field goals for the Hoyas, who turned a 30-29 halftime lead into a 51-31 advantage with 13:30 left in regulation. The run featured a complete exhibition of the skills and strong points this team will need when the Big East season kicks off in a few weeks.

Georgetown's 21-2 tidal wave involved numerous dimensions of basketball beauty: First, the Hoyas were balanced, as shown by their guards' ability to provide high-percentage looks for their post players. Second, GU was physical during the run, cementing its dominance with the inside duo of Vaughn - who scored a career-high 18 points - and Monroe, who added 15. Third, GU sealed out on the glass during the first several minutes of the second half, as Washington failed to get the second-chance points and cheap baskets that could have put the breaks on the Hoyas' surge. Vaughn and Monroe both snagged seven rebounds for Georgetown, which was never seriously threatened the rest of the way. UW pulled within six points (69-63) with 30 seconds to go, but that's as close as the Huskies would get.

They bumped butler, and on Saturday in the John Wooden Classic, the Georgetown Hoyas whacked Washington. The Big East season is still to come, but for now, an iconic college basketball program has rediscovered its winning ways.

Georgetown Hoyas vs Washington Huskies Basketball Recap