Georgetown snaps 21-game shedding streak with OT win vs. Coppin State

On Nov. 27, 1972, John Thompson Jr. made his teaching debut at Georgetown, the place he led this system to the 1984 nationwide title and turned the Hoyas into a university basketball powerhouse.

On Tuesday, 50 years after Thompson’s reign started, Georgetown snapped a 21-game shedding streak.

Previous to Georgetown’s 99-89 additional time win towards Coppin State, Patrick Ewing’s squad had not gained a recreation in 328 days. However the win didn’t come with out a battle.

Head coach Juan Dixon, the previous Maryland star, and Coppin State — picked to complete fifth within the MEAC’s preseason ballot — held a lead over Georgetown late within the recreation after which weathered a burst by the Hoyas down the stretch earlier than Mike Hood hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in regulation to ship the sport into additional time.

Georgetown managed to tug away from Coppin State, which additionally performed a recreation on Monday night time, in additional time.

Justin Steers got here off the bench to steer Coppin State with 21 factors, whereas Primo Spears completed with a game-high 28 factors for Georgetown.

Georgetown not resembles this system Thompson, who died in 2020, as soon as guided throughout its richest years as he molded star gamers, resembling Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and Allen Iverson.

Following Georgetown’s 85-73 win over Howard on Dec. 15, 2021, the Hoyas misplaced their subsequent 21 video games. The Hoyas haven’t gained a Huge East recreation since March 2, 2021.

Six gamers entered the switch portal after final 12 months’s struggles and Aminu Mohammed, the group’s finest participant, turned professional. Ewing started this season with 9 new gamers.

He has been the topic of rumors about his job standing in recent times. Whereas it is tough to check the varsity firing a legend who led the group to a nationwide title beneath Thompson, it is also onerous to think about Georgetown accepting one other season just like what it endured final season.

“The beauty of this 12 months, about now, is it is a new 12 months,” Ewing instructed reporters previous to Tuesday’s recreation. “We’re beginning off recent. Now we have to guarantee that we get and keep on monitor from begin to end and guarantee that we’re constructive and upbeat and all of the issues that we talked about from this summer time.”