Tigers eliminated from MSC Tourney after 3rd loss to Lions

Georgetown's 3 lowest scoring games of the season have all come against Freed-Hardeman. The last took place on Monday night as the Lions held the Tigers to their lowest scoring output of the season. Georgetown's defense was solid but could not overcome in a 67-59 loss, ending the Tigers' bid for a Mid-South Conference tournament title.

Both defenses started strong as there was a combined 6 points through the first 4 minutes of the game. Jaquias Franklin hit a three at the 16:00 mark to give Georgetown a 5-4 lead. The Lions came back with 5 of the next 7 to take a 9-7 lead over Georgetown. Jabrion Spikes and Jaquias Franklin then scored 7 straight as Georgetown took its largest lead at 14-9 with 12:42 to play in the half. Freed-Hardeman countered with its own 7-0 run to lead by 2 with 10:29 to play. Aden Nyekan quickly tied the game back up just 9 seconds later. After a Georgetown turnover, Freed-Hardeman hit a three to take a 19-16 lead, which proved to be the last time the Lions would not trail or be tied in the game. Andres Burney hit a jumper on the next possession to bring Georgetown within 1 with 8:58 to play. The Tigers proceeded to go scoreless for the next 4:20 of the half, allowing FHU to expand its lead to 8 at 26-18 before Jabrion Spikes stopped the drought. Georgetown got a stop on defense and turned it into points as Darien Lewis hit a jumper to cut the deficit to 4 with 4 minutes until halftime. It was not until the 1:23 mark that Georgetown put points up again with another Spikes basket as FHU had a 30-24 lead. The teams exchanged threes in the final minute, giving Freed-Hardeman a 33-27 halftime lead.

The Lions scored 6 of 8 to start the 2nd half to briefly take a 10-point lead at 39-29. Jaquias Franklin hit a jump shot on the next GC possession to get it back to 8. With 16:23 to play, Freed-Hardeman hit 2 free throws to take a 42-31 lead. Georgetown's defense clamped down and held the Lions scoreless for the next 3:17. In that time, Tae Dozier led Georgetown on a 9-0 run to claw back within 2 at 42-40. The Tigers then endured another scoreless drought of over 3 minutes as FHU scored 7 in a row to retake a 9-point lead. From there, Georgetown never got closer than 5 points the rest of the way. Each time the Tigers threatened to get within a possession, Freed-Hardeman was there to make a play and ultimately eliminate Georgetown from the tournament.

Georgetown shot just 39% from the floor and 3-18 from beyond the arc. The Tigers also turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 17 Lion points. Bench play also proved a major factor as the Lions outscored the Tiger bench, 26-12. Jabrion Spikes led GC with 14 points. Tae Dozier and Jaquias Franklin each tallied 12.

Georgetown now turns its focus to hosting the 1st Round of the 2025 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship at Davis-Reid Alumni Gym on Friday, March 14. The tournament draw will be announced this Thursday by the NAIA. Schedule and ticket information for the tournament will follow soon after.