Frigid shooting leads to 1st loss of season

Georgetown entered Saturday's showdown at #6 Marian as one of the highest scoring teams in the NAIA, averaging over 95 points per game. That shooting run came to a screeching halt as the Knights held the Tigers to just 31% from the field, leading to an 84-64 Marian win, and ending Georgetown's win streak at 12.

The cold shooting started from the get go for the Tigers. A layup attempt from Trinity Klock just 25 seconds in was blocked by the Knights, which became the 1st of 9 rejections for Marian. The Tigers would bounce back thanks to a 3 from Erin Toller and consecutive baskets from Izzy Lamparty and Teionni McDaniel, which gave GC an early 8-2 lead. A 2nd three-pointer from Toller at the 5:57 mark pushed the Tiger lead to 14-2 and forced Marian into a timeout. Georgetown kept the pressure on and led 23-15 after 1, despite its last made basket coming at the 2:57 mark of the quarter, a recurring theme going forward. The Tigers held the lead in spite of just 35% shooting, but 7 offensive rebounds allowed GC more chances to maintain the advantage.

The shooting woes continued in the 2nd quarter as the Tigers shot just 5-16 from the field, while Marian found its rhythm by going 10-20 shooting. Marian outscored Georgetown 12-4 in the first 4:03 of the 2nd to tie the game at 27. Georgetown countered with a 7-2 run, punctuated by an AJ Stevenson 3 that gave the Tigers a 34-29 lead with 4:04 to go until halftime. The basket proved to be the last from the field in the 2nd as Georgetown missed its final 4 shots (3 layups). Marian took a 41-37 lead to halftime.

Unfortunately, nothing changed for Georgetown to start the 3rd. Marian hit a 3 just 15 seconds in, while Georgetown missed its first 4 shots, allowing the Knights to push the lead to 48-37 before an AJ Stevenson free throw and Erin Toller jumper at the 6:54 mark. The Knights answered with 7 in a row to force the Tigers into a timeout, trailing 55-40 with 5:38 left in the quarter. A brief hope came in the form of a 3-point play from Teionni McDaniel out of the timeout, but the Knights had the answer to keep a double-digit lead even after a 3 from Erin Toller. The Tigers endured another scoring drought to end the quarter. This time the final made basket came from Toller with 2:53 to go. GC hit 4 free throws late but Marian led 63-52 heading to the 4th. Georgetown made just 4 of 15 shots in the 3rd, while Marian went 7-10 to pad its lead.

While Marian got off to a slow start in the 4th, Georgetown just could not capitalize to get back in the game or within single digits. The Tigers' 1st basket didn't come until 3 minutes into the quarter to make it a 67-55 deficit. Marian again countered with consecutive layups to push the lead out to 16 and force GC Head Coach, Jeff Nickel, to call for time with 5:50 to go. It would be almost 2 full minutes of game time before the next Georgetown basket came from Trinity Klock. Marian would continue to slowly stretch the lead en route to the 20-point win. In total, Georgetown shot just 8-28 in the 2nd half with 6 turnovers. Marian did the bulk of its 2nd half damage at the foul line as it shot 19-23 from the stripe after halftime.

Erin Toller finished with a team-high 17 points. Teionni McDaniel tallied 14, while AJ Stevenson added 12 along with 6 rebounds. Trinity Klock turned in an effort of 9 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Marian proved a more balanced offense on this night, shooting 54% overall and enjoying a 16-4 bench point advantage.

The Tigers will hit the road on Tuesday against Bluefield in the final game before Christmas. Tip time is set for 4:00pm.