Syracuse outclasses poor-shooting Georgetown in rivals’ latest clash

Even with a fresh cast of coaches and players, a rivalry that helped define the original incarnation of the Big East continues to resonate. The latest installment in front of 14,193 at Capital One Arena ended with the rebuilding Hoyas falling, 80-68, amid repeated misses from three-point range, turnovers at inopportune junctures and defensive lapses that have plagued them during their first season under Coach Ed Cooley.

Georgetown (5-4) has lost five of seven in a series that dates from 1930. The 12-point defeat was the largest by the Hoyas at home in the matchup since January 1998, when Syracuse (7-3), which joined the ACC in 2013, triumphed, 84-66.

“I think our personality comes out when we can score,” Cooley said after the Hoyas mustered their third-fewest points of the season. “For us to continue to improve, we’ve got to hang our hat on defense because the ball’s not always going to go in the basket. Credit [Syracuse]; they played well. I appreciated everyone who came out. I hated seeing all the Syracuse orange that was in our building. That goes to tell you how intense this game is.”

Ed Cooley, made by Providence, is now dedicated to resurrecting the men’s basketball program at Georgetown.

Among the evidence Saturday that the Hoyas are in dire need of a tuneup on defense included permitting 53.7 percent shooting and letting two Orange players, JJ Starling and Quadir Copeland, reach career highs in points. Transition defense was especially problematic, with the Orange owning a 20-2 advantage in fast-break points.

Jayden Epps led Georgetown with 17 points and six assists but shot just 6 for 17, going 1 for 9 on three-pointers. The sophomore transfer from Illinois shot 46.2 percent from behind the arc over the season’s first eight games.

Supreme Cook added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the senior transfer’s third double-double of the season. No other Hoyas player scored more than nine points as they shot a season-worst 5 for 26 (19.2 percent) on three-pointers and committed 14 turnovers that led to 20 points for the Orange.

“It definitely felt like a Big East game,” said Cooley, who’s plenty familiar with the Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry as the former coach at Providence. Syracuse “did a great job. Their guards played really, really well, and I thought their guards controlled the whole game. It’s unfortunate we lost back-to-back home games, but in doing so we’ll continue to learn, develop and grow.”

Judah Mintz confounded Georgetown with a game-high 25 points. The dynamic sophomore guard, a Fort Washington native who played at Gonzaga High, shot 6 for 12 with five steals and went 13 for 15 at the free throw line.

The winningest active men’s college basketball coach walks away

The decisive stretch unfolded early in the second half, when careless ball security and wayward shooting by Georgetown allowed the Orange to secure a double-digit lead courtesy of a 17-6 run capped by Starling’s pull-up jumper. Starling finished with 21 points and made 8 of 14 shots from the field, including all three three-pointers, to go with five rebounds. Copeland added 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the first game between the schools since 1976 without retired Jim Boeheim as the Orange’s coach.

To underscore the bitterness of the rivalry, Mintz celebrated, in word and deed, in front of the Georgetown bench in the final minute.

“This was a big game for us,” said first-year Syracuse coach Adrian Autry, who played for Boeheim and had been on his mentor’s staff since 2011. “Make no mistake about it: This rivalry is well and alive in both programs. It still means something to both fan bases.”