+3
No. 7 Duke embarassed Penn to start the evening. No. 13 Georgetown topped St. John's to open their Big East campaign. Oklahoma fell at Gonzaga to close the night out, but not before Tiny Gallon broke some glass.
Read more at our Georgetown blog, Casual Hoya.
December 31, 2009 – Washington, DC (Sports Network) – Chris Wright netted a game-high 21 points, as No. 13 Georgetown battled Big East rival St. John’s to a 66-59 decision in a hard-fought conference opener for both programs.
Austin Freeman and Greg Monroe each scored 15 points for the Hoyas, (10-1, 1-0 Big East), who held the Red Storm to two field goals over the final eight minutes to seal the win, their second straight since their lone loss to Old Dominion on December 19.
Dwight Hardy scored 14 points for St. John’s (10-3, 0-1), which had won four of five coming into the game. D.J. Kennedy and Justin Brownlee added 11 and 10 points, respectively, in defeat.
The Red Storm trailed for most of the game before Hardy’s three-ball polished off a 10-0 run near the midway point of the second half, giving the visitors their first lead, 51-50, since the opening minutes.
Hardy again nailed a three after Wright’s old-fashioned three-point play, but the Hoyas had an answer with seven consecutive points, with Jason Clark’s layup putting the hosts on top, 60-54, with a little over five minutes left.
Kennedy made it a one-possession game with a make from long range, and Hardy had a chance to tie it on the next possession but missed a three.
Monroe’s make inside put the Hoyas in front, 62-57, and the visitors were never within one possession the rest of the way.
Wright powered an early 18-4 Georgetown run with 12 points, six coming on a pair of makes from behind the arc. Julian Vaughn’s jumper capped the spurt with just over 11 1/2 minutes remaining for a 21-10 cushion.
St. John’s scored eight straight late in the half to pull within two, but Freeman’s late three-pointer yielded a 32-27 Hoyas lead at the break.
Georgetown continued to play front-runner and led 50-41 following a Monroe dunk eight minutes into the second stanza before St. John’s made a run.
Despite the loss, St. John’s owns a 52-41 advantage in the all-time series…Georgetown’s bench was outscored, 33-0, but the Hoyas made 51.0 percent of their shots to pull out the win…Monroe also had eight rebounds and five assists, while Vaughn went for eight points and nine boards in the win.
December 31, 2009 – Durham, NC (Sports Network) – Nolan Smith sank four three-pointers and ended with 23 points to lead seventh-ranked Duke to a 114-55 rout of winless Penn.
Jon Scheyer ended with 19 points and 11 assists for the Blue Devils (11-1), who shot 60 percent overall. Smith made 8-of-11 from the field, while he and Scheyer combined to go 7-for-12 from beyond the arc.
Kyle Singler added 20 points and Mason Plumlee 18 for Duke, which begins ACC play Sunday against Clemson.
Jack Eggleston had 13 points for the Quakers (0-9), who fired head coach Glen Miller after an 0-7 start but are still in search of their first win. Zack Rosen and Darren Smith each scored 10 in the loss.
Duke started to pull away only minutes into the contest, as Scheyer’s three sparked a 10-0 run that put the Blue Devils up 17-6.
A 17-2 run later in the half, capped by a Brian Zoubek layup with 8:33 left, increased Duke’s advantage to 40-11. The Blue Devils led 58-29 at the break and didn’t let up in the second half, shooting 65.2 percent over the final 20 minutes to cruise to the victory.
Miles Plumlee had 10 rebounds and nine points for Duke, which also got 10 points from Andre Dawkins…Penn plays at Lafayette on Sunday.
The New Year's Eve mini-marathon closes with three evening tips, but trust me, you'll probably only want to watch two of them.
Here's all you need to know to follow and discuss these three games on SB Nation.
FINAL: No. 7 Duke 114, Penn 55
The Quakers remain winless after the Blue Devils trounced them.
FINAL: No. 13 Georgetown 66, St. John's 59
The Hoyas held off the Red Storm to claim their first Big East win of the season.
Hoya game preview and discussion at Casual Hoya
FINAL: Gonzaga 83, Oklahoma 69
Oklahoma's Tiny Gallon broke a backboard, but the Bulldogs claimed the win.
Sooner game preview and discussion at Crimson And Cream Machine
Bulldog game preview and discussion at The Slipper Still Fits
For more on Thursday's televised action, visit Blogging The Bracket.
Gonzaga 83, Oklahoma 69: Bulldogs Win, But Not Before Oklahoma's Tiny Gallon Breaks A Backboard
Read more at our Bulldog blog, The Slipper Still Fits, and our Sooner blog, Crimson And Cream Machine.
January 1, 2010 -Spokane, WA (Sports Network) - Steven Gray scored 18 points as the Gonzaga Bulldogs dominated the Oklahoma Sooners, 83-69, in a non-conference affair at Spokane Arena.
Elias Harris added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Bulldogs (10-3), who have won two in a row since a loss at Duke on December 19.
Bol Kong ended with 14 points while Matt Bouldin chipped in 12 points, eight assists, and five rebounds for Gonzaga, which shot 50.9 percent from the field, including an 11-of-26 performance from beyond the arc.
Willie Warren finished with 19 points and four rebounds for the Sooners (8-5), who have dropped two in a row following a six-game winning streak. Andrew Fitzgerald added 13 points and five rebounds. Tommy Mason-Griffin chipped in nine points and 10 assists for Oklahoma, which shot 50 percent from the floor.
Ahead 37-30 late in the first half, the Bulldogs closed out the frame on a 15-4 run. Kong tallied seven points during the stretch, including a three- pointer right before the break for a 52-34 lead.
The Bulldogs cruised to victory in the second half, which saw a 52-minute delay for a shattered backboard.
With about 15 1/2 minutes to play, Oklahoma's Tiny Gallon, who weighs near 300 pounds, went up for an alley-oop and grabbed the front of the rim with both hands. The backboard shattered and a replacement had to be brought in.
Jan 01 1:28a by Chris Dobbertean - 0 comments