If there are two ways to describe Roy Hibbert, it would be dominate some days and dormant others, today it was the first that helped the Hoyas to a 82-67 victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Hibbert scored a career-high 26 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked two shots as Georgetown won its fourth straight.
While Hibbert controlled the game inside, the Hoyas allowed the Bearcats to stay within striking range with their amazing three point shooting. Cincinnati, which entered the game ranked 287th in Division I in three-point shooting at 29.5 percent, made 11 of its first 13 shots from beyond the arc, and finished the game a blazing 14 of 24 (58.3 percent). Junior Marcus Sikes (19 points) made all five of his three-point attempts.
"I didn't realize what their stats were, but if you watch their games, they look like they can shoot, and it's different people," said Georgetown Coach John Thompson III, whose team was ranked first in three-point field goal defense in Big East play (24.8 percent). "We have to do a better job of defending the three-point line."
The Hoyas had a commanding 17 point lead during the first half and the three pointer came raining down on the Hoyas forcing them to find a better defensive scheme for the second half.
The Bearcats pulled to within nine points on a three-pointer by Deonta Vaughn, but a Jeff Green lay up for the Hoyas and free throws from Hibbert extended the lead back to 13 points, 65-51, with 7:23 to play. Georgetown hit 10-of-12 free throws in the final five minutes to seal the win.
"Obviously their big guys were undersized, so I said I was going to establish myself," said Hibbert, who made 11 of 13 shots. "And that opened up a lot of stuff. . . . We all-around fed off each other."
The Hoyas also had some help from their bench when Hibbert was out of the game including 8 points from Patrick Ewing Jr., who played his best game since transferring to the hilltop.
The Hoyas improved to 15-5 overall and now are 5-2 in Big East play, with two very important road games starting at Madison Square Garden against St. Johns on February 1st.
Roy Hibbert Could Not Be Denied Inside. The Hoyas Center Scored a Career High 26 Points