Once a Big East basketball powerhouse, Georgetown struggled to beat the little guys in recent years.
The Hoyas passed their first test of the Ed Cooley era and will hope to build on that performance when they entertain Holy Cross on Saturday at Washington D.C.
Georgetown (1-0) defeated Division I newcomer Le Moyne 94-57 on Monday in Cooley’s debut after he left Providence for the Hoyas’ job this offseason. Georgetown shot 57.8 percent (37 of 64) and overpowered Le Moyne 52-29 on the boards.
Fairfield transfer Supreme Cook racked up 19 points and 13 rebounds in his first game for Georgetown.
“(Cook has) got this quick-twitch athleticism. He’s tough, he’s a tough kid,” Cooley told 106.7 The Fan in Washington. “He’s adjusted to the length and strength daily at the Big East level, high-major level, and I think he’s gonna do a good job adjusting to that.”
Jay Heath, one of the few Hoyas holdovers from last year’s team, scored 15 off the bench while North Carolina transfer Dontrez Styles had 15. Freshmen Rowan Brumbaugh (13) and Drew Fielder (11) also hit double figures.
Holy Cross (0-1) is coming off a season-opening road loss to Siena. After trailing by 10 at halftime, its second-half comeback wasn’t enough in the 73-71 defeat.
The Crusaders took the lead on Joe Octave’s layup with 1:26 to play, but Siena responded on a layup with 18 seconds to go, forced a turnover and added one free throw. DeAndre Williams, who had 11 points off the bench for Holy Cross, missed a game-winning 3-point try at the buzzer.
Bo Montgomery put up 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals to lead Holy Cross.
Veteran head coach Dave Paulsen, whose previous stops include Bucknell and George Mason, is in his first season in charge at Holy Cross.
“For whatever reasons, there has been a losing culture here, and ‘How do you break it?’ It’s not easy,” Paulsen told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette before the season. “Winning is hard at the Division I level, but it starts with a mindset of embracing every detail and being coachable.”
Holy Cross owns an 11-9 all-time lead in the series with Georgetown, which hasn’t been played since 1980.
–Field Level Media
