Maryland men's basketball humbled by Georgetown, fall 86-74

13 hours ago

2 min read

In a prove-it game and one that Andre Mills said was ‘personal’, Maryland men’s basketball proved no match in the rematch against Georgetown en route to a humbling 86-74 loss at Capital One Arena, falling to 1-1 in the regular season.

Georgetown shot over 50% from three point on Saturday, the fourth time under Buzz Williams that Maryland has allowed its opponent to shoot over 50% from deep. That also helped the Hoyas maintain its double digit lead over the final 22 minutes and 38 seconds.

It didn’t start well, either, as Maryland trailed for all but 12 seconds throughout the entirety of the game.

Pharrel Payne accounted for nearly half of the team's points after posting 28 points and eight rebounds on 10-of-14 shooting from the field. It marked Payne's second-most points in a Maryland uniform behind his 30 point outing vs. Wagner in the third game of the 2025-26 season.

Georgetown forced Pharrel Payne into a pair of turnovers in the first three minutes, allowing the Hoyas to build an early 7-2 lead, before Andre Mills sparked a 7-0 run over the ensuing 1:40 to give Maryland its first and only lead of the day.

Yet Georgetown would answer back with a short 6-0 run, all sparked by Maryland’s struggles to convert around the rim. While Maryland turned to Payne seemingly every possession, the Hoyas countered with size as 7-foot-1 Vince Iwuchukwu checked in and subsequently sparked a 10-2 run that pushed Maryland into a double digit deficit ahead of the under-eight media timeout.

Maryland would punch back once again, highlighted by a chase down of a loose ball by DJ Wagner to convert the layup and draw and-one opportunity ahead of the final media timeout, but it’d be a short-lived spurt after the Hoyas led by as many as 18 points in the first half, all made possible by shooting over 50% and making eight three pointers through the first 20 minutes.

Georgetown guards Elmarko Jackson and Jaland Lowe had matched Maryland’s point total at halftime, highlighting Maryland’s scoring struggles in the loss, but it also overlooked Maryland’s struggles with its perimeter defense given the Hoyas nearly shot 50% from three through the first 20 minutes. Andre Mills would hit Maryland’s lone three in the first half across 11 attempts, the tale in what went wrong on Saturday night. The Hoyas stretched its lead to as many as 27 points in the second half.

To make matters worse, Maryland found itself called for four fouls through the first 33 seconds of the second half, setting up Georgetown to reach the bonus with still 17 minutes left. It was a start that gave Georgetown complete control of the game with Maryland unable to string together stops, much less consecutive efficient offensive possessions, the rest of the way. Maryland closed the game on a 10-0 run over the final 1:53 to cut into the blowout.

Maryland will now look to rebound against ninth-ranked Virginia at home on Friday, Nov. 13 at the Xfinity Center.

Related Links