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Big start leads Sapp, Georgetown to rout of Maryland

Dec 1, 2008 - 4:24 AM LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (Ticker) -- Jessie Sapp and Georgetown supply a glaring reason for why they do not play nearby Maryland very much.

Sapp scored all 10 of his points in the first half as No. 16 Georgetown started fast en route to a 75-48 victory over Maryland in Sunday's third-place game of the Old Spice Classic.

Austin Freeman led the way with 18 points and six rebounds and DaJuan Summers scored 14 for the Hoyas (4-1), who shot 53 percent (26-of-49) from the field.

It was a rare matchup between two schools that are separated by 13 miles, meeting for just the third time since 1980. The last matchup took place when Maryland won in the regional semifinals of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

Despite the lack of games, the players on each side are quite familiar with each other.

"Everyone on our team is friends with the guys on their team, and so that comfort level raises the stakes," Georgetown coach John Thompson III told The Baltimore Sun.

"It was an emotional game for us," Sapp told the paper. "Like Coach said, those are our friends on the other side. We just wanted to go out there and get the win. We didn't look at them as friends. Once we got on the floor it was just, you're our enemy right now."

Sapp netted the first two baskets for his team, including a 3-pointer, and scored seven points as Georgetown raced out to a 21-8 lead in just over the first 10 1/2 minutes. He also had a basket from the arc during a 12-4 run that gave the Hoyas a 38-17 advantage with 2:34 left before halftime.

Georgetown continued to click after the break, opening the restart in play with an 11-4 run to grab a 49-24 cushion. Summers had the final seven points of the burst, hitting two 3-pointers.

The Hoyas had no problem cruising thereafter, holding a 73-38 lead with 7:34 remaining after Chris Wright's layup.

Georgetown's final margin would have been more impressive, but Maryland (4-2) closed the contest with a 10-2 run.

Freshman Greg Monroe continued to play well early for the Hoyas, scoring 12 points and pulling down six rebounds. The 6-11 Louisiana native has reach double figures in points in each of his first five games.

Eric Hayes and Adrian Bowie both had 11 points for the Terrapins, who went 3-of-21 on 3-pointers in dropping their second straight contest. Maryland was soundly defeated by No. 10 Gonzaga, 81-59, in the semifinals on Friday after beating sixth-ranked Michigan State in the opener of the event.

"I'm disappointed with the way we played tonight," Maryland coach Gary Williams told the paper. "We did get a win over a Top-5 team. Gonzaga, we played OK. Tonight we didn't play."