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Sapp's clutch 3-pointer helps Georgetwon edge West Virginia

Jan 27, 2008 - 4:29 AM MORGANTOWN, West Virginia (Ticker) -- Jessie Sapp and Patrick Ewing Jr. saved the day for Georgetown.

Sapp scored 15 points, including a key 3-pointer in the closing 10 seconds, as the ninth-ranked Hoyas edged West Virginia, 58-57, in Big East Conference play on Saturday.

If Sapp was key on offense, Ewing made the play of the game on defense, blocking Da'Sean Butler's baseline layup attempt as the buzzer sounded.

"We knew they would try to get somebody to drive to the basket," Ewing said. "Jeremiah (Rivers) got screened, so the first thing I was thinking was to find some way to help. Coach always says to have your teammates' back."

Roy Hibbert had 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks and DaJuan Summers and freshman Austin Freeman each scored eight for Georgetown (16-2, 6-1 Big East), which has won three straight to remain in sole possesion of first place in the league.

"Ugly or not, it's a win," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "Road wins have been few and far between as you look across the conference. So to come down here and in this environment and play against a terrific team that doesn't lose too many times here is a big win."

Sapp was key offensively in the last minute of the game.

After Hibbert tipped in a miss by Sapp with 1:25 left to cut Georgetown's deficit to 54-53, Darris Nichols drove in for a layup to put the Mountaineers back up by three with 53 seconds remaining.

However, Sapp nailed two foul shots with 39 seconds left to again cut the deficit to one. After Nichols split a pair from the stripe nine seconds later to make it 57-55, Sapp hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 6.2 ticks on the clock.

"In our offense, we just keep it moving," Thompson said. "We have options. Jessie was at the top (of the key), made a move and got the shot."

"That's a huge shot from him," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "I'm not sure what happened. I think we might have gone under the screen and he stopped behind it, I'm not sure. But if we do what we're supposed to do it doesn't matter."

Following a timeout, Butler, who scored 12 points, drove the left baseline and finger-rolled a shot that Ewing - coming from behind - swatted away as time expired to give the Hoyas the hard-fought win.

"I'm not allowed to make a comment," said Huggins of Ewing's block, which many in the crowd thought was goaltending. "I think it's pretty obvious. Everybody can look at it and make their own decision."

Aside from being upset on the way the game ended, Huggins was not happy with West Virginia's poor free throw shooting (12-of-23).

"If we make free throws, we keep them between seven and 10," Huggins said. "It's not like we didn't have opportunities - because we had opportunities."

Georgetown, which led the nation in field-goal percent defense (35.7) entering this game, held the Mountaineers to 39 percent (18-of-46). The Hoyas shot 47 percent (21-of-45).

Nichols scored 15 points and Alex Ruoff added 13 for West Virginia (15-5, 4-3), which saw its four-game winning streak end and absorbed just its fourth home loss in 43 games since the 2005-06 season.