15th-ranked Hoyas play host to Tigers

Dec 8, 2012 - 3:54 PM Washington, DC (Sports Network) - The 15th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas look to continue their winning ways as they host the Towson Tigers for non-conference action at the Verizon Center.

The Tigers ended a two-game losing slide on Wednesday with a 68-64 road victory over Vermont. The decision evened the team's record up at 4-4, which gives Towson three mores wins than it achieved all of last season. Coach Pat Skerry guided his squad to wins over Radford, Kennshaw State, and Cincinnati Christian and came up just short of two more decisions in contests versus Eastern Kentucky (71-69 OT) and UMBC (66-62). The Tigers have the Colonial Athletic Association's second ranked scoring offense (66.6 ppg) and second ranked scoring defense (63.9 ppg).

John Thompson III's Hoyas reeled off their third win in a row on Tuesday by completing a 64-41 rout Texas. Georgetown began the year with wins of Duquesne, Liberty, and UCLA before enduring an overtime loss to No. 1 Indiana. The Hoyas then bounced back with victories over Mount St. Mary and Tennessee before taking down the struggling Longhorns. Georgetown is one of only four teams at the Division I level with no seniors on the roster. The Hoyas are tied for third in the Big East in scoring defense (56.1 points per game) and fourth in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 37.5 percent shooting from the floor.

This will be the fourth all-time meeting between the programs, with Georgetown holding a 3-0 advantage in the series. The Hoyas won the last meeting, 69-41, at Verizon Center during the 2006-07 season.

Towson looked to be in trouble at Vermont as it trailed the Catamounts by six points with 12 minutes left in the contest. However, the Tigers outscored their does 18-8 in the paint in the second half to secure the win. Junior forward Jerrelle Benimon, who transferred from Georgetown after the 2010-11 season, led the way with a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds. The power forward has assumed the role of go-to-guy in Skerry's system with four double- doubles and averages of 16.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per contest. Mike Burwell, Jerome Hairston, and Marcus Damas are combing for 28.3 ppg, while center Bilal Dixon helps on the glass with 6.8 boards per contest.

Georgetown used stifling defense to shutdown Texas its last time out. The Longhorns looked stagnant on offense for the duration of the contest and managed to convert only 29.2 percent of their field goal attempts. The Hoyas shot 41 percent from the field as sophomore forward Otto Porter paced the team with 14 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Junior forward Nate Lubick added 13 points and guard Markel Starks chipped in 11 points and four assists. Four different Georgetown players are carrying double-digit scoring averages, with sophomore forward Greg Whittington at the head of the class with 12.7 ppg. Starks (12.3 ppg), Porter (11.6 ppg), and Mikael Hopkins (10.7 ppg) are all regular contributors on the offensive end as well.