#3 Tigers grind out win over Blue Raiders

It is a rare night when an easy win comes inside the Mid-South Conference. Georgetown found itself in a scrappy affair with Lindsey Wilson on Saturday night. While the Blue Raiders proved better than their record indicates on the day, Georgetown made just enough plays down the stretch for a 74-68 win to remain atop the Mid-South Conference.

Lindsey Wilson scored the first 4 points in 59 seconds. They wouldn't score again for 7 minutes as Georgetown scored 16 straight to take a 12-point lead with 12 minutes to go in the half. The Blue Raiders began to settle in, but Georgetown was able to keep the pressure on. With 8:48 to go, Tae Dozier threw down a lob slam from Gavin Stevens for a 22-11 lead. Lindsey Wilson countered with an 8-2 run to get within 5 at 24-19. Free throws and a layup from Jabrion Spikes pushed the lead back to 9. The teams traded baskets the rest of the way, capped by a last-second layup from Jaquias Franklin to give Georgetown a 36-27 lead. The Tigers defense was swarming in the half as Lindsey Wilson shot just 25% and missed all 10 of its 3-point tries. The only saving grace for the Blue Raiders was shooting 15-17 from the foul line to stay within reach.

The Blue Raiders started the 2nd half with their first 3 of the game and a layup soon after to get within 5 at 37-32. Spikes followed with a jump shot, steal and layup to put the lead right back at 9 with 17:56 to play. Georgetown then went 3 minutes without a point, allowing Lindsey Wilson to get all the way back within 1 at 41-40. 2 Jaquias Franklin free throws gave Georgetown slight breathing room. Moments later, Franklin converted a 3-point play to give the Tigers a 46-42 edge with 13:29 to go. Georgetown went on another field goal draught of over 3 minutes. In that time, Lindsey Wilson outscored Georgetown 7-1 to take a 49-47 lead. The Blue Raiders kept the pressure on and took a 58-53 lead with 7:16 to go.

Georgetown needed a basket and got it from an unlikely source. Aden Nyekan found himself open on the right wing and drilled Georgetown's only 3-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to 2. Lindsey Wilson had 3 cracks at the rim on its next possession but came up empty. Tae Dozier took advantage off a pass from Jaquias Franklin to tie the game at 58 with 5:32 to go. Defense stepped up on both sides for the next 2 minutes as the score was tied at 60. Tae Dozier then followed his own missed jumper with a tip-in to give the Tigers a 62-60 lead with just over 3 minutes left. Georgetown got another stop and saw Jabrion Spikes go coast-to-coast for a basket and foul. The 3-point play gave Georgetown a 65-60 lead. After Blue Raider free throws, Georgetown dumped the ball inside to Andres Burney who dazzled with a sweet reverse layup to stay the lead at 5. Just 10 seconds later, Dozier stepped in front of a pass and took it the distance for a slam. Georgetown had a 69-62 lead with 1:25 to go.

Lindsey Wilson was not finished. With 1 minute on the clock, the Blue Raiders dropped a 3-pointer to stay alive. Georgetown missed 2 free throws on the other end and with 30 seconds to go, the Blue Raiders hit another 3 to cut Georgetown's lead to 1 at 69-68. Jaquias Franklin stepped to the line and calmly sank free throws for a 3-point lead. On the other end, Lindsey Wilson had a wide-open three to tie the game but missed left. Jabrion Spikes cleaned up the glass and made 2 free throws for a 5-point lead with 8 seconds left. Lindsey Wilson missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 5 seconds left and watched Andres Burney hit a free throw to seal the win.

Jabrion Spikes led Georgetown with 19 points and 8 boards. Tae Dozier ended with 17 points and 3 more steals. Jaquias Franklin and Aden Nyekan scored 13 each. Franklin also had 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

With the win, Georgetown maintains a 1-game lead over Cumberlands with 4 to play in the race for the MSC regular season title. The Tigers now get set for a Monday night makeup trip to Cumberland. Tip time is set for 8:30pm.