It was a tale of two halves.
In the first half, everything went right for Georgetown. In the second half, No. 13 Oregon dominated, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Georgetown’s first half. The Ducks (2-2) fell 65-61 in the first round of the Maui Invitational.
Oregon started slow with very little offensive rhythm. In the first 13 minutes, Oregon shot only 19 percent from the field. Luckily for Oregon, Georgetown (2-2) didn’t do much better at 35 percent. They Hoyas led 16-11 at this point, and that is when they exploded.
For the final shot of the half, Georgetown guard Rodney Pryor hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer while right in front of the Oregon bench. They ended the first half shooting 6-of-7, including two 3-pointers to give Georgetown a 38-21 halftime lead.
However, Oregon came out in the second half and played with more energy. The Ducks strung together a 22-4 run.
Chris Boucher and Payton Pritchard sparked the team on offense and defense. Boucher’s five blocks and Pritchard’s 18 points led the team, even giving Oregon a brief lead.
From there, Oregon went cold on offense, shooting 1-of-11. The Hoyas took an 11-point lead with 2:30 left. The Ducks made it close with some full court press at the end, but it was not enough.
Dillon Brooks finished with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting with three rebounds and two assists in his much-anticipated debut. Pritchard finished with a career-high 18 points on 50 percent shooting.
Oregon plays Tennessee on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in the consolation bracket of the Maui Invitational.
Follow Jack Butler on Twitter @Butler917