GEORGETOWN, Ky. — It was the battle of two undefeated teams on Tuesday night in Georgetown, Ky., with (RV) Men’s Basketball falling short of a halftime comeback over the #5 Georgetown Tigers 74-68.
Jameir Jefferson ended the night with his first double-double this season with 11 points and, 10 rebounds. Jefferson shot 5-for-11 from the floor, the second consecutive game dropping five field goals.
Luke McBride dropped 20 points for his third game this season, scoring 20 points or more. McBride went 8-for-19 from the floor and 4-for-11 from three-point-range and three rebounds.
Alonas Peciulis dropped 12 points on 6-for-14 shooting and seven rebounds; Trent Edwards scored 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting and was a perfect 3-3 at the charity stripe.
In the first half, the Pilots shot 9-for-36 (25%) from the field and 2-for-9 (22%) from beyond the arc, but they were outpaced by the Tigers, who shot 17-for-35 (48%) from the floor and 4-for-10 (40%) from three-point range.
It was a battle through the opening 10 minutes, with Trent Edwards laying an and-one off the glass, then completing the three-point-play at 10:52.
Georgetown completed a three-point-play in the next possession at 10:32 to grow their lead to 22-17, then hit a 16-2 run with Jefferson breaking up the cold streak with a layup, 35-19 GC.
At 3:55, the Tigers hit another layup for their highest lead of the half (25 points), 44-19, then went into halftime with a 21-point, 46-25 lead.
Bethel brought the game back to a single-digit deficit at 9:25 with Andrew Hedrick dropping a three-point-play off a layup, 58-50.
The game got back to a two-possession difference, with Trent Edwards hitting a layup at 7:02 to bring it down to a five-point difference. GC hit a jumper, then Luke McBride hit a triple at 6:10 to get down to a four-point, 62-58 Georgetown advantage.
Peciulis brought the Pilots within two points of tying the game off a layup at 4:19 before the Tigers hit a layup at 3:25, 64-60.
Edwards brought the game back to two points after draining two free throws, 64-62, then GC hit another 7-0 run to jump to a 72-62 lead.
Peciulis hit a layup with 10 seconds to go, with McBride also dropping a layup with 7 seconds to go before time expired and the Pilots lost 74-68.
The Pilots prepare for the NAIA third-ranked Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
