|
 And Wright said Ochefu, from nearby Baltimore, is also a standout
passer. But Ochefu is adding another weapon to his arsenal, as he
made all five shots from the field and scored 12 points as he
reached double figures for the third time this season — all in the
past five games.
"Now he knows he can score," Wright said. "He has worked really
hard. I am very proud of him."
Ochefu entered the game averaging just 4.9 points per contest this
season. But the 6-foot-11 sophomore had eight points at halftime as
the No. 9 Wildcats built a five-point lead.
"(My teammates) are a lot more confident in me. That just improves
my confidence," Ochefu noted.
Senior guard James Bell had 16 points for Villanova and forward
JayVaughn Pinkston had 12 points and seven rebounds for the
Wildcats, who are 18-2 and 7-1 in the Big East Conference after
making 22 of 28 shots from the foul line.
"Coach has great confidence in me and so do my teammates," said
Bell, who played with four fouls down the stretch but hit several
big 3-pointers.
The Hoyas (11-9, 3-6) lost their fifth game in a row and coach John
Thompson III was dismayed with just nine trips to the foul line — and his team's 18 turnovers.
"We are getting penetration. We are getting drives. We shot nine
foul shots. They shot 28," he said. "We are getting in the paint. We
have to figure out a way to get to the foul line. We are in a hole
right now.
"We are going to look under every rock (for a solution). We have to
get to the line more."
Georgetown guard Markel Starks had 20 points and five assists and
forward Reggie Cameron had 12 points for the Hoyas.
"We have to go out and play. We are still a confidence team," Starks
said. "We have to play better."
Ochefu hit a basket with 2:30 left that gave the Wildcats a 61-56
lead before Starks scored in the paint to make it 61-58 with 2:05 to
go.
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Bell missed a 3-pointer with less than a minute to play and the
Hoyas called time with 44.9 seconds remaining after getting the
defensive rebound.
Georgetown was whistled for a foul with 34.6 seconds to go.
Villanova guard Tony Chenault was fouled with 33.8 seconds to go and
made one of two free throws to push the lead to 62-58.
Georgetown missed several inside shots before fouling the Wildcats
and Bell hit one free throw with 14.8 seconds left to seal the win.
Chenault broke a 46-46 tie with a layup to give Villanova a 48-46
lead with 10:02 left. Bell, who picked up his fourth foul with 9:22
to go, returned to the game and hit a long 3-pointer to give the
Wildcats a 59-54 lead with 3:30 to play.
Georgetown was coming off a loss at Creighton on Saturday. The
Wildcats play Saturday at Temple and Georgetown faces Michigan State
the same day at Madison Square Garden.
NOTES: Georgetown senior C Moses Ayegba was suspended one game by
the NCAA and he sat out Monday against Villanova. He is averaging
12.8 minutes and 2.1 points per game. "We received notice of the
suspension Monday afternoon and it stems from his pre-enrollment
reconciliation," Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed said in a
statement. ... The Hoyas will also play the rest of the season
without 6-foot-10, 350-pound Joshua Smith, who was declared
ineligible on Friday because of academic issues. The UCLA transfer
averaged 11.5 points in 13 games. ... Georgetown F Jabril Trawick,
who was out indefinitely after breaking his jaw against Providence
on Jan. 8, entered the game in the first half and played four
minutes, scoring three points in the game in 12 minutes overall. ...
The Wildcats have two freshmen from the nearby Maryland suburbs who
played high school ball for Washington schools: Kris Jenkins
(Gonzaga) and Josh Hart (Sidwell Friends). Hart and Jenkins each had
one assist as subs.
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