LANDOVER -- For the first five minutes yesterday, UMES was able to compete with one of the big boys of college basketball.
But then reality -- in the form of Georgetown's superior ability, mobility and manpower -- set in and the party was over for the Hawks.
Using a strong defense that enabled them to dominate the transition game, the 15th-ranked Hoyas earned an 85-46 victory over UMES before 8,367 at USAir Arena.
"We just had more people and we were able to wear them down," said Georgetown coach John Thompson, who was able to scrutinize everyone on his bench. "We got a chance to get a lot of players in the game, which was good.
"Any time you have six new people [the number of newcomers on the Hoyas' roster] there's going to be an adjustment period. It takes time.
"Some of the starters have to get better defensively and we have to get to the situation where everybody is used to each other."
Thompson rotated his personnel throughout the rout. Center Othella Harrington was the only Georgetown starter to play more than the 21 minutes logged by flashy freshman guard Allen Iverson, who was named the Big East Rookie of the Week for the second straight week.
Iverson finished with 16 points, making six of 10 field-goal attempts (two of four from three-point range), but took a back seat to Harrington. The 6-foot-9 junior center finished with a season-high 21 points and picked off a dozen rebounds -- while playing 29 minutes.
"I think everybody was consciously trying to get Othella involved," said Thompson. "Especially Allen -- even when he was the bench I could hear him [calling for Harrington's number]."
UMES (3-4) was no match for Georgetown (5-1) up front, where Harrington, Jerome Williams and Don Reid were dominating. The Hawks shot 29 percent (17 of 59) from the floor.
Although attempting only seven fewer shots than the Hoyas, UMES rarely had a clear target. Georgetown's defense continually forced the Hawks to either change their shots or make the extra pass that led to breakdowns. And UMES fared even worse when attempting three-pointers (two of 14).
Andre Miller's jumper gave UMES a 9-7 lead 4:15 into the game, and a minute later, Terrell Harris' steal and ensuing layup left Georgetown with only a 12-11 lead. But Miller (1-for-7) would not make another field goal the rest of the game and Harris (3-for-11) and the rest of the Hawks went freezer cold with 14:45 left in the first half.
Georgetown went on a 19-2 run that left only the eventual margin of victory in doubt.
Travis Griffin, who came off the bench to score 12 points, was the leading scorer for UMES. Eleven players scored for the Hoyas, who had a 51-33 advantage in rebounds.
"I'm happy with the roles being played by the people coming off our bench," said Thompson. "They bring a lot of energy to our defense."
Yesterday that defense also played havoc with the UMES offense. For five minutes the game was a contest -- for the other 35 it was a mismatch.
TERPS TICKETS
The University of Maryland will place approximately 2,500 tickets for each of the school's next three basketball games on sale tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.
The tickets, which come from the student allotment, are $12 and are available for Thursday's game against Morgan State, Dec. 27 against La Salle and Dec. 30 against American University.
Tickets can be purchased at Cole Field House on the College Park campus, or by calling (800) 462-8377.