As the final buzzer rang, Henry Sims stood at the top of the three-point line in disbelief. His second double-double in as many days turned out to not be enough, as his Hoyas fell in a thriller at Madison Square Garden, losing 72-70 to Cincinnati in double overtime. The senior matched wits with the Bearcats’ Yancy Gates for the entire afternoon, posting 22 points and 15 rebounds in the process. In the end, however, the game came down to one three-point attempt that clanked the back iron for Sims, ending Georgetown’s Big East Tournament run after two games.

But, the senior did not hang his head. Though clearly emotional and somber, Sims realized that he and his team played their hearts out and provided a capacity crowd at MSG with a thriller—though he sure would like to have that last shot back.

“I mean, it would have been nice to make that last one, obviously, but the first layup to put it into double overtime I think obviously felt good,” Sims said. “But I’d much rather have that shot at the end.”

That first layup Sims referred to actually saved the Hoyas in the first overtime, as he drove into the line and hit a shot to tie the game at 62 as time expired. He and freshman Otto Porter provided all but two points in extra time for the Hoyas, but it was not enough to overcome Gates and the Bearcat offense.

Both teams got off to sluggish starts in the first half, with the lead changing 10 times in the first 10 minutes. The Hoya offense only got in a rhythm shortly after freshmen Greg Whittington and Jabril Trawick entered the game. Trawick drew a foul and drained a free throw to tie the game at 15, which led to a string of six straight field goals for the Hoyas. The first three of those came from Sims, who followed a jumper with a putback and a strong move in the paint. The Bearcats worked hard to establish Gates in the paint early, but to no avail, as Sims took over on both ends with the help of junior Hollis Thompson and Porter.

In a manner all too reminiscent of their first meeting, the Bearcats staged a run in the second half to bring themselves within one point of the lead. The poor stretch included a goaltending call on Whittington and a Jason Clark turnover, culminating in a flagrant foul on Porter for an aggressive elbow to Cincinnati guard Sean Kilpatrick. This time, though, the Hoyas did not relinquish the lead, regaining control of the game behind freshman Markel Starks and Sims.

The recap continues, along with analysis, after the jump:

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Henry Sims saved arguably his best career outing for the biggest stage, posting 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists in Georgetown’s Big East Tournament opener. The Hoyas (23-7, 12-6 Big East) struggled to maintain control of the game early in the first and second halves, but dominated the latter parts of both, defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers (17-16, 5-13) 64-52. The victory sets up a matchup this afternoon with Cincinnati. Tipoff is slated for 2 pm at Madison Square Garden and will be aired on ESPN.

Recap of Wednesday’s victory and preview of today’s matchup after the jump..

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On a night when twelfth-ranked Georgetown’s upperclassmen shot a combined 8-26 from the field, beating the fourth-ranked, undefeated Louisville Cardinals on their home floor would require an extraordinary effort from the Hoyas’ youngsters.

And they did not disappoint.

Sophomore Markel Starks was perfect from beyond the arc, knocking down four threes in the second half on his way to a career-high 20 points. Freshman Otto Porter‘s spectacular arrival on the national scene, recording 14 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, was heard round the world. Fellow freshman Jabril Trawick played 21 of the fiercest minutes a Hoya has played so far this season, roughing up the Cardinals in their own house.

The stellar win in Louisville improves Georgetown’s record to 11-1, and extends their winning streak to nine games, a stretch of victories unmatched since the 2006-07 season.

Otto-matic

The freshman from Sikeston, Missouri already made a name (and a nickname) for himself in non-conference play, but playing on his biggest stage yet, Porter showed why he’s the clear standout among a crowd of overachieving youngsters on the Hoyas’ roster. The 6-foot-8 forward posted his first career double-double and helped ice the game for Georgetown, scoring six of the Hoyas’ final eight points.

With the Hoyas up just four with 40 seconds to go, Porter calmly stepped to the line and hit two free throws. Twenty seconds later, after a Louisville trey (and a missed free throw by senior captain Jason Clark) reduced the Georgetown lead to three, Porter was fouled again and drained his free throws to make it a two-possession game. Porter did go the line again with nine seconds left and missed both free throws, but we’ll forgive him since the game was essentially out of reach by that point.

Otto-matic’s performance made it clear why Georgetown coach John Thompson III has called him the most prepared freshman he’s ever coached. His cool in crunch time notwithstanding, Porter is able to make his mark on the game with ruthless efficiency. His 14 points came on 5-for-6 shooting, and he seems to have a preternatural ability to be in the right place at the right time—like when he broke a 63-63 tie with an offensive board and putback with less than two minutes remaining.

Even Louisville head coach Rick Pitino gave Porter his due after the 71-68 Hoyas victory: “Otto Porter is really a good freshman. He had 14 rebounds in the game and he took over the game rebounding-wise.”

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Otto Porter, a 6′ 8″ forward from Sikestown, Missouri has verbally committed to Georgetown.

Porter was being pursued by both Missouri and Kansas, where, until now, he was scheduled to visit this weekend. Porter can officially sign his letter-of-intent this Thursday.

This winter, Porter led his high school, Scott County Central, to win the Missouri state championship. He has slowly climbed the recruitment rankings. ESPN.com has even called him “the best player no one knows about,” largely due to his absence from AAU league play.

Porter is the fifth recruit in the 2011 class to commit to Georgetown.

photo: www.semissourian.com

h/t: Casual Hoya