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NEW YORK –– After losing to Maryland on Tuesday night to fall 0-2 on the young season, Reggie Cameron and the Georgetown Hoyas couldn’t wait to get back on the court.
It was an added bonus for Cameron that he would be returning home to Madison Square Garden for a game against Wisconsin.
The 6-foot-7 former Hudson Catholic (N.J.) standout showed up and showed out, scoring all of his career-high 14 points in the first half as Georgetown knocked off the Badgers, 71-61, in the first semifinal of the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden. No. 5 Duke beat VCU, 79-71, in the second semifinal.
The Hoyas (1-2) will meet Duke in Sunday’s final (1 p.m., ESPN), while Wisconsin (2-2) will play VCU in the consolation game (3:30, ESPN2).
“Reggie made shots in the first half because that’s what Reggie Cameron does, he makes shots” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “I thought he was very, very good on defense, too. A lot of the plays when we needed stops, we needed deflections, him taking a charge. Obviously [Nigel] Hayes (22 points) is a load for whoever is on him, but I thought Reggie’s defensive effort today was just as important as his shots in the first half.”
Cameron connected on 4 of 6 from downtown as the Hoyas shot 9 for 18 overall from beyond the arc. Cameron didn’t score in the second half, but teammate Isaac Copeland took over, scoring all 15 of his points after the break.
“I was open and my teammates got me the ball,” said Cameron, who had about a dozen family and friends in the crowd. “They found me and I made my shots. If I make them, they’re going to keep feeding me. Like coach said, Reggie Cameron, he make shots and that’s what I gotta do.”
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Freshman big man Jessie Govan out of Wings Academy in New York also played well in his return home, posting 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 12 points on just 2-for-9 shooting.
“[Govan] showed up and played well. He showed a small glimpse of what’s coming from big Jessie,” Thompson III said of Govan, who led Wings to the New York State Federation title last spring.
Georgetown lost its first two games to Radford and Maryland to open at 0-2 for the first time since 1998-99 and was desperate for a win.
“This last week, this last 10 days has been hell and then you look and you see there’s no break,” said Thompson, whose team was picked to finish second in the Big East behind Villanova. “Hopefully that will prepare us as we move towards Big East play and post Big East play. … Also I have a group of guys that can handle it as we continue to go forward because whoever we play on Sunday, VCU and Duke, it doesn’t get any easier.”
