Georgetown holds Bulls to low-scoring record

South Florida reached a low point for the season Wednesday night — literally.

A poor first-half stretch caused the Bulls to score their fewest points all year, and Georgetown (14-10, 5-8) left the Sun Dome with a 65-40 victory.

USF’s 40-point effort is in a three-way tie — along with a 1994 game against Virginia Tech and another in 2004 against Louisville — for the second-lowest score in school history.

“The percentage we shot at was just not there, but give credit to Georgetown because they had a good game plan,” said USF coach Stan Heath. “They jammed the lane up on us, which they thought we’d be weak at, and we kind of played into that.”

The Bulls finished 31.9 percent from the floor — their second-worst percentage all season — and shot 1-for-12 from the three-point range.

After freshman Augustus Gilchrist made it a one-point game with a lay-up at 10:14 in the first half, the Hoyas went on a 19-2 run that spanned five minutes — during which USF didn’t score a point — and took a 34-17 lead into halftime.

“We didn’t score,” Heath said of the stretch. “They (Georgetown) had a hand in that, but whether it was a free throw, a jump shot or a layup, it just didn’t fall. They covered the basket.”

Forward Alex Rivas’ nine points and six rebounds helped the Bulls (8-17, 3-10) cut the deficit to 46-30 midway through the second half, but Georgetown forward DaJuan Summers crashed USF’s comeback effort with a dunk at the 8:55 mark.

Heath praised Rivas’ performance on defense.

“If you would have said a few months ago that (Rivas) was going up against (Georgetown center) Greg Monroe and (Notre Dame forward) Luke Harangody, you’d think they’d get about 30 or 40 points,” he said. “That’s not the case. He’s doing a great job defensively.”

USF sophomore guard Dominique Jones finished 1-for-5 from three-point and free-throw range, finishing with 12 points. Jones has 985 career points.

Georgetown coach John Thompson III said the Hoyas did well guarding Jones.

“He had an off night,” he said. “He’s one of the better offensive players in our league. He just doesn’t get as much attention as some of the other players in the Big East.”

Georgetown, which had lost seven of its previous eight games, was led by sophomore guard Chris Wright’s 17-point performance.

“The problem with this league — I mean, let’s be honest — you put Georgetown in any other league, and they’re probably top three in any other conference,” Heath said. “They’re a very good basketball team that plays in a very good conference.”

With the loss, the Bulls fall to a tie with St. John’s for 14th place in the Big East. The team visits No. 1 Connecticut on Saturday.