Field Level Media
Feb 20, 2019
Freshman Mac McClung scored 21 points to lead host Georgetown past No. 17 Villanova 85-73 on Wednesday in Washington D.C.
Senior Jessie Govan scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. Freshman James Akinjo had 10 points and nine assists.
The Hoyas had dropped three of four entering this game. They also improved to 11-5 at home.
Phil Booth led Villanova with 26 points while Eric Paschall added 16. Collin Gillespie scored 13 points and Saddiq Bey had nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Wildcats have now lost two in a row for the first time since December after a six-point defeat at St. John's last Sunday.
The Hoyas jumped out to a 15-8 lead thanks to some tenacious defense, especially on the perimeter.
Villanova got within 23-19 with 8:37 left when Booth knocked down a tough baseline jumper.
McClung hit a 3-pointer as the Hoyas extended their lead to 29-22.
Georgetown continued to stay hot from beyond the arc and built a 42-28 lead with 1:07 remaining.
Bey threw down a dunk and Gillespie swished two free throws as the Wildcats got within 42-32 at halftime. Booth led Villanova with 15 points. McClung paced Georgetown with 17.
Villanova sliced the lead to 44-38 early in the second half when Paschall delivered a bounce pass to Bey, who finished with a two-handed dunk.
Govan started to dominate in the low post with consecutive three-point plays for a 50-40 lead with 15:48 left.
Govan then stepped out and made a deep 3-pointer for a 58-43 Hoyas advantage with 13:11 remaining.
Georgetown's Greg Malinowski knocked down a trey, his first basket of the game, and it pushed the lead to 66-53 with 8:20 left. Jahvon Blair followed with a 3-pointer and the lead swelled to 16 at 69-53.
Booth and Paschall each missed a 3-pointer and the Hoyas moved ahead 75-56 with 4:01 left.
The Wildcats missed 14 of their first 17 shots from beyond the arc in the second half, a large reason why the Hoyas built a 19-point advantage.
--Field Level Media