Down Goes Goliath: Hoyas Upset Defending Champs

On a snowy day in Washington D.C., the Georgetown Hoyas were anything but cold as they outclassed the 17^th ranked Villanova Wildcats in route to an 85-73 victory. Senior forward Jessie Govan led the Blue and Gray with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Mac McClung added 21 points of his own. Villanova’s Phil Booth led all scorers with 26, but a cold 9-38 from three-point range doomed Jay Wright’s Wildcats. This victory comes at a crucial time, snapping a two-game skid and helping the Hoyas keep pace in the Big East Conference, remaining just one game out of third place in the league. Perhaps more importantly, the win marks second-year coach Patrick Ewing’s first triumph over a ranked opponent and snaps the Hoyas’ previous 9-game losing streak against Villanova.

After a back-and-forth first few minutes, Jessie Govan found Josh LeBlanc for a one-handed slam with 15:09 to go in the first half, putting the Hoyas up 9-8. As crazy as it may have sounded at the time, Villanova would not lead for the rest of the contest. McClung took charge for the Hoyas, knocking down four three-point shots in the first period to keep his team ahead.

An 8-0 Hoyas run from the 2:38 mark to within a minute to go in the half featuring three-pointers from James Akinjo and Jamorko Pickett cemented Georgetown’s advantage. However, following a timeout, Villanova put up four unanswered points to end the first 20 minutes and draw within 10, certainly well within reach for a second half comeback.

Early in the second half, ‘Nova seemed primed to hang around and make it a game, drawing within 7 on multiple occasions within the first 5 minutes of the period. But to the surprise of many, Ewing’s squad responded admirably; a Jessie Govan three off a beautiful between the legs feed from James Akinjo with 13:13 to play capped off another 8-0 run and the Hoyas extended the lead to 15.

This was just one of 9 assists from Akinjo, who also tacked on 10 points, ending his recent streak of sub-par outings. While ‘Nova would threaten again, they would never get closer than 9 after this point.

Though Govan and McClung surely starred in the victory, it took an all-around team effort for Georgetown to hold off the Wildcats, evident by the fact that 10 (!) players made their mark on the score sheet. With most of the starters taking a breather around the mid-point of the second period, it was Ewing’s reserves that stepped up and put the game away for Georgetown. Kaleb Johnson turned in a fantastic defensive effort on Villanova standout Eric Paschall, while also adding 8 points and 8 rebounds (three of which came on the offensive end). Three huge three-pointers from Trey Mourning, Greg Malinowski and Jahvon Blair were crucial in burying Villanova’s chances at getting back within striking distance. A last-ditch effort at a press defense from ‘Nova gave Georgetown ball handlers some trouble, something Ewing will certainly identify as an area to improve upon, but with every free throw and fast break dunk, the Hoyas put a period on unquestionably their best outing of the year.

Just how momentous was Georgetown’s win over Villanova? For one, the Wildcats’ loss marks the first time since conference realignment (which occurred in 2013) that a Jay Wright squad has lost consecutive contests in conference play. On the Hoyas’ side, a win of this caliber has the potential to change the culture around this program and put Georgetown basketball back on the map. In the postgame press conference, Govan asserted, “We’re working on getting Georgetown back to national relevance.” Wednesday’s win over ‘Nova was certainly a big step in that direction, but there is more work to be done. In the short term, the Hoyas will look to keep momentum going when the travel to Omaha in hopes of exacting some more revenge against the Creighton Bluejays.

Savor this one Hoya fans. Wins like this haven’t come often enough. Good night and Hoya Saxa!