With five Georgetown men’s basketball players finishing the day in double figures, the Hoyas defeated the 25th-ranked Creighton Bluejays 83-80 Jan. 15 at Capital One Arena. Senior center Omer Yurtseven led the Hoyas with 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, securing his ninth double-double of the season. Sophomore guard Mac McClung also added 19 points of his own on 7-of-14 shooting to go with five rebounds and five assists. 

Georgetown’s (12-6, 2-3 Big East) victory over Creighton (13-5, 2-3 Big East) marks the Blue and Gray’s second defeat of a ranked team this season following its win over No. 22 Texas at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 21. The win is Head Coach Patrick Ewing’s (CAS ’85) fourth victory over a ranked team in his three-year tenure. 

The game began with a back-and-forth battle with both teams exchanging baskets through the first five minutes of play. Neither team was able to accumulate more than a three-point advantage until Georgetown took the 13-8 lead with 15:20 remaining in the first. 

The advantage didn’t last long for the Hoyas as the Blue Jays claimed a 20-16 lead with 10:51 left in the first. Georgetown responded effectively with an 8-2 run that ended with a slam from Yurtseven on a fast break to grab a 24-22 lead with 7:33 left on the clock. 

The Blue Jays answered with a shot from beyond the arc to retake the lead from the Hoyas. Creighton would accumulate a four-point advantage with just under five minutes remaining in the half. Both teams continued to trade buckets until a layup by junior guard Jahvon Blair, who finished the game with 12 points, shortened Creighton’s lead to just one at 37-36 going into the half. 

Georgetown concluded the first half shooting 46% from the field compared to Creighton’s 42%. Yurtseven led the way for the Blue and Gray with 10 points and three rebounds in the opening period, supported by seven points and three rebounds from McClung. 

Creighton’s offense came out strong to open the second half, pulling ahead 45-40 in the first three minutes. The surge was led by Creighton guard Marcus Zegarowski, who tied with Yurtseven for a game-high 20 points on the day. Georgetown, however, responded with a 9-0 run to regain the lead at 49-45. 

Creighton refused to let the Hoyas run away with the game as they continued to sink crucial three-pointers down the stretch with 13 total for the game. With under 12 minutes to play, Creighton cut its deficit to one to bring the score to 56-55. Blair’s jump shot and free throw, however, capped off a 7-2 Hoya run that left the Blue Jays at a six-point disadvantage. 

Yurtseven’s consecutive inside buckets gave the Blue and Gray a 70-61 lead and marked their largest advantage of the night with 5:48 on the clock. After three consecutive Creighton baskets to shorten the lead to one, McClung iced the game with a left-hand jumper from the corner with 38 seconds left. 

While Creighton remained competitive throughout the game and threatened Georgetown’s lead late, senior guard Jagan Mosely acknowledged his team’s ability to hold off a tough competitor to earn the result.

“Today, I think we were up nine and they went on an 8-0 run, but we didn’t break after that. We kinda came together and closed the game out,” Mosely said. 

Georgetown topped Creighton 83-80 behind 56% shooting from the field in the second half compared to the Blue Jays’ 44% shooting. Georgetown also outrebounded Creighton 41-29 on the day and outscored the Blue Jays in the paint 31-28. Creighton dominated the Blue and Gray in fast-break points with 23 points to the Hoyas’ eight.  

The win was made possible by contributions from the entire team, Ewing said, pointing specifically to the performances of junior guard Jamorko Pickett and Mosely who combined for 22 points and 10 rebounds. 

“This was a great team win. Jamorko played his butt off. Both he and Jagan. Jamorko, he got maybe a minute or two of rest. Jagan played the whole game,” Ewing said. 

The Hoyas seek to defend Capital One Arena again and maintain their perfect Big East home record when they welcome the Marquette Golden Eagles on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game can be viewed on FS1.