Hoya basketball fans left Capital One Arena disappointed once again as the Georgetown University men’s basketball team dropped its 10th straight in a homestand against the Villanova Wildcats, 70-54.

Georgetown (8-18, 1-14 Big East) came out of the gate playing intense lockdown defense, holding Villanova (15-11, 8-7 Big East) scoreless for the first three and a half minutes of the game, while also forcing two shot clock violations. At the same time, the Hoyas showed signs of a promising offensive performance, holding an 8-3 advantage over the Wildcats six minutes into the contest. 

Despite the temporary defensive chokehold the Hoyas imposed on the Wildcats, Villanova bounced back, breaking down the Georgetown defense by forcing turnovers and taking advantage of fast break opportunities, resulting in a 15-12 lead with just under nine minutes remaining in the half. 

This was quickly followed up by a 3-pointer from the Hoyas to bring the score back to a tie. Unfortunately for Georgetown, this was the last time they would see a level score, as the Wildcats unleashed an 11-2 run, including two 3-pointers from guard Brendan Hausen, to take a commanding 26-17 lead over the Hoyas. 

To maintain the same momentum seen in the first three minutes of the game, Head Coach Ed Cooley pointed toward the need for a stronger defensive mentality across the team.

“To me, defense is a want, a will and an attitude — any great team in college, the best teams, they’re not always the most talented teams but they have a fight and desire to defend,” Cooley told The Hoya in a postgame press conference. “That’s a prideful thing and that’s something we hope to instill as we continue to build our program at Georgetown.”  

Despite showing some defensive capability, scoring has been a crucial shortcoming for the Hoyas throughout the season, and their struggles were on full display in the first half. 

Georgetown, which entered the game as the Big East’s second-lowest scoring team, scored just 19 points compared to Villanova’s 28, the worst-scoring half of the season for the Hoyas. Georgetown shot just 25.8% from the field, including a frightening 15.4% (2-for-13) from 3-point range. 

Nonetheless, the Hoyas came out of the halftime break on fire, scoring two consecutive 3-pointers, behind first-year guard Rowan Brumbaugh and junior guard Dontrez Styles, to cut the Wildcats’ lead down to three. The Wildcats quickly recovered, however, throwing down a dunk and downing a 3-pointer to firmly regain control of the pace and extend their lead to 11. 

It was beginning to seem that all was lost for the Hoyas, but the team managed to rally back and get within two possessions of the lead as they cut an 11-point Wildcat lead to 6 after scoring sequences featuring sophomore guard Jayden Epps, senior guard Jay Heath, Brumbaugh and Styles. 

Unfortunately, the Wildcats continued to shoot extremely efficiently — 59.3% (16-for-27) from the field for the half, including 43% (6-for-14) from beyond the arc — outscoring the Hoyas 42-35 in the second half and extinguishing all hopes of a comeback. 

Nevertheless, the Hoyas dramatically improved their shooting efficiency in the second half, shooting 43.3%  from the field and a subpar, but improved 30% from 3-point range. This almost doubled their percentages from the first half. 

Individual standouts in the game included Brumbaugh, who supplied a team-high 14 points and 5 assists off the bench on 60% shooting, and senior forward Supreme Cook, who had 8 points and 11 rebounds, 5 of which came on the offensive end.

Georgetown also showed flashes of a cohesive defense throughout the game, improving upon previous blowouts to then-No. 9 Marquette (19-6, 10-4 Big East) and No. 1 UConn (24-2, 14-1 Big East). Despite ultimately losing by 16, Cooley said the team had one of its best defensive showings to date.

“I thought we played harder today,” Cooley said. “I thought we were a lot more detailed in our defensive approach. I thought this was the most connected we’ve been defensively.” 

Cooley also commended Hoya basketball fans for continuing to show out for the team despite their recent struggles, as the home crowd of 9,406 was among the largest this season. New Washington Commanders General Manager Adam Peters and Head Coach Dan Quinn were also in the building.

“I’m grateful for our crowd. I’m grateful for our students. I just need them to hang in there with us as we continue to fight and claw,” Cooley said. 

The Hoyas fell short of a comeback against the St. John’s Red Storm (15-12, 7-9 Big East), losing 90-85 on Feb. 21. Georgetown will look to snap its 11-game losing streak as they gear up and travel to face the DePaul Blue Demons (3-23, 0-15 Big East) on Feb. 24 at 6 p.m.