NORFOLK, Va. – Coming into the season, the Hoyas knew their three veteran guards would be the keys to their success. In their sixth consecutive season-opening win last night, that fact was on full display.

In No. 20 Georgetown’s come-from-behind 62-59 victory over Old Dominion at the Ted Constant Center, Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Jason Clark carried the offensive load – to the tune of 54 points – and on a night when the offense looked out of sync made shots when the Hoyas needed them to.

“Early on we were getting shots, they just didn’t fall and I think we went through a small stretch in the middle of the first half where after they weren’t falling, we got a little tentative,” Head Coach John Thompson III said sitting alongside Freeman, Wright and Clark. “At halftime we thought we were getting the shots want, we have good shooters that can step up and bang them. And these guys, when we needed them to make shots, these guys right here put the ball in the basket.”

Georgetown did not hold a lead until 3:55 remaining in the game when Wright knocked in a three-pointer from the corner as the shot clock expired to give the Hoyas a 51-49 lead. Old Dominion forward Keyon Carter quickly answered with a layup on the other end, but Wright answered with another three from the top of the key to retake the lead that Georgetown never relinquished.

“Those shots hurt when you’ve played 35 seconds of tough defense and the kid just kind of heaves it up there,” Carter said of Wright’s shot-clock beating three.

From there, a classic Freeman drive to the hoop for two and a corner three from Clark with under a minute remaining were enough to finish off the Monarchs, who had a chance to tie it with a last-second near-halfcourt heave, and ended their 23-game home winning streak, which had been the fourth longest active run in the country.

“That’s one of the better teams on our schedule right there, and to come down here and to beat that team that’s as well coached as they are, as poised as they are, as experienced as they are, this is a terrific opening win on the road. It’s a terrific win against a terrific team.”

With 6:21 remaining, Old Dominion extended its lead to eight at 49-41 when Freeman seized the moment and proved why he is the Big East preseason player of the year. His first made trifecta of the game made it 49-44, and after a missed three on the other end by Kent Bazemore, Freeman nailed another three, was fouled and completed the four-point play to bring the Hoyas to within one with 5:01 to play.

“I read my man, he played under [the screen], I was open at the time and I took the shot,” Freeman said about the play that gave the Hoyas momentum going into the final moments. “I tried to act a little bit too, but it was just a good play I think.”

Both teams lived up to their respective billings on the defensive end in the first half, but the Hoyas and Monarchs combined for just 44 points in the opening period. Georgetown was ice cold from long range, going 1-for-10 and shooting 34.6 percent overall from the field. Old Dominion wasn’t much getter, shooting at a 35.7 percent clip.

Freeman (17 points) and Wright (19) took over in the second half scoring 15 points apiece after halftime. Clark (18 points) was the only Georgetown player to get into any semblance of a rhythm in the first half and led all scorers at the break with nine. The Hoyas got hot at the right time and poured in 7-of-11 from beyond the arc, while the Monarchs went 2-of-8.

Some might see the performance of the Hoyas’ frontcourt, which scored just eight points, as a concern going forward, but Thompson does not.

“We’re going to get points from our frontcourt, I’m not concerned about that,” Thompson said. “Julian [Vaughn] had some chippies that he normally makes but that he missed. Nate [Lubick] will get opportunities. That is not a concern of mine.”

Although they didn’t do much of the scoring, Vaughn and the freshman Lubick, who played 23 minutes

including crunchtime minutes down the stretch, provided solid interior defense and were effective rebounding the ball. Still, the Monarchs out-rebounded the Hoyas 38-27 and six of Vaughn’s seven rebounds were on the offensive end.

Georgetown will play its home opener at Verizon Center on Monday against Tulane. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.