HARRISONBURG, Va. – Powered by big man Roy Hibbert, the Georgetown men’s basketball team fought off unexpectedly tough James Madison 73-66 last night for its second win of the season.

A raucous crowd of over 5,500 came out for the Dukes’ home opener, packing the Convocation Center to watch the home team face its biggest opponent of the season.

“It’s why you schedule this type of game,” John Thompson III, the Hoyas’ men’s basketball head coach, said about the surprisingly close call. “It helps prepare us for later on. It’s what I expected: playing a well-coached team in a crazy environment.”

Although the crowd mostly sported “Beat the Hoyas” T-shirts, one Georgetown player received a warm welcome. Sophomore guard Tyler Crawford, a native of nearby Staunton, Va., returned to a court that he had played on in high school.

“It’s great,” Crawford said of the fan support. “It made it worth the trip.”

For the second game in a row, sophomore center Hibbert carried the Hoyas with a career-high 23 points in only 17 minutes on the court. Hibbert picked up the team’s first 15 points, using his size advantage to knock in layups and force fouls from James adison.

“He’s turning himself into a very good basketball player. He has the ability to score and make free throws,” Dean Keener, the Dukes’ men’s basketball head coach, said. “The only guy we were planning to double-team was Jeff Green, and we thought if Roy scored over us, so be it. And he did.”

The first nine minutes featured seesaw action as the lead bounced back and forth six times. Georgetown finally broke away behind three-pointers from senior guard Ashanti Cook and freshman guard Jonathan Wallace. Although the Dukes never faded, the Hoyas were able to capitalize on some key turnovers to stay ahead, finishing the half with a comfortable 10-point lead.

Georgetown could not keep up the lead as James Madison worked its way back into the game early in the second half with an 8-point run in less than two minutes that brought the Dukes to within two points, 44-42.

With Hibbert spending most of the second half on the bench, senior swingman Darrel Owens stepped up to provide the team with an offensive push that kept the Hoyas ahead. Owens drained a three-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock ran out to open Georgetown’s lead to eight points, 54-46. Owens scored all of his 10 points in the second half

“We were worried about the threes,” Keener said. “They trick you into thinking that the back cuts and post ups will beat you, but it’s really the threes that hurt you.”

The Hoyas also received a boost from the stripe, going 12-13 in the second half to hold on for the win. Hibbert benefited the most, posting a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line, while Cook added another four points. The Dukes, however, struggled to find their groove from the foul line and finished the night with an anemic 8-for-16 showing.

“Nobody we play is going to be as good as Georgetown. We gave it all we had and tried to stay focused,” James Madison junior guard Ray Barbosa said.

Georgetown has had four players finish with double-digit scoring in both games this season. Even as the team’s offense continues to improve, the transition defense struggled to contain James Madison.

“Our transition defense was awful. I thought the offense was better looking than last game, but they really hurt us on transitions,” Thompson said.

Sophomore forward Jeff Green, expected to lead the team this season, continued to look flat after a middling showing at Navy. Green only contributed four points and committed five turnovers in 33 minutes on the court.

Georgetown has several days off before taking on Vanderbilt (2-0) in the Hoyas’ home opener at MCI Center on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

After a scare at James Madison, Georgetown will need to be better collected against a tougher team. “Getting a big win is what’s important,” Thompson said. “This season hopefully we’ll be in the position to play with every team in the nation. Playing in different environments like this teach[es] us to stick together.”