Two weeks after their loss to Temple in a hostile environment, the Hoyas were back on the road for a final nonconference test in another tough place to play. At the charged-up FedEx Forum in Memphis, No. 10 Georgetown (11-1) neutralized the crowd and dominated the No. 16 Tigers (9-2) 86-69 on Thursday night in its final tune-up before Big East play begins.

“Hopefully this game, hopefully the Temple game, hopefully the Missouri game, hopefully the Old Dominion game will help prepare us [for the Big East], not only because of the quality of the opponent but also because the venues and the opposing teams’ fans,” Head Coach John Thompson III said in the postgame press conference. “Hopefully we’re used to it.”

Facing a talented, young team – one that closely resembles the 2008-2009 Hoyas – Georgetown followed up a back-and-forth first half with perhaps its most impressive 20-minute stretch of the season. Outscoring Memphis 46-33 after the break, the Hoyas buried the Tigers with efficient shooting and veteran poise.

“In the second half, our guys refocused and executed, particularly at the defensive end, better than we did in the first half,” Thompson said. “It was not any huge tactical change. I just went into halftime and challenged them to do what we do better than they do what they do.”

Senior guard Austin Freeman, whose shot had appeared slightly off over the past few games, was back in full force, headlining a scalding 56.9-percent Georgetown effort with 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Coming into the game second in the nation in field goal percentage, the Hoyas showed their Princeton roots with a number of back-door cuts that exposed Memphis’ youth and inexperience.

“It’s hard to beat a team when they shoot 57 percent from the field,” Memphis Head Coach Josh Pastner said. “Their shooters, those guards, are really, really, really good. We went to a matchup zone at times, and they hurt us. We went to man, [and] they hurt us there on some key shots.”

Adding to the senior presence on the floor were guard Chris Wright and forward Julian Vaughn. Wright chipped in 19 points, while Vaughn scored 15 and grabbed 10 rebounds while playing more than he has in weeks.

“We have some unselfish players who have done a very good job of getting each other open shots and quality shots,” Thompson said. “And with the offensive players we have, when we get good shots they’re going to go in.”

While he has used a deep rotation in the frontcourt all season, Thompson stuck with his veterans for the majority of the game. Freeman played 37 minutes, Wright was on the floor for 35 and all five starters logged more than 20 minutes.

Returning from knee surgery after just two weeks, Memphis guard Wesley Witherspoon was ineffective in 19 minutes, scoring just three points. With freshman guard Joe Jackson a non-factor with six points on 1-of-8 shooting, guard Will Barton carried most of the Tigers’ offensive load with 18 points and seven rebounds.

Once the crowd was taken out of the game, Memphis began to unravel at the hands of an efficient Georgetown attack and a four-point halftime deficit turned into a 17-point loss.

“We wanted to come out with more fire than we did in the first half,” Vaughn said. “That was a big emphasis, coming out with energy. And it carried us throughout the second half.”

The Hoyas will be in South Bend, Ind., for their Big East opener against No. 22 Notre Dame on Dec. 29. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.”