The Georgetown University men’s basketball team (17-13, 8-11 Big East) defeated the Villanova University Wildcats (18-13, 11-9 Big East) 75-73 in a thrilling last-minute comeback March 4.
The game started close with both teams exchanging points, with sophomore guard Curtis Williams Jr.’s 3-pointer tying the score 5-5 at the 17-minute mark. After Villanova tied the score again at 9-9, sophomore forward Jordan Burks, Williams Jr., junior guard Jayden Epps and sophomore guard Malik Mack sank 3-pointers to give the Hoyas a 21-16 lead and establish a rhythm from behind the arc. Villanova bounced back with a powerful run of their own, taking back the lead, 26-23.
The Wildcats and Hoyas exchanged triples, keeping the score close at 29-26. Burks made a layup and drew a foul with less than a minute to go in the first half, tying the game 29-29 at the half.
Georgetown found success in the second half with graduate guard Micah Peavy hitting three straight 3-pointers and sophomore forward Drew Fielder adding a jumper, giving the Hoyas a 40-35 lead just three minutes in. However, Villanova followed it up with a 10-3 run, reveling in their composure, with clutch 3-pointers and effective free throws putting them up 58-57.
Epps quickly responded with a triple, but Villanova remained consistent and extended their lead to 69-60 with less than four minutes remaining, marking the largest deficit of the night for the Hoyas. Mack broke the Wildcats’ momentum, spearheading a 7-0 run with a triple from Mack, two free throws from Epps and a forceful dunk from Fielder.
While a foul on Peavy gave the Wildcats a 4-point advantage of 71-67, Epps made two crucial free throws and Burks scored a layup and a dunk to give Georgetown a lead of 73-71 with 37 seconds remaining.
Villanova answered with a layup to set the stage for a final winning basket. With the game tied at 73-73, Epps drove from the top of the key to the hoop with only five seconds remaining. Absorbing contact and driving aggressively, Epps sank the layup over two opponents to give the Hoyas an advantage of 75-73. Villanova had one final opportunity to find the net, but their desperate 3-pointer fell short at the buzzer.
The 15-4 run in the last four minutes, led by a game-winning basket from Jayden Epps with five seconds remaining, sealed the win, which marked the first time the Hoyas swept the Villanova Wildcats in the regular season since 1993.
Peavy said the Hoyas showed their fight in the win by not allowing themselves to quit, as has been a theme all season.
“I just feel like all year we’ve shown that we just don’t quit. Even in league games, we’ve gone down, and we just kept fighting to the end. I think that showed today,” Peavy told Georgetown Athletics. “We don’t quit, and we had confidence in ourselves to win this game.”
Epps led the Hoyas with 20 points on 6-12 shooting. Peavy added 19 points, including five 3-pointers, and Burks had a career-high 14 points and 6 rebounds. Mack scored 10 points, including two triples. Fielder led the team in rebounds with 7 and also added 4 assists, matching Mack’s assist total.
Hoping to extend their momentum after breaking a three-game losing streak, the Hoyas will now turn their attention to their final regular-season game on the road against the DePaul University Blue Demons (11-18, 2-16 Big East) on March 8 at 2 p.m.