In their 100th all-time meeting, the Georgetown University Hoyas delivered a statement 75-71 win against the Syracuse University Orange (5-5, 0-1 ACC), delighting fans who have eagerly anticipated the matchup since the start of the season.
Georgetown (8-2, 0-0 Big East) entered Saturday’s game looking to recover from a 73-60 loss at West Virginia University (7-2, 0-0 Big-12) last week. The Dec. 14 contest represented a huge chance at redemption, which the Hoyas took to heart. The two teams went back and forth for much of the first half, tying up the game at 37-37 entering the break. The second half was more or less the same until Georgetown put their foot on the gas in the last few minutes of the game. With the win, the Hoyas still trail the Orange in their all-time series 54-46, but they also improve their record against ACC schools to 175-153.
The Hoyas exuded hustle and intention from the outset, winning the opening tipoff. In the first minute, the teams traded multiple missed shots, but Georgetown refused to let up. Taking advantage of a bad Syracuse turnover, graduate guard Micah Peavy sprinted down the court and converted a driving layup to put up the first points on the scoreboard. Junior guard Jayden Epps delivered another two points at the baseline on the Hoyas’ following possession, after blowing past a defender.
On the other side of the court, Georgetown struggled with foul trouble. After Epps’ layup, freshman center Thomas Sorber got tangled up with Syracuse forward Chris Bell, resulting in the Orange making two second-chance free throws. Sorber, however, was not alone. Sophomore forward Jordan Burks racked up 3 fouls in relatively quick succession, leading to an unexpectedly early substitution with 4:17 remaining in the first half.
Though Georgetown fell behind multiple times in the first half due to Syracuse’s success at the free throw line, the Hoyas recovered by playing with renewed urgency. Down 31-27, the Hoyas rallied with an emphatic Peavy dunk, two points from sophomore forward Drew Fielder below the basket and then another Epps layup. Epps also converted a 3-pointer just about a minute later, putting the Hoyas ahead of the Orange 37-35. Afterward, the Orange sank two more free throws, once again capitalizing on the Hoyas’ foul trouble, to cap off the first 20 minutes of the game.
The Hoyas entered the second half with equal intensity as the first. A powerful drive towards the basket resulted in a Sorber layup, and then Peavy hammered home a dunk after sprinting down the court following a Syracuse turnover. Though he had struggled with his shot earlier in the game, sophomore guard Malik Mack dropped a 3-pointer to then extend Georgetown’s lead to 46-41. Determined to make an impression, Epps later launched two 3-pointers and made another layup.
The Orange kept up with Georgetown by taking advantage of Syracuse’s free throw opportunities. The Orange converted 21 of 29 free throws, tripling the 7 free throws out of 11 attempts made by the Hoyas. However, as things came down to the wire, the 5.1% differential in field goal percentage began to turn the tides in the Hoyas’ favor. By putting up 47.7% (31 of 65) of their field goals, Georgetown crucially surpassed Syracuse (23 of 54, 42.6 FG%) in both accuracy and volume of shooting.
With 4:12 remaining in the game, Syracuse guard Jaquan Carlos’ 3-point jumper put the Orange up 69-67, but a successful Mack free throw and an Epps layup gave the Hoyas a lead that they maintained until the clock expired. Epps was particularly clutch in the waning seconds, driving to the basket for another layup, leaving Syracuse two possessions behind Georgetown. Despite the various skilled players the Orange had on the floor, they ultimately could not overcome the effective Georgetown defense that closed out the contest.
For the game, Epps tallied 27 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds and impressed with his 11-15 shooting from the field. Peavy also assembled a solid stat line, with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Two-time Big East freshman of the week Sorber marshaled 16 points and 7 rebounds. While Mack’s shots did not fall as well as hoped, he did a little bit of everything else on the court with 6 rebounds and a team-leading 8 assists.
The win marks Georgetown’s eighth of the season and gives the team a boost of momentum ahead of Big East competition this upcoming week. Regardless of how the Hoyas’ season turns out by the time the season ends, beating Syracuse is a promising sign that the program is once again on the up. Georgetown’s last win against Syracuse came in December 2021, the same calendar year and season right after the Hoyas last appeared in the NCAA tournament. The Hoyas must continue showing out to be able to flip the script this season and reach the tournament.
Fans can tune in on the CBS Sports Network or catch the Hoyas in person at Capital One Arena when they next suit up Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 6:30 p.m. against the Creighton University Bluejays for the start of Big East play.