For the Georgetown University men’s basketball team (16-13, 7-11 Big East), Micah Peavy has been a revelation. 

The graduate student, who came from Texas Christian University, brought the Hoyas a sense of defensive tenacity and NCAA Tournament experience. Head Coach Ed Cooley knew he was bringing in a veteran that could lead his young roster and help them grow as a defensive unit.

What nobody expected was for Peavy to become an elite scoring threat.

After tonight’s contest in which he scored 15 on 5-11 shooting (1-3 from three), Peavy is averaging 16.4 points per game, hitting 47% of his shots and 37% from deep. In February, Peavy averaged 24.2 points per game, highlighted by a 30-point masterclass against Providence College.

In what had the chance to be a storybook sendoff for the potential NBA draftee, the Hoyas came up short against the No. 21 Marquette University Golden Eagles (22-7, 13-5 Big East), 76-61.

Georgetown’s first possession of the night ended in a turnover, almost certainly an indication of the offensive struggles to come.

Marquette went up 4-0 with a David Joplin three and a Stevie Mitchell free throw. Sophomore forward Drew Fielder’s free throw after the Golden Eagles’ initial run got the Hoyas on the board. Fielder would ultimately play only 11 minutes due to illness, meaning the Hoyas lacked size even more than they already have in the absence of first-year center Thomas Sorber.

Sophomore forward Jordan Burks then recorded steals on back-to-back possessions before draining a three to tie things up at 4-4. Burks, who shouldered great responsibility in the absence of Sorber, played 38 minutes and recorded a double-double with 11 points (3-4, 1-1 from three) and 10 rebounds, the first of his career.

Burks grabbed a board on a Chase Ross miss, and Fielder laid the ball up in transition to give the Hoyas their first lead. That lead lasted for only 16 seconds, as Marquette tied things up again on a Kam Jones layup.

Marquette forward Ben Gold and sophomore guard Malik Mack traded threes to knot things at 9-9, yet the Golden Eagles opened their lead in a 18-4 run between 14:13 and 6:52, putting them ahead 27-13. In that stretch, the Hoyas failed to convert on a field goal, getting all 4 points from the line — Peavy and first-year forward Caleb Williams each scored one, Burks scored two.

Junior guard Jayden Epps splashed a three and cut the deficit to 11, but Marquette wouldn’t let up. Joplin responded with an immediate layup in transition. Georgetown missed two threes before Gold connected from deep to go up 16 and the Hoyas took a subsequent timeout.

Georgetown’s largest deficit in the first half was 20, and it happened twice. The Hoyas struck first out of the timeout, with sophomore guard Curtis Williams Jr. going 1-2 from the line. Gold slammed a dunk in transition before Epps and Mack each missed threes. Mitchell then caught a pass from Jones and sank a deep ball of his own. Williams Jr. went a perfect 2-2 from the line before Jones got to the rim for a layup, the deficit again 20.

The Hoyas went into the second half by scoring 3 unanswered points, all by Williams Jr. However, this in no way built momentum. The Golden Eagles defense stifled Georgetown in the first half, the Hoyas shooting 19% from the field and 20% on 15 3-point attempts.

Although Georgetown would ultimately outscore Marquette in the second half, it was not nearly enough to make the game interesting.

The second half began as a back-and-forth affair. Mitchell kicked off the scoring with a bucket in the paint, courtesy of a pass by Jones. Epps knocked down a short jumper, Jones did the same, Epps found Peavy for a dunk and Jones scored again under the rim in transition.

Marquette then went on another run. Gold missed a deep ball but Joplin was there to tip it in. Jones got a steal and found Joplin on the fast break for a dunk. Epps interrupted the run with a free throw before Mitchell and Ross knocked down back-to-back threes to open the lead up to 28.

Williams Jr. scored the next 6 Hoya points, all from beyond the arc. He ended the game with a quiet 14 points in just 17 minutes, adding 3 boards and a steal.

The two sides traded buckets before Georgetown went on a small run of their own. Ross scored around the rim and Burks responded by tipping in a missed Epps layup. Mack laid one in on an assist by Epps, then Epps assisted on a three by Peavy to cut the deficit back down to 20.

Georgetown continued to make their run, pulling to within 12 with just under 6 minutes to play. Peavy contributed 6 points to a 11-1 run between 9:10 and 5:48. Marquette quickly quieted the surging Hoyas with a 6-0 run from the Jones-Mitchell-Joplin trio, putting the game to rest.

Marquette’s lead ballooned to 20 with just over a minute left to play. By the end, Georgetown cut the deficit to 15 on a three by first-year guard Kayvaun Mulready, the last bucket of the game.

Marquette’s 18 assists and a team effort on defense led Cooley to say the Golden Eagles have one of the most connected teams in the country. 

“First, I thought we played one of the more connected teams in our league, if not the country, with their experience,” Cooley said at a postgame press conference. 

Cooley added that as a result of missing Sorber and, for much of the game, Fielder, the Hoyas lost their physical approach, citing the 73% opponent field-goal percentage on 2-pointers.

“I didn’t think we had a physical approach today,” Cooley said. “We gave up 73% from two. It was a layup fest.” 

The loss marks the third in a row for Georgetown. Things won’t get much easier when the Villanova University Wildcats (18-12, 11-8 Big East), winners of three straight, come to Capital One Arena on March 4. Georgetown took the first game of the Hoyas-Wildcats matchup Jan. 20 in thrilling fashion, winning 64-63 at Finneran Pavilion.