For nearly 35 of 40 minutes of the game Jan. 22, the Georgetown men’s basketball team appeared to have the momentum to take down No. 14/12 Villanova before a packed crowd at Capital One Arena. The Hoyas stayed within 5 points of the Wildcats for the majority of the game and even pulled ahead for parts of the second half. However, Georgetown’s late offensive struggles and Villanova’s timely baskets down the stretch resulted in the ultimate 85-74 Villanova victory.

Georgetown (6-11, 0-6 Big East) jumped out to an early 5-3 lead behind a layup and 3-pointer from sophomore forward Collin Holloway. Holloway, recently inserted into the Hoyas’ starting lineup, led the team and delivered the best performance of his career. He scored 25 points, including 12 in the first half, on 90% field goal shooting while also contributing 5 assists and 3 rebounds. 

Despite Holloway’s hot start, Villanova (15-5, 8-2 Big East) utilized an 8-1 run midway through the first half to take a 21-12 lead. The Wildcats appeared ready to run away with the game early, out-rebounding the Hoyas to create extra offensive opportunities and forcing Georgetown to take challenging shots. 

Forced to make a change, Head Coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) deployed a full-court trapping press, something Georgetown has employed throughout the season to disrupt its opponents’ offensive momentum and generate turnovers. First-year guard Aminu Mohammed subsequently converted a layup and free throw, followed by back-to-back 3-pointers from sophomore guard Dante Harris, cutting Villanova’s lead to 29-28 with 5:31 remaining in the half. 

A few minutes later, now up by 2 points, the Hoyas’ aggressive defense forced a shot-clock violation, eliciting a massive fist-pump from Ewing and sending the crowd into a frenzy. Georgetown went into the halftime break with a 40-37 lead and the momentum on its side. 

The Hoyas kept this momentum to open the second half, scoring two quick layups in the half’s opening 90 seconds. A Holloway 3-pointer pushed Georgetown’s lead to 8 points nearly three minutes into the second half. 

With Georgetown on the brink of an upset victory, Villanova responded with a run of its own. The Wildcats erased Georgetown’s biggest lead of the game, going on a 9-0 run with 14:13 remaining in the game and taking a 48-47 lead.

The two teams then traded baskets for nearly nine minutes, with neither side able to generate a substantial lead. During this stretch, Villanova’s Collin Gillespie made back-to-back 3-pointers, killing Georgetown’s momentum. Gillespie finished with a game-high 28 points, including 6 3-pointers, as the Hoyas had no answer for the veteran guard’s offensive prowess.  

Georgetown’s offense then went stagnant in the final stretch of the game. The Hoyas missed 5 consecutive field goal attempts, and the Wildcats opened a 10-point lead with 4:22 remaining in the game.

A Gillespie 3-pointer with 1:22 left gave Villanova a 77-67 lead, puncturing Georgetown’s last effort comeback attempt. With the Hoyas intentionally fouling, Villanova converted 100% of its free-throw attempts, securing their 85-74 win.

Ewing cited selfish play in the second half as one of the main reasons for the loss.

“At the end, we didn’t make the right plays and we tried to get it done by ourselves instead of continuing to move the ball and share it,” Ewing said after the game.