Meghan Hall

Jeremiah Williams (above) was one of the leaders on the court for the Hoyas as they beat Marquette.

The Georgetown University men’s basketball team confidently secured an undefeated start to conference play, dispatching the Marquette Golden Eagles 78-69 Dec. 17 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

The Hoyas (8-3, 1-0 Big East) shrugged off a sluggish stretch of games to take the lead into halftime and hold the Golden Eagles (5-7, 0-1 Big East) at bay for the second half. Georgetown’s win is the program’s first against Marquette since the Hoyas’ improbable run to the NCAA tournament in the pandemic-affected 2020-21 season. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles continue an underwhelming season — still without a single win against a high-major conference opponent.

Georgetown entered the game underpowered, but overcame an unconventional personnel grouping. Junior guard KJ Lewis missed practice during the week with the flu, meaning he came off the bench and played limited minutes. Even when he was on the floor, Lewis did not look at his best. He finished with no points, missing all 6 of his shots, but did add 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

Marquette won the opening tip, scored first and got out to a fast start. By the under-8 media timeout in the first half, the Golden Eagles led 24-16 as the Hoyas struggled to knock down shots.

However, Georgetown sophomore center Julius Halaifonua continued his dominating stretch of performances in the early stages. In the first half, Halaifonua recorded 13 points. He finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and his sixth-straight game with over 30 minutes played.

Georgetown Head Coach Ed Cooley said Halaifonua’s development has increased significantly, especially as senior center Vince Iwuchukwu is out.

“Julius, in the last month, has really grown and developed,” Cooley said after the game. “Just to see how this young man has worked — changing his body, trusting what we’re doing with him. I couldn’t be more proud of his growth and development.”

Halaifonua said he took advantage of Marquette’s defensive pressures with opportunities to kick the ball out or drive to the rim.“Obviously, I knew I had a size advantage,” Halaifonua said after the game, “but, also, I knew they could possibly trap or collapse whenever I caught the ball, so it was keeping my eyes open for open guys or cutters. And if they didn’t, then just go to work..”

With around five minutes left in the first half, the Hoyas began to turn it around and staged a run that gave them control of the game. In the last 5:25 of the half, Georgetown went on a 19-6 run to give them a 37-33 lead into the break.

After the intermission, the Hoyas picked up right where they left off. In the first 10 seconds of the period, Halaifonua drove to the rim and drew a foul before knocking down both free throws. Georgetown continued to attack the basket, extending the lead to 49-41 at the under-16 media timeout.

Marquette did make a run, cutting their deficit to 3 points with under 9 minutes left. The Hoyas quickly responded, led by Halaifonua and graduate guard Jeremiah Williams, and opened the lead back up to double-digits in 4 minutes. Williams, who started for the first time at Georgetown in place of Lewis, had another exceptional performance. He scored 15 points, while adding 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes.

According to Cooley, Williams was also sick during the week but played through it for a season-high performance.

The Hoyas held their double-digit advantage until just before the final buzzer, securing an unbeaten start to their Big East campaign.

Cooley said Georgetown’s zone defense was successfully able to disrupt Marquette’s offensive rhythm, and he adjusted the scheme to do so.

“We worked on it this week for sure,” Cooley said. “This is probably the most zone we’ve played all year. I bet we played 80% of the game today in zone, and particularly the entire second half.”

“I thought the adjustment was really good, and it slowed them down a little bit. Then, when we were able to get a lead, they were pressing. I definitely think it was an adjustment,” Cooley added.

The Hoyas also out-rebounded the Golden Eagles by 11, including 14 offensive rebounds. Cooley said his players showed up with a more physical attitude, which created the advantage on the glass.

“Rebounding is just a mindset,” Cooley said. “You either want to do it or you don’t. Our players were just determined.”

“We work at it every day,” Cooley added. “At the end of the day, rebounding and defense is a will and a want, and I thought our will and want was a little bit greater today.”

The Hoyas next face Xavier University (8-4, 0-1 Big East), who is coming off a blowout loss to Creighton University (6-5, 1-0 Big East), at Capital One Arena on Dec. 20.