Trailing by 3 points with just 30 seconds remaining, the Georgetown men’s basketball team (6-23, 0-18 Big East) had a chance to force overtime against the DePaul Blue Demons (15-14, 6-13 Big East). In a chaotic offensive sequence featuring 3 missed 3-pointers and 2 offensive rebounds, the Hoyas had multiple opportunities to snap their 16-game losing streak. 

However, Georgetown first-year forward Jalin Billingsley’s 3-pointer from the corner fell short with just one second remaining, settling the score at 65-68 and leaving the Hoyas winless in the Big East this season.

The first half was categorized by sloppy play and low scoring from both teams as Georgetown committed 11 first-half turnovers while DePaul committed 10 of its own. 

Hoyas first-year guard Aminu Mohammed scored his team’s first 5 points en route to a team-high 18 points. Despite his hot start, the Blue Demons continued to answer offensively. DePaul center Nick Ongenda’s athletic dunk was the first of 7 consecutive DePaul points early in the contest, giving the Blue Demons a 13-7 lead in the first half.

Midway through the first half, the Hoyas ramped up their defensive intensity, forcing 2 shot clock violations within 90 seconds. With 9:11 remaining in the half, first-year center Ryan Mutombo successfully tipped in Billingsley’s missed layup attempt to give Georgetown a narrow 16-15 lead.

This lead proved to be short-lived, however. Georgetown’s offense sputtered, suffering through a three-minute scoring drought as DePaul went on a 12-0 scoring run. Its largest lead of the game came at 27-16 after a fast break layup from Blue Demons guard Javon Freeman-Liberty with 6:05 remaining. Freeman-Liberty impressed all night, continuously converting difficult layups on his way to a game-high 25 points. 

Just when it seemed like DePaul was running away with the game, the Hoyas responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from Billingsley and graduate guard Donald Carey, cutting the Blue Demons’ lead to 5. The teams then traded baskets over the final five minutes of the first half, going into intermission with DePaul leading 30-26.

Georgetown junior center Malcolm Wilson shined in the opening minutes of the second half, scoring 7 of the Hoyas’ first 9 points, including an impressive alley-oop dunk off a skillful pass from Carey.

Minutes later, a Carey 3-pointer followed by a tough left-handed layup from Georgetown sophomore forward Collin Holloway forced DePaul to take a timeout down 37-40.

The two teams continued to go back and forth for the next 10 minutes, with neither side opening up a significant point advantage. With 11:17 remaining in the second half, Carey converted one of his signature 4-point plays. On the next offensive possession, he muscled through a Blue Demons defender and converted a right-handed layup. The impressive finish gave the Hoyas a 50-45 lead and fired up the Georgetown bench. Carey finished the evening with 15 points, 12 of which came after halftime.

Just as the Hoyas began to run away with the game, DePaul utilized an 8-0 scoring run to take a 62-55 lead with 3:56 remaining in the game. Then, in a momentum-changing sequence, Billingsley converted a mid-range jumper, and Mohammed stole the ensuing inbound pass. Mohammed turned his steal into an and-one layup, cutting DePaul’s lead to just 1 point. Moments later, Billingsley knocked down a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, putting Georgetown up 64-63 and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Freeman-Liberty went on to score the final 4 points of the game, however. On the last possession, the Hoyas failed to make a 3-pointer to force overtime, giving the Blue Demons the 68-65 victory.

Billingsley finished with 10 points and three blocks, earning him high praise from Head Coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85).

“To me this was his best game of the year,” Ewing said in a post-game press conference. “He gave us energy, he gave us effort, he gave us size and athleticism. This is what I’ve been waiting for from him the whole year.”

Georgetown lost its Sunday match to UConn (21-7, 12-5 Big East) 77-86 and its Wednesday match to Seton Hall (19-9, 10-8 Big East) 68-73. The Hoyas will close out their season on the road against Xavier (17–12, 7-11 Big East) March 5. After that, the Hoyas will look to survive this season’s Big East tournament.