Going up by 14 with 4:49 left in the first half against the Marquette University Golden Eagles Jan. 7, the Georgetown University men’s basketball team seemed poised to deliver Hoya fans their first win versus a top-10 team in the AP Poll since 2016. Yet despite leading with just 2:19 left in the game, the Hoyas (12-3, 3-1 Big East) narrowly lost out on the upset, falling 74-66 Jan. 7.
Before tipoff, a win seemed nearly impossible, with the Big East-leading Golden Eagles 13.5-point favorites and playing in front of a home crowd. Georgetown lost their two matchups against Marquette (14-2, 5-0 Big East) last season by a combined 64 points. Junior guard Jayden Epps, remained out of the focused game with a lower-body injury.
The game started business as usual for the Golden Eagles, with Marquette bursting out of the gate to a 12-5 lead at the 15:04 mark. But the Hoyas came roaring back, starting with a 3-point play from first-year center Thomas Sorber. Georgetown then took an astonishing 30-9 run over Shaka Smart’s squad. Two 3-point shots from sophomore forward Jordan Burks gave Georgetown the lead, and graduate guard Micah Peavy delivered eight straight points for the Hoyas during the run, capped off with a dunk.
Marquette got things moving again towards the end of the half after nearly four scoreless minutes, but Georgetown kept the Golden Eagles at arm’s length, ending the first half up 38-29, stunning the Fiserv Forum fanbase as the teams went to the locker room.
Marquette rediscovered their offensive prowess when the teams came back for the second half, going on a 13-4 run out of the gate to tie the game at 42-42 six minutes into the second half and then gain the lead off a 3-pointer from forward David Joplin. A hard-fought, largely one-possession game ensued much of the rest of the half, with the teams trading the lead and remaining tied at 58-58 over a scoreless three-minute period.
Georgetown had a one-point advantage at the final TV timeout, but two free throws from Joplin returned the lead to Marquette. The Hoyas remained within one possession of the Golden Eagles with less than a minute to play, with Marquette up 66-64. However, a steal off sophomore guard Malik Mack by Marquette guard Chase Ross, whom Mack fouled in the process, dashed the Hoyas’ dreams and sealed the game for the Golden Eagles. Ross made both free throws to put the game firmly in Marquette’s favor, and after the clock wound down, Marquette came out on top, 74-66.
Mack starred again for the Hoyas, totaling a team-high 18 points and 5 assists. Thomas Sorber put up his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Burks and sophomore guard Curtis Williams, Jr. contributed from the bench with 8 and 10 points, respectively.
On Marquette’s end, Chase Ross had a career game with 27 points and 6 steals. Georgetown got the best of Marquette in shooting percentage, shooting 43.6% from field goal range and 42.1% from 3-point range compared to figures of 35.6% and 37.5% from Marquette. The Hoyas, however, continued to struggle with turnovers, totaling 19, including some in the final minutes that helped Marquette take the lead for good and solidify their win.
Head Coach Ed Cooley said he was proud of the team’s fight against Marquette but noted that the squad revealed their inexperience toward the end of the game.
“We didn’t win the war today, but, man, we had a hell of a battle. Really proud of our kids. I thought we battled right there. With two minutes left to play, I think it was, I think we had a one point lead. And I think a little bit of our inexperience showed. I think we had three costly turnovers that they took advantage of,” Cooley told Georgetown Athletics. “If you look at the overall picture of where our team is, how hard these men fought today, I couldn’t be more proud.”
While Georgetown couldn’t pull off the statement win, their performance against No. 7 Marquette represents a step in the right direction for the team. Just last season, the idea of playing the Golden Eagles close would have been unfathomable, and this time around, the Hoyas spent a fair portion of the game in control and had a chance to win up until the final minute. While the Hoyas couldn’t pull off the upset, taking a team that made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last year down to the wire is sure to instill belief in Ed Cooley’s team and the Georgetown fanbase that Georgetown can become a real contender in the Big East.
The Hoyas will look to bounce back when they host the No. 9 University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies on Jan. 11 at Capital One Arena and on Fox Sports Network.