The Georgetown men’s basketball team (8-4, Big East) defeated the visiting UNC Greensboro Spartans (9-4, Southern), 78-56, Thursday evening at the Verizon Center. Georgetown was led by the trio of sophomore center Jessie Govan, junior guard LJ Peak, and sophomore forward Marcus Derrickson. Govan recorded 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four blocks. Peak added 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists while Derrickson contributed 15 points (3-5 3PT FG) and six rebounds.
The win extends the Blue and Gray’s winning streak to six games, providing some much needed momentum before conference play. The Hoyas are set to host No. 17 Xavier on Dec. 31 and No. 13 Butler on Jan. 7.
Georgetown capitalized on UNC Greensboro’s early shooting woes, as the Spartans failed to record a field goal in nine minutes midway through the first half. During that span, the Hoyas, led by Govan and Pryor, increased their lead to 31-16 at the 5:31 mark. Greensboro wouldn’t go away easily, however, as the Spartans managed to cut the lead to just 10 points with a minute and a half remaining. A pair of threes from sophomore forward Kaleb Johnson and Govan extended the Hoyas’ lead to 40-26 entering the halftime break.
Early in the second half, UNC Greensboro sophomore guard Francis Alonso—who led Spain’s U20 team to a European championship over the summer—connected on a jump shot to bring his team within nine points, 42-33. But the Spartans were unable to get any closer, as the Hoyas utilized Govan’s post presence to take a commanding 55-39 lead with 10:00 to play. From there, the Hoyas rode the hot hand of Derrickson, who scored eight points in the final ten minutes, to seal the win.
Georgetown will have six days to rest before opening Big East play on the road against Marquette. The Hoyas and Golden Eagles split their season series last season. The Dec. 28th matchup is expected to tip-off at 8:30 EST and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
