In a week that evoked many questions and concerns for the program off the court, the Georgetown men’s basketball team took care of business on the court. After handling 7-0 Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Wednesday, the Hoyas dominated previously undefeated SMU in Dallas tonight 91-74. After a very hot start from Georgetown, the Mustangs were never able to get back into the game. Junior guard Jahvon Blair shot an impressive 7-for-11 from deep, resulting in 21 points off the bench, while senior center Ömer Yurtseven and sophomore guard Mac McClung each contributed 19 points. In his second start since James Akinjo’s departure from the team, graduate student guard Terrell Allen was excellent, racking up 10 assists without a turnover. Sophomore forward Feron Hunt and sophomore guard Kendric Davis led the Mustangs with 17 points each.
The game was all Hoyas (6-3, Big East) from the start, as McClung hit two early threes at the top of the key and Georgetown got out to an early 8-2 lead. Following, Yurtseven made three buckets in the paint to go along with two Blair threes. Before the crowd at Moody Coliseum could get comfortable, the Mustangs (8-1, American) were down 26-5. Blair, McClung, and Yurtseven continued to find baskets with ease, complementing the Hoya defense that limited the Mustangs to 6-for-30 shooting from the field in the first half. At the break, Georgetown held a commanding 49-29 lead, and McClung led all scorers with 14 points. The Hoyas were also shooting a blistering 63 percent from the field.
The second half was played much more evenly between the two squads. Junior forward Isiaha Mike accounted for four early SMU points as the Mustangs pulled within 53-38 just over three minutes in. The Hoyas then went on a run, however, outscoring SMU 26-16 over the next eight minutes. That included four Hoya 3-pointers – three from Blair and one from McClung. Down the final stretch, Yurtseven scored eight points to help maintain the large Hoya lead. Despite the Mustangs winning the second half 45-42, their deficit was still 17 at the final buzzer. Hunt was the second half’s leading scorer with 15 points as SMU found its shooting stroke after the break, going 15-for-29 from the field.
The key to Georgetown’s dominant performance was their lights-out shooting from deep. Overall, the Hoyas shot 14-for-27 from deep, a stark contrast to their 37.3 percent clip on the season. Despite each team committing 13 turnovers, Georgetown was able to take advantage of the Mustangs’ mistakes, scoring 15 points off turnovers compared to SMU’s nine.
Georgetown will try to continue their strong play next Saturday when they take on rival Syracuse (5-4, 1-1 ACC) at Capital One Arena. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox. For continued coverage of men’s basketball and all Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
