Georgetown men’s basketball (15-17, 6-14 BIG EAST) defeated the Villanova University Wildcats (24-7, 15-5 BIG EAST) 78-64 in the second round of the BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Hoyas, who finished as the No. 11 seed in the BIG EAST, defeated DePaul University on Wednesday to earn the chance to play the No. 3 seed Wildcats. Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley picked up just his second BIG EAST Tournament win in charge of the Hoya squad, as the heroes of the Hilltop pulled off a huge upset against Villanova.
Head coach Ed Cooley did not change his starting lineup from Georgetown’s victory over DePaul, trusting the group who brought them the win Wednesday. Sophomore center Julius Halaifonua got the Hoyas on the board with a second-chance layup, then followed it up with a powerful dunk on the next possession. With help from Georgetown’s answer to Venus and Serena Williams—sophomore forward Caleb Williams and graduate guard Jeremiah Williams—the Hoyas built a 10-7 lead, starting the game much more efficiently than on Thursday.
Georgetown couldn’t maintain the lead because they committed eight turnovers in the first 12 minutes. After a defensive breakdown allowed Wildcat sophomore guard Bryce Lindsay to drain a wide-open three-pointer that put Villanova up 24-18, a timeout gave Cooley a chance to talk things through with the Hoyas. It seems like Cooley told the team to let Halaifanoua cook, because the big man reached 14 points right out of the timeout, kickstarting a 14-2 Hoya run. Sophomore guard Kayvaun Mulready took a trip to the bank to put an exclamation point on the half, making a three-pointer off the backboard and adding a free throw to put the Hoyas up 35-31 at the break.
Halaifonua picked up right where he left off when the second half started, finishing an alley-oop from junior guard Malik Mack, then finishing a short jumper off another Mack assist. Georgetown couldn’t pull away though, and Villanova pulled within two points with the score at 51-49 with twelve minutes left in the game. The Hoyas took the momentum back, and cemented their lead when Halaifonua fired up the crowd by fighting through contact to make an and-one layup. Halaifonua’s play put Georgetown up 61-51, with just under eight minutes left to hold onto the double-digit lead.
Georgetown kept their foot on the gas pedal in the closing minutes, making key shots to extend their lead. Mulready hit back-to-back three-pointers (no backboard necessary this time) to give the Hoyas their largest lead of the game at 67-53. Jeremiah Williams hit a big jumper, then a clean reverse layup to give the Hoyas a commanding, insurmountable 73-58 lead. The game wasn’t even close enough for the Wildcats to foul, and the Hoyas advanced with a shocking 78-64 victory.
Halaifonua led the Hoyas in scoring, with a 21-point double-double—the first of his career. Mack was also a key contributor, with 12 points and 6 assists, running an effective pick-and-roll with Halaifonua throughout the game. While the Wildcats made more points off turnovers (18 vs. 6), had more steals (7 vs. 3), and found themselves more successful from the free throw line (78.6% vs. 66.7%), it seemed that the Hoyas’ hunger and sheer will to score pushed them past the Wildcats. The Hoyas’ accuracy helped secure their lead—they made 50.8% of their field goals and 40% of their three-point shots, compared to 37.7% and 24.1% by Villanova, respectively. The Hoyas also outrebounded the Wildcats 46-25, with 16 offensive rebounds that gave them key extra chances.
Georgetown fought tooth and nail for this victory, a shocking win after losing their leading scorer—junior guard KJ Lewis— to injury just over two weeks ago. The Hoyas will look to pull off another improbable upset when they face the No. 6 University of Connecticut Huskies (28-4, 17-3 BIG EAST) at 8 p.m. EST on Mar. 13.
