Don’t look now, but your Georgetown Hoyas (13-10, 5-7) are now on a FOUR game BIG EAST winning streak, besting the visiting Creighton Bluejays by a score of 76-68.
KJ Lewis led the Hoyas’ scoring with 22 points/7 rebounds/3 assists/FIVE STEALS, while BIG EAST Honor Roll awardee Malik Mack added 20 points, 6 rebounds, and went 10/11 from the line. Vince Iwuchukwu continues to be a cornerstone, racking up a double-double in mostly just the second half.
During the opening portion of this game, I admittedly only had half an eye on the action (as the other half was on my nimble chaos elf of a toddler). Conveniently for me, I suppose, it was not a high-scoring contest.
While there was a stellar pull-up jumper from KJ Lewis, strong rebounding from J. Williams, a high-arcing three floated in by Kayvaun Mulready, and associated other long-range shots that found the bottom of the net… there were significant gaps in execution.
Creighton was outscoring Georgetown in the paint by what the stat sheet must have said was a vast margin. There had to have been nearly a game’s worth of turnovers by the Hoyas in the first 10 minutes alone. And the layups were not laying in.
However, the Bluejays were also not shooting well, which was a gift. The lead changed hands multiple times, with each team managing a two-possession advantage at some juncture. A buzzer-beating field goal at intermission was all they separated the teams; the Hoyas trailed 29-27 heading into intermission.
The second half saw Georgetown open scoring with a near-immediate triple from Lewis.
Mack was fouled while a shooting a three, and while he was automatic hitting those, Creighton answered with a triple from their end.
It was at that point where the team also began to execute on what was missing in the first half — Iwuchukwu got in the paint to battle for an offensive board AND he scored. Mack forced a steal and converted with a breakaway layup. A fallaway jumper from Lewis added two more.
Finally, Lewis put it up high for Iwuchukwu to slam it home. (I will never get tired of such plays.) That tallied up to a 12-0 run and the Hoyas’ first double digit lead. With 15:44 to go, Georgetown was up 45-34.
There was a brief lull ahead, where the Hoyas allowed the Bluejays two consecutive buckets. That trend was cut off quickly by Iwuchukwu, first with a dunk off the feed from Mulready, then another layup over a variety of defenders.
It continued to be a well-rounded attack from Georgetown, with Mulready hitting again from long range, and Lewis and C. Williams now making the layups that had simply not been falling for the team early in this matchup.
C. Williams also zipped over to grab a key rebound when the Jays had chipped the lead into something less than double digits. Coming out of the U8 media break at 6:55, the Hoyas had a very respectable 60-48 advantage.
With four minutes remaining Georgetown had extended the lead to 15.
Shoutout to the announcing crew for confirming at this point what I was about to write based on vibes, but Lewis had made more free-throws than Creighton even attempted.
At this point, the Hoyas were in a holding pattern. They needed to protect their advantage and use the clock. Taking their foot off the gas did allow the Jays to inch a little closer, but there was enough distance that it wasn’t a genuine threat (except to my sanity, because the paranoia is real).
Fittingly, Lewis closed out the stat sheet with pair of free throws, and it was 76-68 at the final horn.
Tonight was a success, in large part because the Hoyas seemingly forgot the first half as soon as the second half began. They generally defended well. Lewis and Mack got to the line (and converted) early & often. They routed the offense through Vince and Lewis when possible, and distributed elsewhere when it wasn’t. Improved shooting from beyond the arc (and Creighton’s PG being stuck on the bench) obviously helps too.
All of those late 2025 games that were decided by a single basket? It is hard not to wonder how this season would be framed right now if things had tilted in the Hoyas’ favor by a fraction of an inch. That’s even putting aside how differently this team’s prospects looked in contests before before Iwuchukwu’s medical procedure and since his return.
Either way, they guys look now like the squad we saw in November and the team we expected them to be throughout the whole season. There are still a lot of games left, and these Hoyas look like they know how to win. They have to feel good about that.
Georgetown gets to stick around DC for this next one, hosting the Villanova Wildcats for a Noon game on Saturday 2/7. That one will air on TruTV or TNT, depending on your local market.
Hoya Saxa. HOYAS WIN.
