Your Georgetown Hoyas kept their season-opening momentum rolling this weekend with a hard-fought 79-74 victory over the Clemson Tigers at Capital One Arena, improving the team’s record to 4-0 on the young
season. This marks the best start for the program since the 2017-18 campaign, giving Hoyas fans a true reason for optimism as Coach Ed Cooley enters his third season at the helm.
The win was a physical, back-and-forth battle, ultimately settled by Georgetown’s clutch performance late and a boost from the enthusiastic-when-needed home crowd of 8,562. Following the game, Coach Ed Cooley emphasized the impact of the fans. “The energy really helped us,” he noted, praising the “unbelievable” students and calling the crowd a “key factor” in securing the win.
Georgetown’s identity this season, as Cooley has stated on occasion, is not primarily on the offensive end. Instead, it’s rooted in “toughness and our defense.” The team’s commitment to this philosophy was evident against Clemson. Guard Malik Mack (16 points, 7 assists) affirmed the defensive mindset, saying the coaches ask the players to “play physical defense,” which is driven by “a will and a want.”
The game’s turning point came in the second half. With the score tied at 44, a “monster block” from sophomore forward Isaiah Abraham gave the Hoyas a vital spark. As guard KJ Lewis (26 points, 5 steals) described it, the block was an “energizer” that provided a critical jolt to the team and the entire building, helping to ignite a game-changing run.
Junior guard KJ Lewis, a transfer, delivered a career-best performance, leading all scorers with 26 points. Lewis was dynamic in the second half, scoring 17 of his points after halftime as the Hoyas erased a 36-33 deficit. He was relentless in attacking the basket, going 11-for-14 from the free throw line for the game. This focus on getting to the line proved crucial, as Georgetown scored 25 points from the charity stripe on 32 attempts, consistently applying pressure on the Tigers’ defense and forcing three Clemson players into foul trouble.
Lewis was not alone in providing offensive support. Four Hoyas finished in double figures. Forward Caleb Williams contributed 13 points and tied for the team high with six rebounds, while senior center Vince Iwuchukwu continued his efficient play off the bench with 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field. Iwuchukwu’s hard-fought two-point bucket in the paint provided the final points of the contest, sealing the 79-74 victory.
Despite being slightly outrebounded 36-35, the Hoyas utilized defensive pressure to force 10 total Clemson turnovers, six of which came in the second half.
The momentum fully swung to the Blue & Gray coming out of a 48-48 tie, as a Mack three-pointer served as the catalyst for a 12-3 run, giving Georgetown a nine-point lead they wouldn’t surrender. Each time the Tigers attempted to rally late, including cutting the lead to two, the Hoyas had a response, often spearheaded by Lewis, who hit a step-back jumper to push the lead to nine inside the final two minutes.
Many of the Georgetown faithful have said this team feels different, and the combination of defensive toughness, an energized Capital One crowd, and clutch scoring from Lewis and the core group is a strong signal that the program is moving in the right direction. With momentum building.
Georgetown returns to Capital One Arena on Saturday, November 22, to host the Wagner Seahawks.
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Hoyas Push Past Clemson 79-74 in the District – Georgetown University Athletics | GUHOYAS
“I think just like anything, when you are on defense it is a will and a want. You don’t have to be the most skilled person. You don’t have to be if you really want to defend. And you try to get stops collectively, and you instill them to your organization, it kind of energizes the person next to you. If I see him playing that hard, and I see him playing that hard, it kind of festers, and that’s something that we hope to continue to build on. We hang our hat on our toughness and our defense, because the ball is not always going to go in and again, little by little, the ball starts going in from three. But again, our identity is not on the offensive end. We hang our hat on trying to be physical, connected, and willing to try to defend.” – Cooley on the team’s identity
“We asked them to keep their heads up and keep them locked into the game, just knowing that we got their back. We asked them to play physical defense, and sometimes, sometimes a little bit too physical, and they get called for the foul, so we got to just do a better job of playing defense without fouling. But we let them know that they were playing good defense, and we got their back.” – Malik Mack
“It was an energizer. I think [Isaiah Abraham] didn’t realize how impactful that play was. You know, outside defense helping your brother out, and it gave everybody on the court and through the whole building energy. And I think we needed that for that little run we went on after that with this group.” – KJ Lewis on Isaiah Abraham’s pivotal block in the second half
Tigers Fall to Hoyas on the Road, 79-74 | CLEMSONTIGERS
The Tigers (3-1) led the Hoyas after the opening stanza 36-33, but a 13-3 run in the second half opened a 10-point lead that Georgetown didn’t relinquish. Carter Welling (Draper, Utah/Corner Canyon/Utah Valley) led all Clemson scorers with 14 points off the bench. Nick Davidson (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mater Dei/Nevada) finished with 13 points and five rebounds, while Zac Foster (Atlanta, Ga./Woodward Academy) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11.
Welling added two blocks, one steal and three assists in the contest. Georgetown finished 14-for-17 at the free throw line in the second half (25-for-32 for the game) in addition to being 13-for-22 on 2-point field goals in the second period.
Clemson Basketball Loses Physical Battle at Georgetown | SHAKINTHESOUTHLAND
Before the game got out of reach, the Tiger offense began solving the zone and making buckets. At the same time, Clemson moved to a zone defense of their own. This allowed Clemson to chip away. With about 3 minutes left, Nick Davidson made a bucket on a great post move to cut the lead to 2.
A Tiger comeback was afoot! Georgetown responded by sneaking a player behind the zone defense for a crowd-igniting alley- oop dunk. On the next possession, Carter Welling crowded Dillon Hunter. When Hunter turned to pass it to Welling, he was practically standing next to him. This caused Hunter to hesitate and then turn the ball over. The Hoyas would zip down the court and score again.
After another defensive stop, KJ Lewis nailed difficult step back jumper to push the Hoya lead to 9. Lewis was Georgetown’s go-to guy in the second half scoring 17 in the half. Wahlin knocked down two desperation 3-pointers, to cut it to 3, but couldn’t get a the key stop they needed in the final minute and fell 79-74.
Clemson basketball suffers first loss of season to Georgetown | GREENVILLEONLINE
Clemson basketball lost its first game of the season 79-74 vs Georgetown at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 15. Clemson (3-1) could not overcome KJ Lewis, who led all scorers with 26 points for Georgetown (4-0). Clemson was led by Carter Welling, who had 14 points. Nick Davidson added 13 and Zac Foster had 11.
What We Learned After Clemson Basketball’s Loss to Georgetown | SI
Georgetown scored 25 points off of free throws from 32 attempts, being able to consistently get points on the board on Saturday afternoon’s game. It caused the Tigers to get into foul trouble, having three players with four fouls in the loss. Foster, Welling and Jake Wahlin were all limited with those fouls, while RJ Godfrey and Nick Davidson had three in the game.
Especially down the stretch, where the Hoys shot 17 free throws in the last 20 minutes, it elongated possessions on the defensive end for Clemson. In a physical game, the Tigers found themselves in an uphill battle after Georgetown took the lead at the 15-minute mark in the second half.
MEN’S BASKETBALL | Hoyas Beat Clemson for Second Power Conference Win | THEHOYA
As the final buzzer sounded and the student section ignited, Iwuchukwu stormed toward the risers to celebrate with the fans. The final announced attendance of 8,562 included a full student section, and Cooley said at the post-game press conference that their presence was an important factor in getting the win over the finish line.
“Our students were unbelievable. That’s the energy that we were looking for,” Cooley told The Hoya. “They were a key factor with the win, so I really appreciate them showing up and giving us all the love.” Cooley added that halftime served as a reset point and allowed the Hoyas to reestablish themselves physically to ensure a victory.
“They had a little bit more energy than us to start,” Cooley told The Hoya. “But the game’s two halves. That’s the good part. We made a mental, emotional adjustment at halftime. It wasn’t so much a systematic adjustment.” “We came up with a lot of energy,” Cooley added.
The story of the first half was Clemson’s bench scoring. The Tigers had a 24-5 advantage in bench points and led 36-33 at the break. Carter Welling scored 11 of those first-half bench points, going 4-of-6 from the field in the first 20 minutes.
The Utah Valley transfer forward finished with 14 points to lead the Tigers, while starting forward Nick Davidson posted 13 points and freshman guard Zac Foster added 11 points off the bench.
Clemson shot 41% from the field and 34% from 3, while Georgetown was 45% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc. The Hoyas benefitted from 25 made free throws on 32 attempts, compared to Clemson’s 14 made free throws on 20 shots at the foul line.
Clemson falls to Georgetown 79-74 in first road test | ON3
But what really shifted the momentum was when the crowd got loud. After Clemson tied the game at 48-48, Capital One Arena cracked open. Two big Georgetown blocks sent the building into full voice, and Clemson unraveled almost immediately – a four-minute scoring drought, rushed possessions and a wave of turnovers that seemed to get louder with every mistake.
The Hoyas fed off it, stringing together a 14–3 run that turned a dead-even game into a 60-51 deficit. Clemson chipped back, but the timing never worked in its favor. Each time the Tigers got within a possession or two, the crowd rose again.
Georgetown hangs on to beat Clemson | FIELDLEVELMEDIA
The Hoyas (4-0) are off to their best start since winning their first eight games of the 2017-18 season and earned their second win over a power conference opponent after beating Maryland on Nov. 7. Lewis eclipsed his previous career high of 21 set on Jan. 7 for Arizona against West Virginia. He made 7-of-15 shots, 11-of-14 free throws and had five steals.
Lewis scored 13 of his points in the final 15 1/2 minutes after Georgetown trailed 48-46. He hit a 3- pointer and two free throws on consecutive trips with about 12 1/2 minutes left for a 55-50 lead and produced two big plays during Georgetown’s 11-2 spurt in the final minutes.
After Clemson sliced a 10-point lead to 68-66 on a 3 by Hunter with 4:39 left, Lewis got a steal and finished off a 3-point play with 2:45 remaining before getting a soft roll on a stepback jumper with 1:51 left to push Georgetown’s lead to 77-68.
Turnover struggles lead to Clemson’s first loss of the season | RUBBINGTHEROCK
Turnovers in the second half killed Clemson’s chance to hold on to the three-point lead that the Tigers held going into halftime. By a final score of 79-74, Georgetown was able to put pressure on Clemson’s offense, get key blocks in the interior early in the second half, and find ways to score to come back in the second half and take home the victory.
Clemson turned the ball over a total of 10 times in the matchup against the Georgetown Hoyas, with six turnovers, out of 10 total turnovers for the game, in the second half of the loss to Georgetown.
Preventing Georgetown from scoring a lot of points off the turnovers in the second half allowed Clemson to hang around, but even though Georgetown did not convert the turnovers into points very effectively (nine points off Clemson’s 10 total turnovers), the missed opportunity to get scoring looks still greatly affected the Clemson offense’s ability to put points on the board.
