This is an official Georgetown press release.
WASHINGTON – Georgetown University's men's basketball team fell short to the visiting SMU Mustangs 81-73 on Saturday afternoon at Capital One Arena. With the loss, the Hoyas slip to 7-3 while SMU improves to 7-4 on the season.
Senior Jessie Govan (Queens Village, N.Y. / Wings Academy) led the way for the Hoyas with 17 points. Freshmen James Akinjo (Oakland, Calif. / Salesian College Preparatory) and Mac McClung (Gate City, Va. / Gate City) added 16 points and 13 points, respectively, to round out those in double figures. Freshman Josh LeBlanc (Baton Rouge, La. / Madison Prep Academy) led the team with nine rebounds while Govan and Akinjo each grabbed seven apiece, a career high for Akinjo. Akinjo and McClung each chipped in a trio of assists. Georgetown shot 39.7 percent on 23-of-58 shooting and outrebounded the Mustangs 39-33.
McClung got the scoring started for the Hoyas, managing a jump shot and a layup in the early minutes to give the Hoyas a 4-2 advantage. SMU tied it up but Georgetown strung together six unanswered for the 10-4 advantage. Akinjo's athletic layup and a Govan 3-pointer was enough for the 15-8 lead early in the first frame. Back-to-back triples for the Mustangs cut GU's lead to one but Govan's jump shot provided some breathing room. As Georgetown struggled to find the bottom of the net, SMU went on a 9-0 spurt to pull ahead 23-17. A Greg Malinowski (Chantilly, Va. / Episcopal / William & Mary) 3-pointer ended the run and pulled the Blue & Gray within five, 25-20.
SMU managed to pull ahead by as many as eight down the stretch but Akinjo and graduate student Trey Mourning (Miami, Fla. / Ransom Everglades) cut the deficit to four. The Hoyas continued to chip away at the lead from the free throw line, tallying three, to make it a one-possession affair, 31-29. Despite SMU extending the lead to five, a Jahvon Blair (Brampton, Ontario / Athlete Institute Prep) triple made it a two-point game, 36-34. The Mustangs hit three free throws to close the half and provide the 39-34 score.
Quickly out of the break, SMU staged a 7-2 run to prompt a GU timeout. Akinjo knocked down a jumper out of the huddle but the Mustangs' hot shooting pushed them ahead 51-38. The Hoyas scored five unanswered behind a Govan triple and a pair of McClung free throws to close the gap to eight. However, SMU continued to have the hot hand and maintained the lead. Akinjo sunk a pair of free throws and on the other end managed a stop. On the next possession, Govan brought the crowd to its feet as he converted a conventional three-point play to make it a one-possession game, 56-54. The Mustangs wouldn't go away, tallying a quick five points on a layup and a trey. Jagan Mosely's (Marlboro, N.J. / St. Anthony) layup cut the deficit to five, 61-56.
As the teams traded points, it was the Govan touch that floated a bucket in to pull within three, 63-60. The game went back and forth but it was Govan again, this time with a dunk, who brought the crowd back to its feet and pulled within two of the Mustangs, 65-63. Georgetown's next four points came from the free throw line, but it was the put-back dunk from LeBlanc that made it a five-point affair and kept the Hoyas alive with 3:31 remaining in regulation.
Coming out of the timeout, McClung sunk a pair of free throws but SMU managed another bucket to retort for the 76-71 advantage. As the minutes ticked down, Georgetown tallied two more free throws in the final minutes but SMU sealed the 81-73 victory at the final whistle
SMU's Jahmal McMurray led the Mustangs with 19 points. SMU shot 47.5 percent from the floor.
The Hoyas return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 18 as they welcome the Appalachian State Mountaineers to Capital One Arena. Tipoff against Appalachian State is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game can be seen live on FS1. The game can be heard locally on The Team 980 with Rich Chvotkin in his 45th season on the call.
