Georgetown 60, No. 21 Butler 54: D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds as the Hoyas held off the host Bulldogs in a battle for second place in the Big East.

Joshua Smith added 10 points for Georgetown (19-9, 11-6 Big East), which moved into a tie with Butler (21-9, 11-6) for second place and ensured itself of the head-to-head tiebreaker. Tre Campbell added 10 points off the bench and Jabril Trawick collected nine points and four assists for the Hoyas.

Kameron Woods recorded 15 points and 16 rebounds but had a key turnover down the stretch for the Bulldogs, who struggled to 10-of-22 from the free-throw line. Alex Barlow added 13 points but leading scorer Kellen Dunham was held to eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.

Aaron Bowen knocked down a 3-pointer to give Georgetown a 52-47 lead with just over four minutes to play, but Butler got back within two points when Barlow drove for a layup with 52 seconds left. Smith missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Woods grabbed the rebound, but Smith-Rivera stole the ball and buried two free throws with 6.2 ticks remaining to seal it.

The Bulldogs were up 20-15 with seven minutes left in the first half before the Hoyas closed with a 15-4 burst to take a six-point lead into the locker room. Georgetown pushed the advantage to 10 less than two minutes into the second half, but Butler responded with a 13-2 run capped by Dunham’s 3-pointer to take back the lead at 37-36 with just under 13 minutes to play.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Both the Hoyas and the Bulldogs are trying to hold off Providence, which is a half-game behind and holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with both teams. Butler closes the regular season at Providence on Saturday. … Woods ended up with five of the Bulldogs’ 15 turnovers. … Mikael Hopkins recorded four of Georgetown’s 10 blocked shots.