Georgetown handles DePaul, 90-81

Junior center Jessie Govan produced 25 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists and junior forward Leon Derrickson added 24 points as Georgetown held off DePaul for a 90-81 Big East victory Tuesday night at Wintrust Arena.



Georgetown (11-3, 1-2), which entered the night having played the nation's easiest non-conference schedule by a wide margin according to KenPom.com, used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to squelch a Blue Demons rally.



DePaul (7-8, 0-3) remained one of two winless teams in Big East play despite 19 points from junior forward Max Strus and 18 apiece from graduate transfer center Marin Maric and senior forward Tre'Darius McCallum. Junior guard Eli Cain handed out a career-high 10 assists.



DePaul forced Ewing to take a timeout less than three minutes into the night as the Blue Demons beat the careless Hoyas down the floor for back-to-back dunks by Maric and sophomore guard Brandon Cyrus to take a 7-2 lead.



Georgetown's timeout paved the way for a pair of quick runs sparked by Derrickson's long-range touch. When he swished two 3-pointers in 61 seconds, the Hoyas owned a 19-11 lead at the 13:14 mark.



Though Derrickson didn't shoot again from beyond the arc, his teammates stayed hot from 3-point range to build a 46-37 halftime lead. The Hoyas shot 7 of 13 on 3s in the first half, including a pair from freshman guard Jahvon Blair.



DePaul produced several mini-runs during the second half to threaten Georgetown, but the Blue Demons could never deliver the go-ahead basket. When Maric filled the lane on a fast break and flew in for a dunk on a McCallum feed, DePaul pulled within 61-60 with 9:44 to go and Maric waved his arms to exhort the home crowd to get loud.



DePaul earned a defensive stop and set up an open shot to take its first lead since the opening four minutes, but freshman point guard Justin Roberts' 18-footer banged off the rim. Derrickson was fouled on the rebound and sank two free throws to trigger an 11-0 Hoyas run that featured two more Derrickson free throws when demonstrative DePaul coach Dave Leitao received a technical with 7:28 left.



DePaul made another run and got as close as 84-79 with 54 seconds left, but Govan produced whenever the Hoyas needed down the stretch. He scored 17 in the second half to earn his 10th double-double of the season and ensure Georgetown didn't squander late leads as it did in overtime losses to Syracuse and Butler.



--Field Level Media