Georgetown Defeats DePaul 78-72

OverTheHilltop was actually at the game and will be providing us his thoughts later, so here's the recap by Georgetown Sports Information Director Mex Carey!

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Smith-Rivera's 25 Points Lead Georgetown to Key Road Win at DePaul, 78-72

Chicago, Ill.  - Georgetown used a 13-3 run late in the second half to open a 10-point lead and withstood a late rally from DePaul as junior guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central/Oak Hill) hit six of eight free throws in the final 34 seconds helping to lift the Hoyas to a 78-72 win at Allstate Arena on Tuesday night.

Georgetown improved to 11-5 overall with the win and 3-2 in the BIG EAST, while DePaul falls to 9-9 overall and 3-2 in league play.

Smith-Rivera scored 25 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had four assists, while senior guard Jabril Trawick (Philadelphia, Pa./Abington Friends) scored 11 points, all of them in the first half, as nine different players scored for Georgetown.  Senior center Joshua Smith (Kent, Wash./Kentwood/UCLA) added eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots,

Tied for the 12th time in the game at 57-all after a layup from DePaul's Jamee Crockett with 6:47 to play in the game, the Hoyas responded with a 13-3 run over 2:42 and took a 70-60 lead after a steal and layup from Smith-Rivera with 3:42 to play in the game.  Freshman forward Isaac Copeland (Raleigh, N.C./Brewster Academy [N.H.])started the run with a conventional three-point play and senior forward Mikael Hopkins (Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha), who missed all six of his attempts on Saturday at Providence, hit 4-of-4 during the run.

One of two free throws from Smith-Rivera with 2:16 left made the score 72-62, but DePaul scored six-straight points to pull within 72-68 with 45 seconds left.  Smith-Rivera, who was 9-of-12 from the line in the second half and 10-of-13 from the charity stripe overall, sealed the road win with six in the final 34 seconds.

After scoring a first half season-high 44 points, the Hoyas were slow out of the gate in the second half, not scoring for the first 4:46 when a 3-pointer from Smith-Rivera gave GU a 47-45 lead.  DePaul had taken a 45-44 lead after 3-point baskets from Jamee Crockett and Durrell McDonald.

The Blue Demons, however, used an 8-2 spurt - keyed by four free throws after a personal foul and a technical foul on Georgetown - and took a 53-49 lead after layups from Myke Henry and Billy Garrett Jr.  A jumper from senior guard Aaron Bowen (Jacksonville, Fla./QEA [N.C.]) and a pair of free throws from Smith tied the game at 53-all with 10:15 to play.

Georgetown jumped out a five-point lead at the break, 44-39, with nine different players in the score sheet and Trawick leading the way with 11 points.  The lead changed hands eight times and there were seven lead changes, with DePaul breaking a 9-all tie early with a 10-3 run to take a 19-11 lead on a 3-pointer from Garrett.  The Hoyas narrowed the gap to one point, 19-18, after a pair of free throws from freshman forwardPaul White (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young). 

The Hoyas trailed by five, 25-20, but 3-pointers from Smith-Rivera and freshman guardTre Campbell (Washington, D.C./St. John's College HS) gave GU its first lead since the opening basket.  Trailing 33-31 with 4:37 left to play in the half, GU out-scored the Blue Demons 13-6 over the remainder and took a 44-39 lead on a driving layup from freshman forward L.J. Peak (Gaffney, S.C./Gaffney).

Georgetown connected on 50.0 percent of its field goals (23-of-46), including 40.0 percent from 3-point land (6-of-15) and hit 81.3 percent of its free throws (26-of-32).  The Hoyas held a 32-28 advantage on the boards.

Georgetown returns home this weekend for a pair of conference games, starting on Saturday, Jan. 17 when the team hosts Butler at Verizon Center.  Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m.  The game will be shown live on FOX Sports 1 and can be heard locally on Sports Talk AM 570.