Villanova traveled to Washington, DC on Friday evening to face off against Georgetown, leaving with a 70–54 win.
The Hoyas hold an 8–17 record and are 1–3 in the conference, putting them in 10th place. Villanova is ranked seventh in the Big East with an even 7–7 conference and 14–11 overall record. A win in this matchup between the Wildcats and the Hoyas was crucial with conference championships on the horizon.
The Hoyas came out strong, with seven points to Villanova’s three in the first four minutes of play.
The Wildcats responded defensively for the remainder of the half, keeping Georgetown’s field goal percentage to 25.8% and only 15.4% from the 3-point line.
The ‘Cats struggled with offense in the early part of the game, going 9–28 from the field and 5–17 for threes. Sophomore guard Brendan Hausen’s 12-point contribution to the first half total helped to secure a nine-point lead for Villanova going into the second half.
In addition to Hausen’s 12 points, senior guard TJ Bamba contributed seven, junior guard Jordan Longino had five, and senior forward Eric Dixon and sophomore guard Mark Armstrong both had two.
Early in the second half, the Hoyas went on a 6–0 run to which the ‘Cats quickly responded. A dunk from graduate forward Tyler Burton followed by back-to-back threes from Dixon, Burton and graduate guard Justin Moore extended the Wildcats’ lead to 12 points within the first five minutes out of the locker room.
Graduate guard Hakim Hart showed up for the ‘Cats in the second half, contributing seven points with two free throws, one from the field, and one from the three point line. Villanova maintained a steady lead, 17 points at its highest, for the remainder of the game. Dixon’s dunk with 0:45 remaining solidified a Wildcat win on the road.
Georgetown and Villanova met three times in the 2023 season, where the ‘Cats walked away with a win each time.
Looking ahead to the rest of the 2024 season, the Wildcats will see six more Big East opponents to finish out the regular season. Villanova will face off against Georgetown one more time at home on Feb. 27 before postseason play begins.
Villanova will be back at the Finn on Tuesday, Feb. 20 for its next matchup against Butler (16–10 overall, 7–8 Big East). Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.
