On Monday, Jan. 20. Villanova (12-8, 5-4 Big East) hosted Georgetown (13-6, 4-4 Big East) for the second time in three years on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Wildcats fell to the Hoyas, 64-63, after a late-game collapse.
In the final three minutes, Villanova was unable to capitalize on five consecutive possessions. Georgetown used the stops to end the game on a 9-0 run. Peavy scored the go-ahead bucket and left 1.8 seconds on the clock.
Villanova inbounded the ball after a timeout and graduate forward Eric Dixon caught a baseline heave. Dixon put up a fadeaway but the ball did not drop into the basket.
“A lot of credit goes to Georgetown,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “I thought our guys battled. Georgetown just stuck in there the entire game and really locked up defensively the last couple of minutes. We just didn’t have enough in the end.”
Villanova lost senior guard Wooga Poplar early in the game due to an ejection. With 12:27 left in the first half, Georgetown freshman forward Thomas Sorber pushed Poplar, leading Poplar to throw an open fist at Sorber and earning a flagrant II foul.
Poplar’s early exit comes after he had a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double in Villanova’s 75-73 win over Providence on Jan. 17. Over the last six games, Poplar is averaging 17.6 points and 7.7 rebounds. He has been a crucial piece in Villanova’s improvement throughout the season.
With Poplar gone, Dixon continued his offensive dominance. He had a team-high 29 points which now puts him at 1,973 career points. He is now ninth on the program’s all-time scoring list, surpassing former Wildcat Randy Foye (1,966 points).
As for the Hoyas, Georgetown had both Sorber and junior Jayden Epps available to play together for the first time since Dec. 22. Sorber, the team’s leading rebounder, returned to the Hoyas’ starting lineup after missing a game due to an elbow injury. He finished with 15 points and four assists.

Graduate guard Micah Peavy, however, was the star of the Hoya offense. Peavy dropped a career-high six three-pointers. He tied a career-high in points with 24.
“I think just tonight, in a Big East game like this, every possession matters,” senior guard Jordan Longino said. “We just didn’t get it done. We’re gonna watch the film, come back for Marquette on Friday, and be ready to go.”
Longino continued his conference play success despite the loss. Longino had 18 points and was 50% from three. He is now averaging 14 points through his last seven games.
Georgetown was ranked 28th in defense efficiency entering the game.
The Wildcats were able to outrebound the Hoyas, 41-30. Georgetown, however, was able to win the turnover battle, 16-8.
“I thought [Georgetown was] very physical,” Neptune said. “I thought they came after us. We just unfortunately didn’t execute in those moments like we wanted to. I give them a lot of credit.”
Villanova will play its eighth game in 24 days on the road against No. 10 Marquette (15-3, 6-1 Big East) on Friday, Jan. 24 at the Fiserv Forum (7 p.m., FS1).