The Georgetown Hoyas defeated the Clemson Tigers 85-78 on Friday, withstanding a furious second half comeback to improve to 4-0 on the season. After Georgetown jumped out to a 19-point first half lead, the Tigers came roaring back to take a two-point lead late in the second half. With their backs’ against the wall, Georgetown’s backcourt took over the game and led the Hoyas to a crucial early season victory. This will likely become a Quad 1 win and a massive addition to Georgetown’s resume.
Flow of the Game
The Hoyas were firing on all cylinders in the first half. After Josiah Parker (So.) and Gabriel Landeira (Fr.) hit back-to-back threes to put Georgetown ahead 25-14, Clemson was forced to burn a team timeout just nine minutes into the game. Georgetown center Vince Iwuchukwu (Sr.) converted a layup with (9:32) remaining in the first half to cap off an 18-0 Hoya run. At the intermission, the Hoyas led 47-32.
As hot as Georgetown came out of the gates, Clemson emerged from the locker room even hotter to begin the second half. By the under-16 media timeout, Clemson had already cut the Georgetown lead to 11. By the 14-minute mark, it was a six point game. With 8:01 remaining, Clemson took a 62-61 lead, their first since they lead 14-12 less than six minutes into the game. With just over six minutes remaining, the Tigers led 66-64. Georgetown’s defense was being exposed and the Hoyas had squandered what was once a 19-point lead.
Just when it looked like the Hoyas were down for the count, Jaland Lowe (Sr.) and Elmarko Jackson (Sr.) took over the game. In the final six minutes, Lowe scored nine and Jackson added eight. It was Lowe’s late-in-the-shot-clock side-step three that gave the Hoyas a 79-71 lead with 1:13 remaining, effectively putting the game on ice. An Iwuchukwu dunk with two seconds left was the cherry on top of this resilient 85-78 Hoya win.
Standout Performances
Jaland Lowe led the Hoyas in scoring, tallying 21 points on 6-15 from the field and 3-6 from deep. Lowe added six assists and four rebounds in what was an all-around impressive and clutch performance. Through four games, Lowe is averaging 19.0 points and 7.8 assists per game and has been the Hoyas’ leading scorer in three of four contests.
Vince Iwuchukwu was dominant in the first half, recording 16 points on a perfect 7-7 from the field. While Clemson largely contained Iwuchukwu in the second half, the seven-footer had four points in clutch time and grabbed five rebounds in the half. Iwuchukwu finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, his second straight 20-point double-double and third 20-point effort this season.
While Elmarko Jackson was just the Hoyas’ third-leading scorer, he was arguably Georgetown’s MVP in this game. After Clemson guard Cole Certa (Jr.) converted a layup to give the Tigers a 66-64 lead with 6:23 remaining, Jackson ripped off a personal 6-0 run with a 14-foot jumper, a layup, and two free throws. The senior guard added another layup with 3:02 remaining to give Georgetown a 74-67 lead. Jackson’s late-game heroics led Georgetown’s official account on X to dub him “El-Clutch-O.”
Forward Josiah Parker (So.) made the most of his 13 minutes off the bench, posting 11 points on 4-6 from the field and 2-3 from deep. With NJ Benson (Sr.) currently ineligible, Parker has an opportunity to earn significant minutes at the power forward position and potentially even take over the starting role.
Outlook
This was another crucial non-conference win for Georgetown. Clemson is likely to land in the top 75 when the NET Rankings debut in early December, which would make this a Quad 1 win for the Hoyas. Georgetown is currently playing without guard Vyctorius Miller (Jr.) who is sidelined with a hand injury and NJ Benson who is ineligible but recently filed for an injunction in Washington D.C. Miller averaged 10.8 points per game last season at Oklahoma State and will serve as another sharpshooting presence for the Hoyas when he returns. Benson averaged 11.7 points per game a year ago at DePaul and would be a massive addition to Georgetown’s front court is he receives an injunction against the NCAA.
Georgetown returns to Capital One Arena on Wednesday when they take on the Navy Midshipmen at 6:30. The Hoyas face Coppin State at historic McDonough Arena, Georgetown’s on-campus arena, next Saturday.
The Hoyas must take care of business against both Navy and Coppin State before flying across the country for the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego. Hoya fans could have a lot to be thankful for if Georgetown is able to defeat No. 7 Texas on Thanksgiving Day.
Photo by Georgetown Hoops on X
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