WASHINGTON – The Hoyas (7-1) used a 31-8 run to start the second half as the Georgetown men's basketball team defeated the visiting Liberty University Flames 88-78 on Monday night at Capital One Arena. Three Hoyas scored in double figures as freshman James Akinjo (Oakland, Calif. / Salesian College Preparatory) tied his career high with 19 points to lead the Blue & Gray. Senior center Jessie Govan (Queens Village, N.Y. / Wings Academy) tallied his second double-double of the season with 17 points and a team-best 10 rebounds.
 
Freshman Mac McClung (Gate City, Va. / Gate City) rounded out those in double figures with 12 points. Govan and freshman Josh LeBlanc (Baton Rouge, La. / Madison Prep Academy) each pulled down a squad-best 10 boards while graduate student Trey Mourning (Miami, Fla. / Ransom Everglades) grabbed seven. Sophomore Jamorko Pickett (Washington, D.C. / Massanutten Military Academy [Va.]) tallied a career-high five assists to pace the offense. Georgetown shot 52.7 percent on 29-of-55 shooting including an impressive 61.1 clip from downtown (11 of 18). The Hoyas were impressive on the glass, outrebounding Liberty 44-26 and the GU defense held Liberty to 42.3 percent shooting and a stingy 39.5 percent (15 of 38) in the second half.
 
Georgetown opened the game with a Govan 3-pointer but Liberty (7-2) retorted with a pair of treys to take the quick lead. The Hoyas went on a 7-2 run, fueled by buckets from Govan, Akinjo and McClung to hold a 10-8 advantage going into the first media timeout.
 
The Hoyas started to build the lead with trips to the free throw line but Liberty's perimeter play kept the Flames in striking distance and they regained the 14-13 lead on a triple. The Blue & Gray answered right back with seven unanswered including six from McClung on a traditional three-point play coupled with a trey. A layup ended the GU run but another trip to the charity stripe saw LeBlanc tally a pair for the 23-16 advantage.
 
As the Hoyas went cold from the field, Liberty started to find the bottom of the net, trailing by as many as four, 27-23, late in the second half. Pickett's 3-pointer on the left side ended the scoring drought to make it a one-point game. Another 3-pointer from Liberty extended the lead back to four but when the Flames made a move on the inside, GU got the stop courtesy of a Govan block.
 
Still trailing 30-26, a Jahvon Blair (Brampton, Ont. / Athlete Institute Prep) steal sparked the Hoya offense as that possession resulted in the first of a trio of buckets – a McClung fastbreak jumper sandwiched by a pair of triples from Blair – forcing Liberty to call timeout as the Hoyas led 34-30. The Blue & Gray looked to Pickett's inside play for the layup and Govan's touch as he floated a pair of jump shots to help the Hoyas to the 40-35 advantage. Liberty closed to within two, 40-38, before the break.
 
Georgetown opened the second stanza on a 9-4 run, bolstered by the freshman class that accounted for seven of the nine points. Akinjo managed seven points by the first media timeout of the frame, helping the Blue & Gray to the 53-44 lead. The Flames closed the gap on the offensive end but Akinjo had the answer as he managed another 3-pointer to push Georgetown to a double-digit lead, 56-46. The Hoyas opened the game up midway through the second half, outscoring the Flames 15-2 over a span of 4:42, taking the 71-48 lead.
 
The Hoyas continued to make their way to the line as senior Greg Malinowski (Chantilly, Va. / Episcopal / William & Mary) and Pickett each hit a pair of free throws. Mourning tallied back-to-back buckets for the Hoyas, knocking down a jumper and a triple to give the Blue & Gray a 21-point advantage, 80-59. Liberty tried to claw its way back in, tallying five unanswered before the official timeout (3:33) but it was not enough as GU still held a comfortable double-digit lead.
 
Liberty chipped away at the lead as the Hoyas went cold from the field but it was a Govan jumper that brought the lead back to 13, 85-72, with 2:00 remaining in regulation. Blair hit the second of a pair of free throws followed by a pair from LeBlanc that pushed the score 88-75. Liberty knocked down one more trey to provide the 88-78 final score.
 
Liberty's Darius McGhee led the Flames with 19 points. LU shot 42.3 percent on 30-of-71 shooting.
 
The Hoyas return to action on Saturday, Dec. 8 as they take their final road trip of the nonconference slate traveling to Syracuse to face former BIG EAST rival. Tipoff at the Carrier Dome is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be shown live on ESPN with Dan Shulman calling the play-by-play and LaPhonso Ellis providing analysis. The game can be heard locally on WOL 1450 AM with Rich Chvotkin in his 45th season calling the game.