WASHINGTON – The Hoyas nearly held off a second-half surge but late free throws from Creighton sealed the victory as the Georgetown men's basketball team fell 91-87 to the visiting Creighton University Bluejays. With the setback, the Hoyas sit at 12-7 on the season with a 2-4 mark in BIG EAST play.
 
Jessie Govan (Queens Village, N.Y. / Wings Academy) led three in double figures with 22 points while adding a game-best 12 rebounds for his BIG EAST-leading seventh double-double of the season. Josh LeBlanc (Baton Rouge, La. / Madison Prep Academy) and Mac McClung (Gate City, Va. / Gate City) each chipped in 10 points to round out those in double figures. James Akinjo (Oakland, Calif. / Salesian College Preparatory) dished out a career-high 11 assists to pace the offense. The Hoyas outrebounded Creighton 38-35 and the GU bench held a 31-18 edge. Georgetown shot 49.2 percent (32 of 65) from the field and 44.4 percent (12 of 27) from downtown.
 
Georgetown opened play with a 3-pointer from Govan to go along with a pair of LeBlanc buckets and free throws from Jagan Mosely (Marlboro, N.J. / St. Anthony) for the 9-5 advantage. As Creighton closed to within one, 11-10, the Hoyas strung together a Mosely triple and a Govan bucket to extend the lead to 16-10. The Bluejays relied on the long ball and made it a one-possession game but Govan's driving layup drew the foul and the senior center completed the conventional three-point play for the 19-13 advantage.
 
The Blue & Gray extended the lead on a Trey Mourning (Miami, Fla. / Ransom Everglades) jumper on the right side but eight unanswered from the Bluejays knotted the game at 21. Kaleb Johnson (South Hill, Va. / The Carlisle School) nailed a 3-pointer on the left side to regain the lead but a Creighton layup made it a one-point affair 24-23. Up three, a battle from downtown ensued between the two teams. McClung broke up the triples with a jumper inside for the 33-31 lead and LeBlanc's free throws pushed the gap to four.
 
Tied at 33, McClung stepped back to drain a 3-pointer but Creighton answered with a layup. As the Hoyas and Bluejays continued to trade points, Georgetown never let Creighton take the lead and went into the break with a 42-41 advantage.
 
Creighton opened the second frame with a 3-pointer to take its first lead of the game, but it was short-lived as Greg Malinowski (Chantilly, Va. / Episcopal / William & Mary) hit a trey of his own. The Bluejays tallied five straight before Govan ended the run with a layup on a Mosely dish. Creighton continued to build the lead as the Bluejays tallied a pair of buckets on inside play for the 53-47 lead.
 
Bolstered by a LeBlanc alley-oop and a Pickett bucket, the Hoyas cut it to two trailing 53-51. The teams traded triples as Akinjo's dagger brought the crowd to its feet before the Bluejays strung together another quick five to take the 61-54 lead. Creighton led by as many as eight but the Blue & Gray continued to push as Johnson's jumper on the inside cut the deficit to five. Jamorko Pickett (Washington, D.C. / Massanutten Military Academy [Va.]) gave some life to GU as he sunk a 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game 67-64.
 
Creighton found the bottom of the net from deep to provide some cushion but back-to-back treys, one each from Govan and Jahvon Blair (Brampton, Ont. / Athlete Institute Prep), knotted the game at 70 with 8:48 to play. After a free throw from Johnson, Govan's layup gave GU the lead. The teams went cold from the field but the Bluejays tallied a quartet of free throws to regain the advantage 76-74. However, Govan's commanding play down low gave the Hoyas a pair of buckets and the 78-76 lead.
 
A Mourning dunk and a Johnson jumper helped the Hoyas as they clung to the lead but free throws swung the momentum back to Creighton. Akinjo came up with the dagger for the 85-83 advantage but a free throw and a 3-pointer provided the 87-85 Creighton lead with less than a minute to play. Despite a Malinowski layup, Bluejay free throws provided the final 91-87 score.
 
Creighton's Ty-Shon Alexander led the Bluejays with 26 points. Creighton (11-8, 2-4 BIG EAST) shot 47.6 percent (30 of 63) from the field. 
 
The Hoyas hit the road on Sunday, Jan. 27 as they take on St. John's at Madison Square Garden. Tipoff is slated for noon on FOX. The game can be heard locally on The Team 980 with Rich Chvotkin calling the action.
 
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For tickets, please visit WeAreGeorgetown.com or contact the Georgetown Athletic Ticket Office at 202.687.HOYA (4692) or hoyatickets@georgetown.edu.