WASHINGTON – Georgetown University's men's basketball team (13-7, 3-4 BIG EAST) returns to Capital One Arena to square off against the Xavier University Musketeers (11-10, 3-5 BIG EAST) in a conference rematch on Thursday night. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. and a link to live stats is available at GUHoyas.com.
The game can be seen live on CBS Sports Network with Andrew Catalon calling the play-by-play and Steve Lappas providing analysis. Fans can listen locally on The Team 980 and on SiriusXM channel 81 with Rich Chvotkin calling the action.
The Hoyas look to carry momentum from a crucial road victory against St. John's, winning 89-78, to split the conference series against the Red Storm.
Mac McClung (Gate City, Va. / Gate City) poured in 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting including a quartet of triples to lead three in double figures.
Jessie Govan (Queens Village, N.Y. / Wings Academy) scored 20 points to go with a team-best nine rebounds and three blocks while
Josh LeBlanc (Baton Rouge, La. / Madison Prep Academy) added 15 points and six boards to round out those in double-figure scoring.
James Akinjo (Oakland, Calif. / Salesian College Preparatory) dished out seven assists aided by five helpers from McClung to pace the offense. The Blue & Gray shot 46.9 percent (30 of 64) from the floor and 48.1 percent (13 of 27) from deep. The Hoyas outrebounded the Johnnies 41-34 and the GU bench tallied 12 to SJU's eight.
Govan picked up his seventh BIG EAST weekly honor roll recognition after leading GU in scoring and rebounding on the week with 21.0 points per game and 10.5 boards per game. He opened the week with 22 points and 12 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season while adding a pair of blocks and two assists against Creighton.
Govan continues to pace Georgetown's offense with 19.8 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game, ranking fourth and second in the BIG EAST, respectively. McClung and Akinjo both average double figures with 13.9 and 13.4 ppg, respectively. LeBlanc is just off the double-digit mark with 9.5 ppg and is second on GU in rebounding with 7.6 boards a contest. Akinjo leads the BIG EAST with 107 assists on the season. As a team, the Hoyas lead the BIG EAST in overall rebounding (40.5 rpg) and assists (17.7 apg), as well as scoring in conference games (85.1 ppg).
Xavier won the first matchup of the season between the two teams earlier this month, coming away with an 81-75 victory in Cincinnati. Govan's 27 points led the way for the Hoyas while Akinjo chipped in 13 points and
Greg Malinowski (Chantilly, Va. / Episcopal) tallied 12 to round out those in double figures. Govan and LeBlanc each grabbed eight boards while Malinowski and Akinjo dished out six assists apiece.
The Musketeers have dropped three of their last four contests since hosting the Hoyas and are coming off of an 87-82 loss to Marquette on Sunday. Paul Scruggs and Naji Marshall continue to lead Xavier, averaging 13.3 and 13.2 ppg, respectively. Against GU, Zach Hankins paced the offense with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Following Thursday's game, the Hoyas hit the road for a pair of games against Villanova and Providence. Tipoff against No. 14/14 Villanova is scheduled for noon on Sunday, Feb. 3 in Philadelphia.
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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.
