WASHINGTON – Behind five in double figures, the Georgetown University men's basketball team defeated the visiting Georgia State Panthers 91-83 on Sunday night in a regional game of the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project. With the win the Hoyas improve to 3-1 before hitting the road for the championship rounds of the tournament, held at Madison Square Garden.
 
ON THE RECORD
"It definitely feels good (to get the momentum back on our side). We would hate to be going there with two losses. So hopefully it helped pick us up individually and collectively and get ready for Texas." - Head Coach Patrick Ewing
 
"I think every player goes through those types of slumps and I just kept my head right and I got in the gym and I'll never quit in those situations. I'll always continue to work and Coach continued to believe in me and I kinda got out of it tonight." - Mac McClung
 
"That's my favorite thing. I know a lot of people pride themselves on scoring, or being able to put the ball in the bucket. But I pride myself on being able to pick up others and letting my energy feed off on others so everybody can be great together." - Josh LeBlanc
 
HOYA HIGHLIGHTS

• Mac McClung led all scorers with 25 points on 6-of-12 shooting and a perfect 11-of-11 effort from the free throw line.
• Omer Yurtseven recorded his fourth double-double in as many games as he put up 15 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds with 11 offensive boards.
• Josh LeBlanc tallied 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting and added four rebounds and a pair of blocks off the bench.
• James Akinjo and Jamorko Pickett had 11 and 10 points, respectively, to round out those in double figures. Akinjo led the squad with four assists.
• Georgetown shot 40.0 percent (24-60) from the floor and were an efficient 78.4 percent (40-51) from the charity stripe.
• The Hoyas outrebounded the Panthers 39-33, with 20 on the offensive glass, and forced 18 GSU turnovers.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Georgetown staged an early  12-4 run with four different scorers in the mix to take a 19-11 lead.
• The Panthers found their rhythm as they managed a 14-2 run to swing the momentum back in GSU's direction.
• GSU led by as many as eight late but a McClung layup cut the deficit to six as the Hoyas trailed 39-33 going into the break.
• The Hoyas chipped away at the lead in the second half with McClung providing five of the first seven for the Blue & Gray in the second frame on a pair of free throws and a key triple.
• Akinjo tied the game with a pair from the charity stripe to tie the game at 43.
• Despite GSU pulling ahead 54-53, the Blue & Gray answered with four straight from LeBlanc including an emphatic dunk.
• A Jagan Mosely dunk brought the crowd to its feet and gave the Hoyas a 70-61 advantage. A couple minutes later, he sunk a pair of free throws to give Georgetown its biggest advantage at 80-69.
• The Hoyas held the lead through the final whistle for the 91-83 victory.

 
COMING UP NEXT
The Hoyas hit the road when they travel to Madison Square Garden for two neutral games as part of the 2K Empire Classic. The Blue & Gray will play Texas on Thursday evening, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and fans can listen locally on The Team 980 with Rich Chvotkin on the call.
 
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Men's basketball season tickets and mini-plans are currently on sale for the 2019-20 season. To purchase season tickets, visit WeAreGeorgetown.com/buyseasontickets; to purchase mini-plans, visit WeAreGeorgetown.com/miniplans. For more information and early notification when single game tickets and group tickets go on sale, please add your name to the Men's Basketball Ticket Interest List at WeAreGeorgetown.com/interestlist. Tickets for the 2K Empire Classic are currently available. For ticket information, please visit WeAreGeorgetown.com/EmpireClassic.