PROVIDENCE, R.I. – With five in double figures, the Georgetown University men's basketball team completed the season sweep in commanding fashion with a 76-67 win over Providence at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Wednesday evening. Stealing a road win at the Dunk for the first time since 2012, the Hoyas improve to 15-8 on the year with an even 5-5 mark in BIG EAST Conference action.
 
Josh LeBlanc (Baton Rouge, La. / Madison Prep Academy) led five in double figures with 17 points on a 5-of-8 effort from the field to go with a perfect 6-for-6 performance at the charity stripe. Additionally, he grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Jessie Govan (Queens Village, N.Y. / Wings Academy) and Mac McClung (Gate City, Va. / Gate City) each chipped in 13 points while Jamorko Pickett (Washington, D.C. / Massanutten Military Academy [Va.]) added 12 on a perfect 4-for-4 showing from downtown and James Akinjo (Oakland, Calif. / Salesian College Preparatory) rounded out those in double figures with 10 points. Akinjo dished out eight helpers to pace the offense. The Hoyas shot 44.1 percent (26 of 59) from the field and GU was commanding on the glass, outrebounding Providence 50-33.
 
"Everyone stepped up, everyone did something for us to win, along with the freshmen," Head Coach Patrick Ewing said. "The freshmen – they're growing, they're getting better each time we step on the floor."
 
Georgetown opened the game on an 11-4 run bolstered by four from LeBlanc and a 3-pointer from Pickett. A 6-0 run from Providence cut the gap to one until Pickett drained another triple to give the Blue & Gray some breathing room. Both teams tallied a free throw until a PC dagger pulled the Friars within one, 15-14.
 
Coming out of the huddle, Providence took the lead on a fastbreak layup. Both teams traded buckets as the game was tied at both 17 and 19 before the Friars put together a conventional three-point play. A Trey Mourning (Miami, Fla. / Ransom Everglades) layup cut the deficit to one before both teams went cold from the field. With 4:03 left in the frame, Kaleb Johnson (South Hill, Va. / The Carlisle School) grabbed the offensive rebound and made his layup to take a 23-22 lead. Providence tallied a quick five to swing the lead and momentum back in its favor. However, the Hoyas closed the half on an 11-0 run boosted by back-to-back dunks from McClung and Govan and capped with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Govan. The Blue & Gray went into the locker room with a 34-27 advantage.
 
Returning to the floor for the second frame, the Friars opened with a dunk but the Hoyas had the retort with a LeBlanc trey and a Govan layup to push the lead to double digits. With the Blue & Gray up 41-31, PC tallied a quick six but the Hoyas ended the run with back-to-back layups from Govan and LeBlanc to lead 45-37. The Friars inched their way back in at the charity stripe but a pair from Akinjo pushed the lead back to seven.
 
PC cut the deficit to four on a triple but the Hoyas began to pull away as Pickett tallied a triple to answer and spark a 10-2 run, capped with a McClung no-look dish to an open Johnson under the basket for the layup and a commanding 57-45 lead. Providence tallied five unanswered but LeBlanc ended the mini run with a layup. Akinjo and Pickett combined for five points, including the Pickett triple that tamed the crowd, for the 64-52 advantage with 5:40 remaining in regulation.
 
Despite PC's efforts, the Hoyas continued to hold a comfortable lead through the final minutes and another McClung dish to LeBlanc resulted in another dunk as the Hoyas held the 70-59 advantage. The Hoyas coasted to the comfortable 76-67 win at the final whistle.
 
Georgetown returns home to Capital One Arena to host Butler in the Nation's Capital on Saturday, Feb. 9. The Hoyas will look to complete the season sweep having already won at Hinkle Fieldhouse earlier this season to open BIG EAST play. Tipoff in the District is set for noon and the game can be seen regionally on MASN2 and nationally on FSN. The game can be heard locally on The Team 980 and on SiriusXM with Rich Chvotkin calling the action.
 
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