WASHINGTON – Despite pulling within two points late in the second half, the Georgetown University men's basketball team could not complete the comeback as the Hoyas dropped a 73-69 decision to visiting Butler at Capital One Arena on Saturday afternoon. With the setback, Georgetown sits at 15-9 on the season with a 5-6 record in BIG EAST Conference play.
 
Mac McClung (Gate City, Va. / Gate City) led a trio in double figures with 21 points hitting 7 of 19 from the field including a perfect 5-for-5 effort from the charity stripe. Jamorko Pickett (Washington, D.C. / Massanutten Military Academy [Va.]) followed up with 18 points, including a trio of triples, while Jessie Govan (Queens Village, N.Y. / Wings Academy) added 12 to go along with a team-best nine rebounds. James Akinjo (Oakland, Calif. / Salesian College Preparatory) and Jagan Mosely (Marlboro, N.J. / St. Anthony) dished out a squad-best three assists apiece. Georgetown outrebounded Butler 42-33.
 
A game of runs from the start, the Hoyas were able to pull ahead 4-2, all courtesy of McClung, until the Bulldogs staged a 9-2 run for the 11-6 lead. A triple followed by a dunk, both attributed to Pickett, knotted the game at 11. Butler broke the deadlock but Pickett found the bottom of the net again to lock it up at 13. BU pulled ahead on a free throw but it was all Pickett as he tallied his ninth point in just over a two-minute span to push the Blue & Gray ahead 15-14. 
 
The Hoyas extended the advantage to three on a pair of Govan free throws but nine quick points from the Bulldogs swung the lead back to Butler 23-17. Georgetown continued to claw its way back, but each time the Hoyas hit a bucket, BU had the answer. Back-to-back McClung jumpers followed by a Josh LeBlanc (Baton Rouge, La. / Madison Prep Academy) free throw closed the gap to 29-24. As the Bulldogs pulled ahead on free throws, McClung drained a 3-pointer and drew the foul to bring the crowd to its feet. Converting the four-point play, GU cut the deficit to 31-28. Despite a Butler layup, Govan's 3-pointer made it a one-possession game 33-31.
 
The two teams traded free throws until the Bulldogs nailed a 3-pointer from the corner to take a five-point advantage. McClung knocked down his jumper but a conventional three-point play from Butler provided the 41-35 score at the break.
 
The Hoyas opened the second frame with LeBlanc finding the bottom of the net on his layup. However, back-to-back BU triples gave the Bulldogs a double-digit lead. GU tried to chip away and a duo of McClung free throws following a Pickett 3-pointer closed the gap to five. Butler continued to hold a comfortable lead until LeBlanc's layup and a McClung trey made it a four-point affair, 53-49.
 
The Bulldogs continued to knock down buckets and comfortably led by as many as 11, 62-51, down the stretch. Kaleb Jonson (South Hill, Va. / The Carlisle School) converted the three-point play to cut the deficit to eight. Another layup extended the Bulldog lead to 10 before the Hoyas started to mount a comeback. A Johnson layup followed by a Trey Mourning (Miami, Fla. / Ransom Everglades) fastbreak bucket off a Mosely dish closed the gap to six. Pickett tallied his third shot from downtown to pull within three, 64-61.
 
As the minutes ticked down, a Pickett bucket made it a two-point game, 66-64, with 4:25 remaining in regulation. The Hoyas would go on a three-minute scoring drought, however, until Pickett knocked down his free throw and LeBlanc grabbed the offensive board on the second, leading to a pair of Govan free throws for the Hoyas to trail by just two. However, trips to the line in the final minute led to the 73-69 score at the final whistle.
 
Butler's Kamar Baldwin led the squad with 18 points. The Bulldogs (14-10, 5-6 BIG EAST) shot 43.9 percent (25 of 57) from the field.
 
Georgetown hits the road again for a midweek matchup at Seton Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 13. It will be the first time the two teams square off this season and tipoff at Prudential Center is set for 8:30 p.m. The game can be seen live on FS1 and fans can listen locally on The Team 980 and nationally on SiriusXM 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.