WASHINGTON – Seton Hall struck first in the second overtime frame but after that, it was all Jessie Govan (Queens Village, N.Y. / Wings Academy) as he scored all 11 Hoya points in the stanza and the Georgetown University men's basketball team defeated visiting Seton Hall 77-71 in double overtime at Capital One Arena. Govan led the Hoyas with 21 points on Georgetown's Senior Night, the home finale for the Blue & Gray, as the win improved GU's record to 18-11 with an even 8-8 mark in BIG EAST Conference play.
 
Trailing 67-66 in the second overtime frame, Govan's hook shot put the lead back with the Hoyas. Despite an SHU bucket, Govan answered with a 3-pointer. The Pirates knotted the game at 71 but Govan closed at the game with a layup bookended by a pair of free throws to solidify the 77-71 score at the final whistle.
 
Govan led a trio of Hoyas in double figures as he tallied 21 points in the game with 15 coming in the overtime frames. He added 12 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. James Akinjo (Oakland, Calif. / Salesian College Preparatory) added 16 points and a team-best four steals while his four assists paced the offense. Josh LeBlanc (Baton Rouge, La. / Madison Prep Academy) managed 14 to round out those in double figures while his career-high 17 rebounds led the team and solidified his sixth double-double of the year. The Hoyas outrebounded the Pirates 54-52.
 
"Tonight was the proudest I've ever been of my team," Head Coach Patrick Ewing said. "As a coach, you want your team to take on your personality. Tonight they took on my personality. We fought for everything and I'm very proud of them."
 
Seton Hall got the scoring started in the first half with a three but Akinjo's jumper cut the deficit to one. SHU nailed a triple but Mac McClung (Gate City, Va. / Gate City) answered right back with his own trey followed by a LeBlanc dunk for the 7-6 GU lead. The Pirates got a layup to swing the advantage in their favor but LeBlanc's fast-break dunk provided a 9-8 lead for the Hoyas going into a timeout.


Out of the huddle, Akinjo drained a shot from downtown, a quick release from an SHU turnover, for the four-point Blue & Gray advantage. Seton Hall staged a 5-0 run until Jagan Mosely (Marlboro, N.J. / St. Anthony) ended it and put the Blue & Gray up again. Trips to the line pushed the lead to three but nine unanswered over a span of more than four minutes put the Hoyas down six, forcing the Hoyas to call timeout.
 
The Hoyas ended the drought with a LeBlanc dunk but the Pirates answered right back with their own bucket. Akinjo followed up but once again SHU found the bottom of the net and held a 28-20 advantage. Georgetown looked to Trey Mourning (Miami, Fla. / Ransom Everglades) to claw its way out of the hole as he tallied back-to-back buckets, including one to beat the buzzer at the end of the half and cut the deficit to four, 28-24, going into the break.
 
Govan scored to open the second frame, making it a one-possession game, before an SHU bucket increased the lead back to four. With trips to the line, Georgetown made it a one-point game until a 4-0 mini-run gave the Pirates some breathing room. A McClung layup put the Hoyas within striking distance, trailing just 34-31, and sparked a 6-0 run that gave the Hoyas their first lead since the first half. The teams traded points but a LeBlanc shot off the Greg Malinowski (Chantilly, Va. / Episcopal / William & Mary) dish provided the 39-36 edge for the Blue & Gray.
 
SHU would not back down, cutting the gap back to one, but GU tallied five of the next six points, bolstered by a Mosely conventional three-point play and a layup from Malinowski, to give Georgetown the 44-39 lead. SHU strung together another five unanswered to tie the game until Malinowski sunk a 3-pointer to regain the lead. The teams would trade points but SHU managed six straight to take the 53-49 advantage.
 
Akinjo kept the Hoyas in it, knocking down a pair of buckets to cut the gap to two, 55-53, late in the second frame, and followed up with a pair of free throws to knot the game at 55. Down 57-55, Govan's layup tied the game and, following an Akinjo steal, Georgetown was able to regain the advantage on a LeBlanc dunk with 1:27 remaining in regulation. Seton Hall found the equalizer with 23.4 on the clock sending the game into overtime.
 
In the first extra frame, Malinowski knocked down a free throw to start before Akinjo found an open lane to the basket and sunk his layup for the 62-59 advantage. The Pirates tallied a layup to make it a one-point game but Govan's layup went in and he drew the foul, converting the three-point play for a 65-61 GU lead. SHU drained a 3-pointer to cut the gap to one. Down 66-64, the Hall was able to tie the game on a layup forcing the second overtime.
 
Seton Hall's Myles Powell led the squad with 35 points. The Pirates (16-12, 7-9 BIG EAST) shot 36.7 percent (29 of 79) from the field.
 
Georgetown returns to action on Wednesday, March 6 with a road matchup at DePaul to cap the season series. Tipoff at Wintrust Arena is set for 8:30 p.m. ET and the game can be seen live on FS1. Fans can listen locally on The Team 980 and nationally on SiriusXM with Rich Chvotkin calling the action.
 
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