WASHINGTON – Despite taking its first lead of the game with 3:57 remaining in regulation, the Georgetown University men's basketball team could not hold on, falling 74-70 to the visiting Seton Hall University Pirates on Tuesday night in the District. With the loss at Capital One Arena, the Hoyas own an even 8-8 lead and are 1-4 in BIG EAST play. Seton Hall remains on its hot streak, winning three straight and four of the last five and improves to 11-5 on the year and 4-1 in league action.
 
ON THE RECORD
"I thought out of the 40 minutes of basketball, we played 24 minutes with a connection, with a spirit, with an activity, with an understanding. You've got to give Seton Hall credit, they showed their veteran leadership. I'm disappointed in our execution under four minutes, that's what we coaches are paid for. So this loss is 100% on me. Three-point lead with the ball; three-straight turnovers. I don't know if that's players or so much as it is me, the coach, needing to instill a lot more confidence in our guys and working on endgame execution … I think we have come a long way. We have a long way to go, but I'm going to look at how far we've come. We've got a long way to go, but we're getting there."  - Head Coach Ed Cooley
 
HOYA HIGHLIGHTS

• Jayden Epps led all scorers with 30 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the floor, including five 3-pointers, to go along with a team-best five assists and a trio of rebounds.
• Supreme Cook managed 13 points on an efficient 4-for-5 performance from the field as well as a 5-for-6 effort from the charity stripe while grabbing a squad-best five rebounds.
• Jay Heath rounded out those in double figures with 10 points off the bench on 4-for-10 shooting, including back-to-back 3-pointers late in the second half, while grabbing three boards and dishing out three assists.
• Georgetown shot 41.8% (23-55) for the game and knocked down 10 triples in the game while allowing a 60.0% (27-45) performance from the Pirates, including an efficient 7-for-15 effort from beyond the arc.
• The squads were even with 26 rebounds apiece.
• The Hoyas forced 17 Pirate turnovers on eight steals, but committed 12 of their own.
• GU's bench outscored its SHU counterpart 20-7.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The two squads traded a pair of buckets early but Seton Hall jumped out to a commanding 16-point lead on a 20-4 run over 6:39, taking a 24-8 lead with 11:46 remaining in the frame.
• The Hoyas pulled within six (26-20) on a 12-2 run, fueled by 10 points from Epps alone, including a pair of 3-pointers, in less than four minutes of action.
• The Hoyas would continue to put the pressure on Seton Hall, making it a one-possession game (29-27) with 6:43 to play on an athletic layup from Wayne Bristol Jr.
• The Hoyas had chances to take the lead but the shots wouldn't fall as the Pirates took a 39-31 lead into the break.
• The Pirates came out of the locker room red hot, ballooning the lead to 14 (47-33) behind a pair of triples. However, the Blue & Gray did not go away, reeling off 10 unanswered bolstered by a pair of 3-pointers from Drew Fielder and one from Ismael Massoud, to pull within four (47-43) with 14:08 to play.
• Seton Hall would push it to eight but GU used strong play from behind the arc once again as a Jay Heath triple made it a one-possession game (57-55, 8:58).
• An emphatic Cook dunk pulled the Hoyas within one (59-58), but the Pirates answered with a triple on the other end. Another Heath triple pulled GU within one once again.
• Following an SHU timeout, the Hoyas got a stop on the defensive end and then took their first lead of the game as Bristol Jr. got the offensive board and put it up for the layup to take the 63-62 lead.
• Four unanswered from the Pirates forced GU to call a timeout as Seton Hall regained the 66-65 lead, one they would not relinquish as they went on for the 74-70 win.

 
UP NEXT
The Hoyas open a two-game road swing with a matchup at No. 4/4 UConn on Sunday, January 14 at the XL Center. Tipoff in Hartford is scheduled for noon and the game will be broadcast on FOX with Tim Brando calling the play-by-play and Donny Marshall providing analysis. The radio call of Rich Chvotkin, in his 50th season as the Voice of the Hoyas, can be heard locally on 99.1 FM and nationally on the SiriusXM app.