WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University men's basketball team defeated the Xavier Musketeers 69-63 behind Malik Mack's 26-point outing, including 20 in the second half alone, on Friday evening at Capital One Arena. With the win, the Hoyas improve to 12-2 and 3-0 in BIG EAST play while Xavier slides to 9-6 and 1-3 in conference action.
 
ON THE RECORD
"We work really hard to talk about chemistry, love, and care for one another. Make it about the unit. Make it about the group. You got to get, you know the 'we, never me' mentality. And again, we may be young, but we have some talented, tough young men who have a will and a want to try to get better. Our goal is to try to get better each and every game. I thought we really, really grew up today." - Head Coach Ed Cooley
 
"I just played through the offense, took opportunities to make a play, and I felt like I was open on certain shots that I knew I could make because that's what I have been working on. I felt like I did a really good job reading the defense, having a feel for the game, and knowing where I could get my shots off or where I could find my teammates." - Malik Mack
 
"They were in drop coverage, so the mid-range is always there. I feel like I'm a good mid-range shooter, so every time I can get it, I'm gonna take it." - Micah Peavy
 
HOYA HIGHLIGHTS

• Mack led all scorers and a trio of Hoyas in double figures with 26 points on 8-for-16 shooting (50.0%), including a trio of 3-pointers, to go along with a 7-for-9 performance from the charity stripe. He added a squad-best three assists to his line as well as a pair of rebounds.
• Micah Peavy added 15 points, also shooting 50.0% (7-14) from the floor while adding a squad-best 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. He added a duo of helpers.
• Thomas Sorber chipped in 12 points on five made field goals to go along with five rebounds, and a pair each of blocks and assists.
• Caleb Williams, in his fourth start, added nine rebounds and one block. 
• Georgetown shot 44.6% from the floor with 25 made field goals on 11 assists. From beyond the arc, the Hoyas made 4-of-18 (22.2%).
• The Hoyas held the advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Musketeers 40-35.
• Georgetown forced 11 XU turnovers on two steals while committing 12 of its own.

 
XAVIER HIGHLIGHTS

• Zach Freemantle led the way for Xavier tallying 16 points on 5-for-12 shooting. Dayvion McKnight, Ryan Conwell and Dailyn Swain rounded out the Musketeers in double figures with 12, 12 and 11, respectively.
• Freemantle, coming off the bench, also led the Musketeers on the glass, pulling down seven rebounds.
• Xavier shot 20-for-57 (35.1%) from the floor and 5-for-19 (26.3%) from behind the arc.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Hoya defense was stifling to start, holding Xavier scoreless for the first nearly five minutes of the frame. On the offensive end, Georgetown connected on a trio of buckets to take the 6-0 lead behind buckets from Peavy, Mack and Caleb Williams. The Hoyas continued to push, taking a 10-2 lead after buckets from big men Thomas Sorber and Drew Fielder to take a 10-2 advantage and force the XU timeout.
• The two squads would battle back and forth with the Hoyas leading by as many as 13 (19-6) following a Peavy turnaround jumper to cap six unanswered for the home squad.
• Xavier would not go away, staging a 9-1 run to make it a five-point game but a pair of Jordan Burks free throws extended the gap once again. The Musketeers pulled within two late in the first frame but a pair of Peavy buckets closed the half and sent the Blue & Gray into the locker room with a 30-24 lead.
• Trading buckets to start the second half, it was Xavier with the hot hand early, pulling within three (35-32). But out of the first huddle of the frame, the Hoyas staged a 7-0 run behind a Caleb Williams bucket sandwiched between Mack free throws and a 3-pointer to take the 42-32 lead, bringing the crowd to its feet.
• The Musketeers kept within striking distance, coming up with a retort for every time GU found the bottom of the net. Xavier tallied eight unanswered to make it a one-point game (58-57) but the Blue & Gray found the answer once again, this time in Sorber free throws.
• XU pulled within one once again but Georgetown used a 9-4 run to close the game with a 69-63 win at the final whistle.

 
OF NOTE

• The Hoyas never trailed and once they held the early 2-0 lead (H1: 17:27), they never relinquished it.
• With a 3-0 start in BIG EAST play, it is the best start in conference action for Georgetown since the 2011-12 season when the Hoyas opened with wins at Louisville (71-68), against Providence (49-40) and against Marquette (73-70).
• Mack's 26 points is a season best for the sophomore and the ninth 20+ game of his career after tallying eight during his freshman season.
• The double-double for Peavy was the first of the season for the graduate student and just the second of his career.

 
UP NEXT
Georgetown will return to action on Tuesday, January 7 as the Hoyas head to the Midwest and face the No. 8/8 Marquette University Golden Eagles at Fiserv Forum. Tipoff in Milwaukee is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network with John Sadak calling the play-by-play and Steve Lappas providing analysis.The game can be heard locally on 106.7 The Fan with Rich Chvotkin, in his 51st season as the Voice of the Hoyas, calling the action.