WASHINGTON – Despite a valiant effort in the second half, the Georgetown University's men's basketball team couldn't hold on, dropping a 64-62 decision to No. 3/4 University of Connecticut Huskies in front of a crowd of 17,861 fans. With the loss, the Hoyas sit at an even 9-9 on the season with a 1-6 mark in BIG EAST play while the Huskies improve to 18-1 overall with a flawless 8-0 record in league action.
 
ON THE RECORD
"The one thing I can tell you is I believe in our group. I trust our group. I've seen us get better without a win. I like our competitive spirit right now, the ball's just not bouncing our way in certain instances. I don't want our men to lose their confidence. I don't want our men to doubt what we're doing because we're right there at the doorstep." - Head Coach Ed Cooley
 
HOYA HIGHLIGHTS

• Vince Iwuchukwu and KJ Lewis led a quartet of Hoyas in double figures with 12 points apiece. Iwuchukwu's 12 came from six made field goals as he tallied a career-best 14 boards for the second double-double of his career.
• Lewis managed 12 points on five made field goals and one free throw to go along with four rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal.
• Malik Mack added 11 points on four made field goals, including a 3-pointer and two free throws while dishing out a trio of assists.
• Jeremiah Williams rounded out those in double figures with 10 points on three made field goals and a perfect 4-for-4 performance from the charity stripe
• Iwuchukwu's 14 boards was a game-best while Jayden Fort came off the bench to grab six.
• J. Williams paced the offense off the bench with five of GU's 13 helpers.
• Georgetown shot 43.9% (25-57) for the game and 35.7% (5-14) from beyond the arc.
• The Blue & Gray outrebounded the visitors, 40-34.

 
HUSKY HIGHLIGHTS

• Tarris Reed Jr. tallied a game-best 15 points to lead a quartet of Huskies in double figures. Silas Demary Jr. added 12 while Braylon Mullins chipped in 11 and Solo Ball rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10.
• Reed Jr. pulled down 11 boards, eight on the offensive glass, for the double-double while Alex Karaban and Mullins each managed five apiece.
• Demary Jr. paced the offense with five assists.
• Coming into the game, the third-ranked Huskies averaged 49.4% shooting from the field and 38.7% from deep. Georgetown held UConn to 36.2% (21-58) shooting for the game and 19.2% (5-26) from beyond the arc. However, the Huskies took 24 trips to the line, converting on 17.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The visitors got on the board first with six unanswered before a Julius Halaifonua dunk got GU on the board. The third-ranked Huskies pushed the lead to as many as nine (13-4) early as the Hoyas took some time to get going. Five straight for the Blue & Gray from a Jeremiah Williams traditional three-point play and a Jayden Fort layup off the offensive glass to make it a two-possession game.
• UConn pushed the lead up to double digits (23-13), but the Hoyas kept fighting and pushed it back to a two-possession game after Malik Mack strung together his own 4-0 mini run. The Hoyas continued to push, getting as close as six down the stretch but each time, the Huskies had the retort on the other end.
• A pair of J. Williams free throws pulled the Hoyas within six and in the final seconds of the frame, Fort was on clean-up duty and came up with the second-chance dunk to send Georgetown into the break trailing 32-28.
• Out of the locker room, an Iwuchukwu layup made it a one-possession game and a Caleb Williams 3-pointer off the Mack dish gave GU its first lead of the game, 33-32. Another Iwuchukwu bucket followed by a Lewis free throw gave the Blue & Gray a four-point lead (36-32).
• The Huskies used a 9-0 run to take the five-point advantage before an Isaiah Abraham triple, coupled with another Iwuchukwu jumper knotted the game at 45 apiece (9:56).
• Trailing four, another J. Williams and one made it a one-point game (51-50) with 7:14 remaining but the whistle would go in favor of the Huskies as trips to the charity stripe gave the visitors a five-point cushion (55-50). Lewis laced a triple to make it a one-possession game, but once again, UConn found the answer on the offensive end to push the gap back to five (58-53) at the last media timeout.
• The Huskies pushed the lead back to seven (62-55), but Mack drained a triple from the right side to make it a four-point game (62-58) with 46.2 left in regulation.
• Both squads would trade buckets, and a Lewis fastbreak dunk pulled the Blue & Gray within three (63-60). Errant free throws for UConn kept the Hoyas in it, but an Iwuchukwu dunk in the waning seconds would not be enough as the Hoyas fell 64-62 at the final whistle.

 
UP NEXT
Georgetown returns to action on Wednesday, January 21 on the road in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Tipoff at Finneran Pavilion is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on Peacock with Mike Corey calling the play-by-play and Brendan Haywood providing analysis. The game can be heard locally on 106.7 The Fan as well as on the SiriusXM app with Rich Chvotkin, in his 52nd season as the Voice of the Hoyas, calling the action.