PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Trailing 20 (59-39) with a little more than 13 minutes left in regulation, the Georgetown University men's basketball team poured in 42 points in the final 13:04 to complete the comeback and take the win over the Providence College Friars 81-78 on Saturday afternoon at Amica Mutual Pavilion. With the road win, Georgetown improves to 10-10 on the season with a 2-7 record in BIG EAST play while the Friars slip to 9-11 overall with a 2-7 record in league action.
 
ON THE RECORD
"I thought our game plan wasn't really what we wanted it to be at the start, but at the end, it's always a 40 minute game, not a 20 minute game, a 30 minute game. I feel this whole season has been so up and down with so many close games. And it was part of the resilience of our men and their fortitude, their trust, their belief, and our conditioning. I think a shoutout has got to go out to our conditioning coach, Coach White. I thought our assistants did a great job in the huddles, making adjustments … So, just really proud of our men, and their resilience, and again, the losing streak we were on, for me, it is gratifying to get a win coming home in a place that I dearly love." - Head Coach Ed Cooley
 
HOYA HIGHLIGHTS

• KJ Lewis led a trio of Hoyas in double figures with 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field, including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. He tallied 21 of his 26 points in the second half.
• Vince Iwuchukwu tallied 16 points on an efficient 5-for-8 performance from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 outing from deep and a 4-for-4 performance from the charity stripe.
• Malik Mack added 13 points on 50.0% (6-12) shooting from the floor.
• Caleb Williams collected a team-best seven rebounds in the contest.
• Mack's three assists paced the GU offense.
• Georgetown shot 51.6% (32-62) for the game and 36.0% (9-25) from beyond the arc.
• The Blue & Gray was outrebounded by the Friars, 33-29.
• Georgetown forced eight PC turnovers on seven steals and tallied a quartet of blocks.

 
FRIAR HIGHLIGHTS

• Jaylin Sellers led the scoring for the Friars with 18 points on five made baskets. Jamier Jones and Stefan Vaaks followed with 14 apiece and Ryan Mela rounded out the home team scoring in double figures with 11 points.
• Oswin Erhunmwunse led on the boards grabbing a squad-best 10 rebounds.
• Vaaks and Sellers paced the PU offense with four assists each.
• Providence shot 45.6% (26-57) from the field and 38.1% (8-21) from the three.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• A Julius Halaifonua bucket opened the scoring but the squads traded buckets early with a pair of ties in the opening three minutes before Abraham drove the lane and made the layup for a 6-5 Georgetown lead.
• After an 8-0 spurt from the home team, a Malik Mack jumper followed by a pair of Iwuchukwu free throws cut the deficit to three (13-10). However, the Friars strung together another four unanswered before a Lewis triple stopped the run and kept it a two-possession game (17-13) with 10:38 on the clock.
• Through the final 10 minutes of the frame, PC stepped on the gas, ballooning the lead to 18 (43-25) before the squads went into the locker room.
• Starting the second half, the Friars pushed the lead to 21, but Georgetown tallied seven straight, fueled by a pair of Lewis jumpers coupled with an Iwuchukwu 3-pointer, to cut the deficit to 14 (48-34) with 17:05 on the clock.
• PC would extend the lead back to as many as 20 but a driving layup from Mulready sparked a 15-3 Hoya run fueled by five in a row from both Iwuchukwu and Lewis and capped by a Mack 3-pointer to make it a two-possession game (67-63).
• The squads went back and forth but it was a Lewis trey that made it a one-possession game as Georgetown trailed 71-68 with 4:19 in regulation as the Hoyas called their final timeout.
• Trailing two with 2:55 on the clock, C. Williams laced a triple for GU's first lead since the first half, a 73-72 advantage. Free throws on the other end swung the lead back to the home team but a Lewis layup changed the lead once again as Georgetown went up 76-75 and never looked back.
• A Kayvaun Mulready steal and dunk extended the lead to three (78-75), forcing a PC timeout. Despite a Friar bucket, Iwuchukwu nailed a jumper and Lewis stepped back for the triple as the Hoyas led 81-75 with 27 ticks on the clock.
• Providence managed a traditional three-point play to cut it to a one-possession game (81-78) with 16 seconds left but the Hoyas held on to complete the comeback as Iwuchukwu tallied the block on PC's final attempt.

 
OF NOTE

• Today marked the first win for Georgetown since February 6, 2019 when the Hoyas won 76-67 that saw a quintet of Hoyas reach double figures.
• It is the first win for Cooley in the building in three tries since taking over the GU program ahead of the 2023-24 season.
• Lewis' 26 points was one point shy of his career best that he set earlier this season against St. John's on New Year's Eve.
• The 56 second-half points for the Hoyas are the second-highest total in a half for a Georgetown squad since 1996-97. It is second to a 58-point, second-half performance in a 98-82 loss at UConn on March 6, 2021.

 
UP NEXT
Georgetown returns to action on Wednesday, January 28, hosting the DePaul University Blue Demons at Capital One Arena. Tipoff in the District is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on FS1 with Chris Vosters calling the play-by-play and Phil Martelli providing analysis. The game can be heard locally on Team 980 as well as on the SiriusXM app with Rich Chvotkin, in his 52nd season as the Voice of the Hoyas, calling the action.