WASHINGTON –  Fueled by five in double figures, the Georgetown University men's basketball team held on for the 80-79 win over the Providence College Friars at Capital One Arena on Saturday night. With the win, the Hoyas close the regular season at 14-17 overall with a 6-14 record in BIG EAST play while the Friars slip to 14-17 on the year with a 7-13 record in league action.
 
ON THE RECORD
"You know, this game was indicative of our entire season, you know, coming down to the last shot, last play. I thought Providence played really well in the second half. We matched it, overcame it. They came up with energy in the second half and we had to bounce back. I mean, this game was clearly indicative, and we were fortunate today just to get a win. You know, the win that we needed. Looking forward to going to New York and facing DePaul." - Head Coach Ed Cooley
 
"Honestly, it's just the work I put in and the coaches and just them trusting and believing in me. I mean, my teammates kept giving me the ball in the second half. You know, they told me to go to work, you know … I mean, we kept trying to pick each other up as many times as possible, whether it's a deadball, time out, media, whatever, just stay in poise. Ignore the loudness or the Providence fans, so just ignore them. We've been in tougher situations, environments, and we've been in close games. It feels like every single game. So it's nothing new." - Vince Iwuchukwu
 
HOYA HIGHLIGHTS

• Vince Iwuchukwu poured in a career-high 25 points to lead a quintet of Hoyas in double figures on Saturday night. He shot 69.2% (9-13) from the field, including one made 3-pointer, to go along with a perfect 6-for-6 performance from the charity stripe. He managed a double-double with a squad-best 10 rebounds.
• Kayvaun Mulready came off the bench to tally 12 points on 55.6% (5-9) shooting and a perfect 2-for-2 performance from the free throw line.
• Malik Mack and Caleb Williams each added 11 points on four made field goals with C. Williams nailing a trio of triples. Jeremiah Williams rounded out those in double figures with 10 points on five field goals.
• Mulready's seven assists paced the Hoya offense that tallied 20 helpers. J. Williams followed up with five of his own while Mack dished out four.
• Mulready also tallied a career-best five steals.
• For the game, Georgetown shot 52.5% (31-59) and 33.3% (5-15) from deep.
• The Blue & Gray was outrebounded by Providence 38-25.
• The Hoyas forced 22 PC turnovers on 13 steals.

 
FRIAR HIGHLIGHTS

• Jaylin Sellers led a quartet of Friars in double figures with 21 points followed by Jamier Jones (19), Ryan Mela (17) and Stefan Vaaks (11).
• Oswin Erhunmwunse brought down a game-best 11 rebounds on the night.
• Vaaks paced the Friar offense with a squad-high five assists.
• Providence shot 52.5% (31-59) from the floor and 33.3% (5-15) from beyond the arc.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The game started back and forth with both teams draining buckets early. With the score tied 5-5, Providence strung together five straight before a C. Williams layup stopped the mini run. PC continued to keep the Hoyas at bay and held a 17-13 lead with 10:59 on the clock.
• Georgetown reeled off six in a row with a pair of Mulready free throws sandwiched between Mack and Jeremiah Williams buckets to push the Hoyas ahead a pair. The Friars used a trip to the line to knot the game back up at 19 apiece. The Blue & Gray then staged a 14-2 run sparked by a Mulready dunk and featuring an Iwuchukwu alleyoop dunk splitting up a quintet of free throws before Providence was able to get some points on the board. Georgetown added an Iwuchukwu bucket and a C. Williams triple to take its largest lead to that point, 33-21 (4:49).
• GU would maintain at least an eight-point advantage through the remainder of the frame with Iwuchukwu pouring in points late in the half. Georgetown took a 43-34 lead into the locker room.
• The Friars got off to a hot start out of the locker room, cutting the deficit to four in less than 90 seconds on the floor. The game was tied at 47 apiece at 16:55 before a Mulready bucket gave the Hoyas the slim advantage again. However, PC drained a 3-pointer to spark a seven-point spurt to take a 54-49 lead just five minutes into the frame.
• An Isaiah Abraham dunk would cut the deficit to one (56-55) to force the Friar timeout but a pair of treys for the visitors gave Providence some breathing room. A pair of buckets, one each from J. Williams and Iwuchukwu, pulled the Blue & Gray within a possession (62-59) with 10:44 to play. It became a battle from beyond the arc as the squads traded treys until a PC dunk broke up the long ball heroics. However, a C. Williams 3-pointer cut the deficit to two (70-68) with 7:24 remaining in the frame.
• PC kept finding an answer as the Hoyas kept within striking distance, but trailing 75-70, J. Williams pulled up for a jumper before a Mulready bucket made it a one-point game. An Iwuchukwu dunk gave the Hoyas back the lead. Stifling defense on the other end gave GU the ball once again as J. Williams found the bottom of the net through traffic. Another Iwuchukwu alleyoop on the Mack dish made it 10 unanswered for the Hoyas, forcing the PC timeout with 2:31 remaining.
• Out of the huddle, Providence used the long ball to make it a two-point game. Despite opportunities for the Friars in the waning seconds, the Hoyas held on for the 80-79 win at the final whistle.

 
OF NOTE

• Iwuchukwu's 25 points marks a career high for the Hoya. He becomes the sixth Hoya this season to have a 20+ point outing joining KJ Lewis, Mack, Halaifonua, C. Williams and Mulready.
• Iwuchukwu tallied his fourth double-double of the season and the fifth of his career with 25 points and 10 rebounds. All four double-doubles have come during BIG EAST play.
• With the win, the Hoyas sweep the regular season series with the Friars following an 81-78 road win on January 24. It marks the first season sweep over PC since the 2018-19 season when the Hoyas managed a 96-90 double-overtime win at home on January 12, 2019 and followed it up with a 76-67 road win on February 6, 2019.

 
UP NEXT
Georgetown returns to action on Wednesday, March 11 in the BIG EAST Tournament, held March 11-14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Hoyas have earned the #11 seed in the tournament and will face sixth-seeded DePaul in the first round. Tipoff at the World's Most Famous Arena is scheduled for 9 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on Peacock with John Fanta calling the play-by-play, Donny Marshall providing analysis and Caroline Pineda reporting from the sidelines. The game can be heard locally on a station to be determined later as well as on the SiriusXM app with Rich Chvotkin, in his 52nd season as the Voice of the Hoyas, calling the action.