Patrick Ewing grabs first Big East win as Georgetown defeats DePaul

Patrick Ewing is no longer winless in the Big East.

The Georgetown Hoyas tackled the DePaul Blue Demons on Tuesday night in The Windy City. The Hoyas emerged victorious, winning 90-81, as they landed their first win of conference play.

Jessie Govan and Marcus Derrickson played the leading roles in Chicago, as always. The frontcourt duo combined for 49 of Georgetown’s 90 points scored in the contest, with the big man getting 25 and Derrickson earning 24. Govan also had 12 rebounds, posting yet another double-double. It was his 10th of the season so far, as he’s now averaged 18.9 points and 12.1 rebounds in his 14 games played.

Freshman guard Jahvon Blair added 15 points of his own. The performance marked the sixth time that he scored in double figures in the 2017-18 campaign. Blair also added two boards, an assist and just one turnover in 20 minutes.

The Hoyas won despite a dreadful second half performance from beyond the arc. They shot 2-11 from 3-point land, which allowed DePaul to creep back into the game, despite falling behind by 11 at the half. The sum of all parts mattered quite a bit, though, as Georgetown shot 37.5 percent from the arc for the game.

DePaul got efforts from the usual players in their cast. Max Strus led with 19 points, while Marin Maric and Tre’Darius McCallum had 18 each. Brandon Cyrus chipped in 14 points on a 5-7 mark from the field. The 81 points DePaul scored were not enough, however, as despite a spirited run towards the end, they ultimately came up short.

For Georgetown, this win definitely puts them in a good spot. The Hoyas were staring at an 0-4 start, with the Creighton Bluejays flying into D.C. later this weekend. Hauling this all-important win in helps alleviate the burn, as they can somewhat afford to fall to 1-3 if things falter for them on Saturday.

DePaul, meanwhile, falls through the usual mess. This is the third consecutive season in which the Blue Demons have started off 0-3 in Big East play. It’s also the fourth time in five years that they’ve done so, with their eye-popping 3-0 start in the 2014-15 season looking like an outlier.

They get the St. John's Red Storm next. While the Johnnies have a strong assembly of talent, they are a bit banged up. Given that the Providence Friars, Marquette Golden Eagles and Butler Bulldogs are all after this meeting against SJU, this could represent DePaul’s best chance at a win until further notice. They’ll have to strike and strike promptly in Queens this weekend. Otherwise, things could get ugly in a hurry.