Late Surge Propels Georgetown Past Central Connecticut State

Jessie Govan scored Georgetown’s first seven points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field, foreshadowing his efficient offensive display that would lead the Hoyas (2-0, Big East) to a 85-78 win over the visiting Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (1-1, NEC). Govan finished the night with 26 points. James Akinjo scored 13, while Jamorko Pickett and Trey Mourning added 12 apiece. Ian Krishnan tallied 28 points for CCSU.

Georgetown took advantage of its height advantage early, finding Govan often. The preseason All-Big East First Team selection’s early scoring spurt sparked a 5-0 lead. But CCSU consistently hit timely shots to keep itself within striking distance. Joe Hugley nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to counter Govan’s quick seven points, while Krishnan added seven points of his own to give the Blue Devils a two-point advantage with 13:54 remaining in the half. A 13-3 run near the end of the half saw the Hoyas take their largest lead of the night at 35-22. At the intermission, Georgetown led 37-26.

Krishnan continued his hot shooting in the second half and Tyler Kohl joined the action. The duo hit four 3-pointers apiece, scoring 16 and 15 points in the half, respectively. The Blue Devils remained within striking distance throughout the second half, keeping the game within single digits despite allowing Georgetown to shoot 54 percent from the field. A Govan jumper extended the Hoyas’ lead to 11 with 12:17 to play, but Kohl responded with a 3-pointer, kickstarting a sustained comeback effort. CCSU closed the lead to as few as two points after a Krishnan 3-pointer with 5:15 to play, but the Hoyas found their offensive rhythm as the game neared its conclusion. Govan immediately countered Krishnan with a 3-pointer and Pickett added two 3-pointers in the following minutes to put the game on ice.

It was a tough day at the office for the Georgetown freshman backcourt duo of Mac McClung and James Akinjo. McClung shot 2-of-10 from the field, including 0-of-5 from deep, and turned the ball over twice. Akinjo also shot 2-of-10 from the field, but his perfect 8-of-8 performance from the charity stripe helped him reach double digits. He recorded seven assists and four turnovers.

Kaleb Johnson made his season debut tonight after missing Tuesday’s game with a sore lower leg. But the Hoyas were without Jagan Mosely, who did not dress due to shoulder soreness. Jahvon Blair stepped up in Mosely’s absence, scoring nine points in 18 minutes.

The Hoyas have two days to prepare for a road trip to Illinois, where they’ll face the Fighting Illini on Tuesday night in the Gavitt Games. That will be Georgetown’s first road nonconference game against a major-conference opponent under Patrick Ewing.