Georgetown Clobbers Howard to End Nonconference Schedule on High Note

The Georgetown Hoyas (10-3) defeated intracity foe Howard (6-8), 102-67, on Saturday afternoon at the Capital One Arena. Jessie Govan and Josh LeBlanc posted their fourth and third double-doubles of the season, respectively, with the former notching 23 points and 10 rebounds and the latter recording 22 points and 11 rebounds. Jahvan Blair and Kaleb Johnson rounded out Georgetown’s double-digit scorers with 15 and 11 points, respectively. RJ Cole and CJ Williams combined to score 52 points on 19-of-48 field goals.

Georgetown was without regular starters Mac McClung (sprained ankle) and Trey Mourning (concussion protocol). Greg Malinowski and LeBlanc assumed starting responsibilities in their absence.

Despite the lopsided final score, Howard started the game by opening a 7-0 run within two minutes of action. James Akinjo picked up his second foul of the game when Cole drilled an and-one pullup jumper from the elbow to cap the run, forcing him to the bench. Jagan Mosely replaced the freshman and provided instant impact off the bench, scoring six first-half points on 3-of-4 shooting. Howard maintained its lead until the 14:30 mark, when Malinowski drilled a three-pointer to put Georgetown in the driver’s seat. From there, the Hoyas steadily built their lead throughout the half. LeBlanc emphatically capped a 22-4 run midway through the period with a transition alley-oop assisted by Jahvon Blair. Georgetown maintained a double-digit lead throughout the final nine minutes of first-half play as seven different Hoyas scored.

The Hoyas’ second-half effort was even more dominant. LeBlanc and Govan feasted on the low block with Howard struggling to defend in transition. A layup by Govan with 18:02 to play in the game gave Georgetown its first 20-point lead of the day—a lead which it was never in danger of surrendering. Blair scored all 15 of his points in the period while Johnson provided nine of his 11. The Hoyas led by as many as 38 after a transition and-one layup by Johnson with 5:10 remaining. Blair hit two free throws to put Georgetown over the century mark before George Muresan converted a free throw—his first points of the season—to end the scoring.

The Hoyas open Big East play on Wednesday at Hinkle Fieldhouse against Butler (9-3). Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.