Georgetown Defeats Central Arkansas to Move to 2-0

Just three days after grabbing a less-than-convincing season-opening win against Mount St. Mary’s, the Georgetown Hoyas (2-0, Big East) earned their second win of the season, defeating the Central Arkansas Bears (1-2, Southland), 89-78, on Saturday afternoon. Omer Yurtseven dominated early and often, posting a first-half double double en route to a final line of 17 points and 15 rebounds. Yurtseven’s work on the boards mirrored Georgetown’s dominance overall, as the Hoyas managed a 55-31 rebounding advantage on the day. Jagan Mosely and Jamorko Pickett also impressed, with the former adding 13 points while the later contributed 10 points and seven rebounds in the victory. Hayden Koval and Eddy Kayouloud paced the Bears with 21 and 15 points, respectively.

Offense was the name of the game early on, with both teams coming out of the gates hot. Yurtseven recorded eight of the Hoyas’ first ten points, and Mac McClung hit two free throws out media timeout to give Georgetown an early 14-9 advantage. Central Arkansas quickly equalized after a flurry of activity, capped by a three-pointer by Koval. Georgetown, paced by Yurtseven throughout the half, maintained a small lead throughout the half, but was unable to extend it because of poor ball security and subpar three-point defense. Each time Georgetown looked primed to break the game open, Central Arkansas would have an answer—most frequently in the form of a three-point field goal from Koval or Jaxson Baker. The Hoyas were only able to extend the lead to double digits after reinserting their starters late in the half, using a 12-3 run to take a 54-42 advantage into the locker room.

The second half saw Georgetown maintain a double-digit lead for all but 58 seconds. Nine different Hoyas scored in the frame, led by Jahvon Blair’s seven points. Georgeton led by as many as 15 with 3:50 to play, but committed nine turnovers, preventing its ability to put together a sustained scoring run. Ultimately, though, Central Arkansas lacked the offensive firepower to seriously threaten the Georgetown lead.

The Hoyas will host their first major-conference opponent on Thursday when Penn State (1-0, Big Ten) visits the nation’s capital. That game will tip off at 6:30pm and can be seen on FS1.