LINKS: Hoyas Handle Marquette, Host Xavier Saturday

It was an excellent start of conference play for your Georgetown Hoyas this week as the program secured a gritty 78-69 road victory over Marquette to open the BIG EAST portion of the season at 1-0. The win at Fiserv Forum moved the squad to 8-3 overall and provided a glimpse of the development Ed Cooley has been talking about. Georgetown hosts the Xavier Musketeers on Saturday night (8:30 PM, FS1), a team and fanbase reeling after a 40+ point clobbering from Creighton.

Many of the Georgetown faithful have said that the team’s discipline and composure stood out most during the performance in Milwaukee. Facing a nine-point deficit in the first half, the Hoyas responded with a 10-0 run and entered the locker room with a four-point lead. The stability of the backcourt was a major factor, as Jeremiah Williams and Malik Mack combined for 10 assists while the team consistently took care of the ball. Coach Cooley credited the win to a disciplined execution of the game plan and the group’s collective energy on the road.

The most significant story of the night was the emergence of Julius Halaifonua. With Vince Iwuchukwu sidelined, the 7-foot-0 center stepped up to deliver a game-high 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting.

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Halaifonua leveraged his size advantage effectively, scoring from the interior while also finding teammates when Marquette attempted to trap the post. His growth over the last month has been a primary source of optimism for a frontcourt that needed a presence to fill the void left by injury.

Hoya fans have heard about the importance of rebounding and free-throw shooting, and Georgetown delivered in both categories on Wednesday. The Hoyas controlled the boards with a 41-30 advantage and converted 87% of their attempts from the charity stripe. This efficiency allowed them to weather a late Marquette surge that brought the Golden Eagles within three points before Georgetown closed the game on a 17-5 run.

Attention now shifts to Saturday night as the Musketeers…

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Publish date : 2025-12-20 03:03:00

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