Jonathan Wallace ended a three-game shooting slump and hit his biggest free throws of the season to help No. 8 Georgetown stay unbeaten at Verizon Center this season (13-0) and hold off Villanova, 55-53, in front of 17,575.
Scottie Reynolds (Herndon High) scored a game-high 24 points for the Wildcats, including 15 in the first half, but with the shot clock turned off had his potential game-winning shot blocked by Jeremiah Rivers.
On the ensuing rebound scrum, Wallace (15 points) escaped with the ball and was fouled by Corey Stokes with 0.1 second remaining. The senior guard, whose 3-for-8 performance from 3-point range ended an 0-for-9 stretch over three games, calmly sank two shots from the line to seal the victory.
Roy Hibbert had 13 points and six rebounds and DaJuan Summers had 12 points and eight boards for the Hoyas (20-3, 10-2 Big East).
Georgetown led by as many as 12 points in the second half, but the Wildcats (14-9, 4-7) chipped away by hitting 16 of 18 free throw attempts in the second half. The two teams combined for 48 personal fouls, including four disqualifications.
The Hoyas scored 10 of the game’s first 12 points while Villanova missed eight of its first 10 shots. But only one of those came from Reynolds, who made his next three consecutive field-goal attempts and scored 12 points during a 15-5 run to put Wildcats up, 19-15.
Dwayne Anderson‘s dunk gave Villanova a 31-28 lead on the first possession of the second half, but Villanova was held without a field goal for the next 12 minutes during a 15-2 run by the Hoyas.
