Aminu Mohammed scored 23 points and Donald Carey added 18 to guide Georgetown to a 79-75 home win over Syracuse on Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C.
There were eight lead changes in the final 5 1/2 minutes in a matchup of former Big East Conference rivals. The final one came on Kaiden Rice’s 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining, sparking a game-ending 7-2 run.
After setting the Georgetown record with 10 3-pointers in the Hoyas’ last game, Rice made three early 3-pointers in this one and finished 5 of 15 from long range. All 15 of his points came from outside the arc.
Collin Holloway chipped in 10 points off the bench for Georgetown (5-4), which has won three of its last four games.
All five starters scored in double figures for Syracuse (5-5), led by Buddy Boeheim with 17 points and Joe Girard III with 15. Cole Swider chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
After Rice’s big 3-pointer, Swider missed a potential go-ahead trey on the other end. Carey and Mohammed each made two foul shots down the stretch to help seal the win.
Syracuse, on the other hand, wasted a key opportunity when Girard made a bucket and was fouled with 10 seconds left. Girard missed the ensuing foul shot with a chance to get the visitors within a point, and the Orange went on to lose their second straight.
With the game tied at 21-21, Syracuse went on a 16-7 run to create a bit of separation. Georgetown responded with a push, but the Orange closed the half with five straight points, including Girard’s 3-pointer, to take a 44-34 lead into the locker room.
The Hoyas dominated the early portions of the second half, scoring the first six points and eventually catching up to the Orange at 51-51 on Mohammed’s free throws with 13:52 to play.
Shortly thereafter, Georgetown went on a 6-0 spurt to turn a 57-57 tie into a modest advantage, but Syracuse responded with 10 of the next 13 points — highlighted by 3-pointers from Swider and Boeheim — to slip ahead 67-66, setting up the exciting back-and-forth finish.
–Field Level Media