Best Games of the Patrick Ewing Era
Just where exactly does the Hoyas' recent win against #15 Creighton rank in the best wins of the Ewing era? We break it down here!
Wednesday’s victory over #15 Creighton had us over the moon with excitement after such a thrilling - and unexpected - victory. It felt like one of the best wins that this writer had seen, at least under Patrick Ewing, so I decided to rank the best wins of the Patrick Ewing era so far, to see where this win ranks. Here’s what I came up with.
Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments, or tweet us, at @HilltopHoops_.
November 13, 2018: Georgetown 88 - Illinois 80
This game was the coming out party for Georgetown’s freshman trio of James Akinjo, Mac McClung, and Josh LeBlanc. And boy did they not disappoint, as the following highlights show.
With 39 seconds on the clock, Akinjo nailed a long floater while getting fouled, to put the game on ice for Georgetown in what was a great early-season, non-conference win against an opponent that was in a similar position as Georgetown at the time, with a relatively new coach with some good, young talent on its roster.
Unfortunately, these two teams have gone in opposite directions since this game. Illinois is now one of the best teams in the country, as their young talent has grown to help them become a dominant team, while Georgetown continues to try and get this rebuild off the ground. It shows you what could have been, if Akinjo, McClung, and LeBlanc stuck around.
March 9, 2019: Georgetown 86 - #16 Marquette 84
This was a huge game in terms of keeping the Hoyas’ tournament chances alive at the time, and just because it was so unexpected. #16 Marquette was vying for its first-ever regular season Big East championship, and a win over Georgetown, at home, would have given them that title.
Instead, thanks to 25 points from James Akinjo and 23 from Mac McClung, the Hoyas upset the Golden Eagles, 86-84.
Akinjo put the game on ice with two made free throws with 10 seconds left, to put the Hoyas up four, but Marquette guard Markus Howard hit a three-pointer with three seconds to go to make Georgetown sweat a little bit. Jamorko Pickett hit one of two free throws to hold off Marquette though, and give the Hoyas a signature win, and keep them on the tournament bubble at the time.
February 3, 2021: Georgetown 86 - #15 Creighton 79
I don’t need to spend too much time on this one. I give this one third place, behind the Marquette victory (postseason implications and just as big of a win) and Illinois victory (more dramatic, back-and-forth play, with a ton of highlight-reel plays), and ahead of Butler, which feels like a fair spot to put it. While Butler was also a ranked opponent, this win against Creighton, who has given Georgetown fits recently, was just a bit sweeter.
February 15, 2020: Georgetown 73 - #19 Butler 66
Who can forget The Terrell Allen Game? What a thrill this one was, with Georgetown going on a 10-0 run at the end of the game to secure the road win against #19 Butler. The trio of Allen, Jahvon Blair, and Jagan Mosely all played 40 minutes each in this one.
Mosely’s five assists in this game put him 15th all-time at Georgetown for assists, just three behind Reggie Williams at the time.
This impressive victory also gave us one of the more joyful pictures of the Ewing era.
Hoya Saxa, Jagan.
March 2, 2019: Georgetown 77 - Seton Hall 71 (2OT)
After a quiet regulation, Jessie Govan erupted in the two overtime frames, scoring 15 of his 21 points in two overtime periods, including scoring all 11 points for Georgetown in the second overtime to give the home team the win on Senior Night for the Hoyas.
This was also the infamous James Akinjo Floor Slap Game, when he absolutely schooled Seton Hall’s Quincy McKnight on both ends of the floor. What a moment that was.
December 4, 2019: Georgetown 81 - Oklahoma State 74
The cards were stacked against Georgetown heading into this one, as this was the first game for the team after Akinjo, LeBlanc, Gardner, and Alexander left the team, and that’s what made this win so sweet.
Free of playing alongside Akinjo, Mac McClung exploded for 33 points, and Georgetown moved to 5-3 on the season. Omer Yurtseven also chipped in with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Terrell Allen had a season-high 15 points.
The Cowboys led 53-48 in the second half, before McClung led the Hoyas on a 13-2 run, scoring 11 points on his own to pace the visitors.
Allen hit a clutch stepback three-pointer with 38 seconds to seal the game for Georgetown.
February 20, 2019: Georgetown 85 - #17 Villanova 73
The first victory over a ranked opponent for Patrick Ewing, and a win that also snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Wildcats, dating back to 2015. Jessie Govan and Mac McClung both scored 21 points apiece, and James Akinjo added 10 points of his own, along with nine assists.
The Wildcats shot only 38.5% from the field, while the Hoyas shot 50.9%, and hit 11 three-pointers.
January 12, 2019: Georgetown 96 - Providence 90 (2OT)
This game, aside from the thrill of overtime, was known for the miraculous shots by Mac McClung and James Akinjo to preserve the game for the Hoyas to send it into overtime, and then double overtime.
Trailing by three with 3.9 seconds left in regulation, McClung hit a buzzer beater to tie the game and send it into overtime. At the end of the first overtime, it was Akinjo who drained a three to keep the Hoyas alive, and send the game to a second overtime.
Jessie Govan scored a career-high 33 points on 11-of-26 shooting, and recorded his sixth double-double of the season, grabbing 14 rebounds.
December 14, 2019: Georgetown 89 - Syracuse 79
This game had to be included because, well, it’s always so good to kick Syracuse’s ass, especially by double digits.
Four Hoyas scored in double digits, with Mac McClung leading all scorers with 26 points (21 in the first half, a career-best) and Omer Yurtseven scoring 19 points. Jagan Mosely scored 14 points, while Terrell Allen had 14.
The Georgetown lead would get to as much as 16 in the second half, and the Hoyas never looked back, with Syracuse only getting to within nine points the rest of the game.
#Hoyas have hit 4-of-6 3-pointers, including 2 by Mosely (6pts) to lead 21-18 with 10:42 left in 1H. #HOYASAXA #HOYASZN #WEAREGEORGETOWN #JuiceCuseNovember 11, 2019: Georgetown 82 - #22 Texas 66
Like the win over Illinois, this was another great Georgetown early-season win against a team whose star has risen much higher than Georgetown’s since their last meeting.
The Hoyas outscored #22 Texas 45-24 in the second half to claim a double-digit victory at Madison Square Garden, as part of the 2K Empire Classic. Mac McClung led four Hoyas in double figures with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while Jamorko Pickett had 15 points.
Trailing 52-50 in the second half, Georgetown staged a 12-0 run with five different players scoring points to take a 62-52 lead with 9:49 to play.
The win was Georgetown’s third over a ranked opponent under Coach Ewing.
