In the 100th meeting between the rivals, Syracuse and Georgetown played a tight game where neither side could take control, as there were 16 lead changes and 12 ties. The last lead change went to the visiting Hoyas (8-2) with just over three minutes left and they held on to defeat The Orange (5-5) at the JMA Wireless Dome, 75-71.
SU missed their final six field goal attempts after taking the lead on a Jaquan Carlos three with just over four minutes remaining and were outscored in that time, 8-2, with only a couple Carlos foul shots in the final seconds. Not only did the Syracuse offense run cold late in the game, but they were beaten on the glass late, too, as Georgetown grabbed 11 rebounds in the final seven minutes compared to just two for the Orange.
The guests took an early lead, but SU responded with seven straight points, including five from Donnie Freeman to take a 9-4 lead before the crowd could truly get settled. Georgetown responded with eight straight of their own for a 12-9 advantage just over five minutes into the game.
The two teams traded the lead for the next few minutes with neither side able to gain control. Eddie Lampkin and Jyare Davis each scored four in an 8-2 Syracuse run for 25-22 lead with just under eight minutes left in the half. The Hoyas proved up to the task, erasing that difference, but four Orange foul shots made it a multiple-possession game for the first time since that early SU lead.
Georgetown scored the next five points to go back on top and the game stayed within two points until going to the half at 37-37. It was the tenth tie to go with a dozen lead changes in the opening half.
The guests needed less than three minutes after the action resumed to take their biggest lead to that point, outscoring Syracuse by a 9-4 margin for a five-point lead, then nudged it out to 49-43 coming out of the first media timeout. The Hoyas kept up the pressure, stretching their advantage to 54-46.
The hosts struck back with six straight points to start a 13-2 run capped by an Elijah Moore 3-pointer and four Jaquan Carlos free throws to put them on top, 59-56. After Georgetown stopped the run with a bucket, Carlos added two more foul shots and Davis tacked on a 3-point-play for the biggest Orange lead of the day at 64-58.
That score held for a couple minutes, then the Hoyas scored twice to pull within a deuce and force an SU timeout. The break netted a Moore fadeaway, but the guests responded with a bucket and a triple to go up, 67-66.
Carlos responded with a corner trey to reinstate the Syracuse lead at 69-67. That, however, was the last Orange score for three possessions, allowing Georgetown to slowly construct a 72-69 lead with 1:54 remaining.
SU came up empty twice more and the Jayden Epps drove for a lay-up to push the margin to five with 21.4 seconds to play. Two Carlos foul shots made it a one possession game, but Syracuse had to foul and Malik Mack made the second of his two foul shots to close the scoring.
Lampkin paced the Orange with 18 points while Carlos and Davis each added 15, the former scoring 13 after intermission after the latter tallied 11 in the first half. Moore chipped in with ten points and Freeman had eight, all in the first half.
Epps led all scorers with 27 points, shooting 11-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-6 from long range. Thomas Sorber added 16 points while Micah Peavy finished one rebound shy of a double-double with a dozen points and a game-high nine boards. Mack and Drew Fielder aided the Hoya cause with nine and eight points, respectively.
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