Tyus Battle’s late shot lifts Syracuse over Georgetown 72-71

Jessie Govan led the Hoyas with 22 points. Mac McClung had 18 and Greg Malinowksi chipped in with 11.

Tyus Battle to the doubters from the NBA and the ACC: pic.twitter.com/wnfKSMkbXn

— Jake Falk (@Jake_Falk95) December 8, 2018

A 3 by Govan gave the Hoyas a 71-70 lead with just over a minute remaining. Marek Dolezaj drew a charge on Georgetown’s Jagan Mosely with 10 seconds to go, giving Battle the opportunity.

Georgetown took its largest lead of the game, 37-22, on a jumper by Trey Mourning when Syracuse stormed back on a 14-2 run. Battle scored 10 during the surge to bring the Orange to within three at 39-36. The Orange closed to 47-48 on a short jumper by Battle with 11:51 left.

The Orange took its first lead since a 5-3 margin, 50-48, on a 3 by Hughes and extended it to a six-point advantage on a floater by Brissett. Two consecutive 3s by Hughes kept the margin at six with under seven minutes to go. Malinowski’s third straight 3 brought the Hoyas to 60-59, and a free throw by Josh LeBlanc tied the score at 60. A 3 by Jahvon Blair and two free throws by Malinowski gave the Hoyas a 65-62 cushion with 4:50 remaining.

After a free throw by LeBlanc gave the Hoyas a 66-64 lead, Jalen Carey hit a desperation 3 with 2:35 left to give Syracuse a 67-66 lead. Govan’s jumper made it 68-67 Hoyas, but a 3 by Battle gave Syracuse a 70-68 edge with 1:28 to go.

McClung scored 13 points and Govan added nine, leading the Hoyas to a 35-22 halftime lead. Syracuse took an early 5-3 lead when the Hoyas went on an 8-0 run to take control. Syracuse, which went more than six minutes without scoring, got no closer than five points the rest of the half.

The Orange’s output represented the second-fewest points scored by Syracuse in a half in the Carrier Dome’s 38-year history. Syracuse started the game shooting just 4 of 22 and ended the half 7 of 28 and a meager 1-of-14 shooting from 3. Battle, Brissett and Hughes, Syracuse’s leading scorers, were a combined 3 of 18 for 14 points.

The Hoyas also dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Orange 28-19.

BIG PICTURE:

Georgetown: This one will sting for a long time. The Hoyas seemed firmly in control but let this one slip away. They’ll have one week to get shrug it off.

Syracuse: The Orange will need to play with the intensity they displayed in the second half. Jalen Carey gave Syracuse a much-needed spark off the bench subbing for the foul-plagued Frank Howard.

UP NEXT:

Georgetown hosts Southern Methodist on Saturday.

Syracuse’s string of seven straight home games continues Saturday against Old Dominion.