Villanova loses to Georgetown in a heartbreaking ending at the Finn | Villanova vs. Georgetown Recap
Written by David Szczepanski on January 21, 2025
VILLANOVA, PA—Villanova’s seven-game winning streak against Georgetown was snapped on Monday night. The Hoyas won their first road game against Villanova since January 29, 2011. Villanova’s collapse and inability to score in the second half allowed Georgetown to complete the comeback on Ithan Avenue.
Georgetown defeated Villanova, 64-63, at the Finneran Pavilion on a game-winner by Micah Peavy. Peavy’s layup swished through the basket with less than two seconds remaining in the contest. Peavy, a transfer from TCU, scored 24 points, including six threes. Villanova held the lead for more than 35 minutes on Monday evening. The Wildcats also had a 12-point advantage in the second half.
Eric Dixon finished the game with 29 points. He passed Randy Foye for sole possession of ninth place in Villanova scoring history. He now has 1,973 points, 51 points away from tying John Pinone for eighth place. Jordan Longino was six-for-13 from the field for 18 points.
Eric Dixon shooting a free throw against Georgetown on Monday at the Finneran Pavilion.
Tempers Flare, Poplar ejected
Wooga Poplar was ejected in the first half after getting into an altercation with Thomas Sorber and the Hoyas. Poplar and Sorber were both issued technical fouls, but Poplar was thrown out of the game.
Villanova’s head coach, Kyle Neptune, discussed his view of Poplar’s ejection and the referees’ explanation.
“I didn’t see it,” Neptune said. “They [the referees] said he threw a punch.”
Villanova converted 40% of its field goals and 40% of its three-point attempts against Georgetown’s stellar defense. Despite some good offense, specifically in the first half, the Wildcats scored only 29 points in the final twenty minutes. The Hoyas forced 16 turnovers and seven steals.
Coach Neptune talked about the biggest issue of the game, turnovers, in his postgame press conference.
“Turnovers,” Neptune said. “I give them a lot of credit. They came after us. They were physical. They forced us into some turnovers. They executed, we didn’t.”
Georgetown scored 16 points off turnovers. The Hoyas made 36% of their field goals. They were 10-for-26 (38.5%) from behind the arc and converted 12 of their 13 (92%) free throws. In addition to Peavy’s 24-point performance, Thomas Sorber and Jayden Epps both scored 15 points. Sorber and Epps were questionable to play on Monday after missing Friday’s game against DePaul with injuries.
Sorber, a freshman from Trenton, NJ, and a former star at Archbishop Ryan High School, talked about what the homecoming to the Philadelphia area meant to him.
“It just felt great seeing all of my old high school friends, high school teammates, high school coaches, family members just all coming out to the game, coming to support me,” Sorber said. “I just try to continue to play my game and show them what I can do. It was kind of fun playing in front of them.”
Villanova confidently won the rebounding battle, 41-30, but it could not overcome the turnovers and Georgetown’s second-half comeback. The Hoyas scored 37 points in the second half and were six-for-13 (46%) from behind the arc in the final twenty minutes.
Key Takeaways
Villanova’s 16 Turnovers
Villanova’s 16 turnovers were the most since November 12th, when the Wildcats also committed 16 turnovers against St. Joesph’s. They committed 17 turnovers in the season opener against Lafayette on November 4th.
Dixon + Longino Combine for 47 Points
Eric Dixon and Jordan Longino scored 47 of the Wildcats’ 63 points. The rest of the team accumulated only 16 points. The Wildcats’ task became much more difficult after Poplar was ejected from the game. Besides Dixon and Longino, they could not find much offense.
Dixon and Longino were a combined 16-for-36 (44%) from the field, including 8-for-16 (50%) from behind the arc. The rest of the team was six-for-19 (31.5%) from the field. Villanova scored only six bench points.
Tough Task against Marquette
The Wildcats will attempt to solve their road struggles on Friday against #10 Marquette in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Friday’s battle starts at 7pm at the Fiserv Forum. WXVU will not have live broadcasting coverage, but there will be social media updates.
