SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Austin Freeman had 14 points to lead four Georgetown players in double figures, and the 11th-ranked Hoyas rallied late to beat No. 12 Syracuse 64-56 on Wednesday night.
Georgetown (19-5, 8-4 Big East) extended its winning streak to seven games and gave coach John Thompson III his first win in the Carrier Dome in six tries. It was the third straight home loss for Syracuse (20-5, 7-5), only the third time that's happened in coach Jim Boeheim's 35 years.
Georgetown tied the game at 55 on a wide-open 3-pointer from the right wing by Hollis Thompson with 3:47 left. Freeman followed with a fast break layup after a Syracuse turnover.
Kris Joseph and Brandon Triche missed from 3-point range for the Orange, and Jason Clark sneaked inside twice in a row for layups to give Georgetown a 61-55 lead with 2:05 left and Syracuse couldn't rally. The Orange's last basket was a layup by C.J. Fair with 6:36 left.
Syracuse shot 39.6 percent and was 4 of 16 from beyond the arc and was outrebounded 34-28. Georgetown finished 24 of 53 (45.3 percent) and had 20 assists
The key to the Hoyas' winning streak has been the perimeter play of Freeman, Chris Wright, Jason Clark and Thompson. Entering the game, they had combined for 149 3-pointers and were shooting 40.3 percent from beyond the arc.
The Hoyas were 10-0 when they hit at least eight 3s and 15-0 when they shot at least 33 percent from long range. On this night, they kept that streak alive, hitting 9 of 21 (42.9 percent) as Thompson led the way with a 3 for 3 performance and 11 points. Clark hit two and finished with 12 points. Julian Vaughn also had 12 points and Wright had six points and nine assists.
Joseph scored 14 points, Fair had 12, and Brandon Triche 11 as the Orange struggled from the field, shooting 39.6 percent. Rick Jackson got in foul trouble in the second half and had a season-low four points.
Georgetown entered the game ranked second in the nation in shooting, hitting 50.5 percent, and had used the 3-pointer as a dagger all season. The Hoyas were on the mark in the first half. Five players hit from beyond the arc as the Hoyas drained 6 of 12 against the Syracuse zone but struggled inside, making just 5 of 15 shots.
But after a 3 from the top of the key by Wright gave Georgetown a 16-10 lead midway through the first half, the Orange responded with a 13-2 run.
A three-point play by Markel Starks with 2:11 left in the half and a 3 from the left corner by Thompson knotted the score at 29 before Dion Waiters made a runner at the buzzer to give Syracuse a two-point lead at the break.
Syracuse extended the lead to 37-31 on a steal and layup by Waiters, but seconds after Scoop Jardine was knocked to the floor on a drive, Jackson, Syracuse's rock all season, was called for his fourth foul with 14:40 left as the game became a bruising affair in the paint.
With Jackson on the bench, Freeman drained a 3 from the right corner to give Georgetown a 44-40 lead, but Fair responded with a pair of baskets off pretty passes from Jardine. Fair's underhand scoop caromed high off the glass and in at 12:20 and less than a minute later he converted a reverse layup to tie it at 44.
Joseph's three-point play broke the tie at 10:45 and when Vaughn was called for his fourth foul, a pair of free throws by Jardine put the Orange up 51-47 at 9:00.
The Orange didn't wilt with three freshmen on the floor, but when Jackson returned with 5:37 left, the Hoyas ran away.
Wright fed Nate Lubick with a pretty pass through the lane for a dunk to pull the Hoyas to 53-52 at 4:58 and Thompson's 3 started a decisive 9-0 run.
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