After a slow start to league play in the always physical Big East, Georgetown’s prized newcomer Omer Yurtseven broke out and carried the Hoyas.
Yurtseven had 20 points and 13 rebounds, Mac McClung scored 19 points and Georgetown beat No. 25 Creighton 83-80 on Wednesday night.
The Hoyas (12-6, 2-3 Big East) went on a 13-2 run after Yurtseven’s putback with 13:02 left in the game and never looked back as coach Patrick Ewing picked up his first win over the Bluejays in five tries.
“I think the best is still yet to come,” Ewing said about Yurtseven.
“He had a pretty good game. He made some mistakes, but I’m a tough man to please. I see the potential in him and I see where he could be.”
Yurtseven — an N.C. State transfer who sat out last season — leads Georgetown with averages of 16.5 points and 9.7 rebounds but had seen his numbers dip in league play.
“My focus was just that I had to do my part and trust my teammates to do theirs,” Yurtseven said.
The Hoyas shot 51.7% for the game and went 18 for 32 (56.3%) in the second half.
Georgetown, a 3-point favorite, snapped a five-game losing streak to Creighton and beat a ranked opponent for the second time this season.
Marcus Zegarowski led the Bluejays (13-5, 2-3) with 20 points while Denzel Mahoney added 19 off the bench. Creighton lost for the first time this season when scoring at least 70 points (12-1).
Creighton trailed by as many as nine at 70-61 but used an 8-0 run capped off by Mitch Ballock’s 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 70-69.
Georgetown never let Creighton take the lead as McClung twice hit mid-range jumpers and made three of four from the line down the stretch.
“He was a load in there. He’s physical,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “I think he’s as skilled a post player as there is in this league. His presence was too much for us to overcome.”
Georgetown held a 41-29 advantage on the glass to make up for a big difference in 3-point shooting. Creighton made 13 of 32 shots from deep while the Hoyas were just 5 for 15. Zegarowski only connected from deep, making 6 of 11 3-pointers and finishing 6 for 15 overall.
Yursteven had his ninth double-double of the season and second in a Big East game.
Jagan Mosely added 13 points while Jahvon Blair had 12 for Georgetown.
BIG PICTURE
Creighton: Ranked for the first time since also appearing at No. 25 on Jan. 8, 2017, the Bluejays trailed for most of the second half in falling to under .500 in the conference. Their stay in the AP Top 25 could be short.
Georgetown: The Hoyas have won both conference games at home while scoring more than 80 points and have lost all three on the road while scoring less than 70.
AILING ALLEN
With 19 seconds left, Hoyas guard Terrell Allen checked out and collapsed near the end of the Hoyas bench. Ewing said that both Allen and McClung had been sick and hadn’t practiced in three days.
“He said he was nauseous,” Ewing said about Allen. “He got an IV after the game. He’s feeling better.”
Allen finished with 10 points and five assists in 26 minutes.
40 STRONG
With Allen and McClung under the weather and Georgetown already short-handed, having lost four transfers during the season, Mosely played the entire game. The senior guard was 4 for 6 from the field and had four rebounds four assists and a steal. Ewing called him the team MVP afterward.
UP NEXT
Creighton: Returns home to host Providence on Saturday. The Bluejays swept the Friars last season, including a 76-70 overtime win in Omaha.
Georgetown: The Hoyas host Marquette on Saturday in their annual Gray Out game. The two schools split their series last season with both winning on the other team’s home court.
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