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Copeland, Smith-Rivera both score 17 as Georgetown upsets 'Nova

Jan 20, 2015 - 6:32 AM Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Jabril Trawick scored 10 points and anchored Georgetown's stifling defense as the Hoyas limited No. 4 Villanova to 33.3 percent shooting and took down the Wildcats, 78-58.

Isaac Copeland had a career-high 17 points while Trawick added three steals and a pair of blocks. It was the second straight game that the duo made their impact felt.

The Hoyas (13-5, 5-2 Big East) were coming off a 61-59 win over Butler. Trailing by a point late in regulation, Trawick drove the lane and kicked to Copeland, who was pure with a 3-ball from the left wing.

"Once again, I feel about this game like I felt about the Butler game. Jabril made it happen," said Georgetown coach John Thompson III. "His effort, his energy, he's getting beat up out there and he comes in, not necessarily scoring baskets, but making plays at the defensive end, on the boards, making passes at the offensive end ... its two outstanding games in a row."

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who blocked a shot at the other end to seal that Butler win, also gave 17 points in this one. Joshua Smith and Paul White contributed nine apiece.

Ryan Arcidiacono had 16 points to lead Villanova (17-2, 4-2), which stumbled out of the gate and never recovered.

"Coming into this game we knew they were a very good team and we definitely didn't overlook them," Arcidiacono said. "They just came out and played harder than us."

Villanova's worst half of the season was also one of its most unusual. Trailing 11-4 six minutes in and having just four free throws on the scoreboard, Arcidiacono started a string of three consecutive field goals with a 3-pointer. His jumper just over a minute later had the Wildcats within 13-11.

From there, the fourth-ranked team in the country missed eight straight shots and got just one Dylan Ennis free throw over the next seven-plus minutes as Georgetown broke the game open.

Copeland scored eight points during the 17-0 run that ensued, bookending it with a dunk and two free throws. Trawick hit from deep twice around White's three-point play late in the half, and Georgetown led 42-20 at the break.

Villanova cut its deficit to 12 with eight minutes to play, but never got back within single digits thanks in part to Trawick's efforts on the defensive end. His swat on Darrun Hilliard led to a pair of Copeland free throws with just over five minutes to play. He stripped Hilliard a minute later, leading to another run out and two more foul shots by Copeland.

"Our defensive effort throughout the game was outstanding," added Thompson. "I thought our guys did a very good job without fouling and being aggressive without overextending."

A rematch between the two schools is set for Feb. 7 in Philadelphia.

Game Notes

Georgetown shot 53.5 percent from the floor and 6-for-12 from behind the arc. It also forced 17 turnovers ... Villanova won both games in this matchup last season.