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Freeman scores 30, carries Hoyas past 'Nova

Jan 30, 2011 - 12:26 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Austin Freeman dropped in 30 points and carried the Hoyas in the final five minutes, as No. 21 Georgetown dumped eighth-ranked Villanova, 69-66, at Wells Fargo Center.

Freeman scored 10 of the Hoyas' final 12 points and assisted on the only other field goal, as he drew three defenders near midcourt and found an open Nate Lubick underneath the basket for a 67-64 lead with 24 seconds left.

"It's indicative of what he's done for four years here," Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said of Freeman. "We put the ball in his hands and good things happened."

Maalik Wayns followed with a quick layup for Villanova, which sent Freeman to the line for two free throws with 14.1 ticks showing. The preseason Big East Player of the Year calmly made both, and Georgetown (16-5, 5-4 Big East) survived an NBA-range miss from Antonio Pena and Dominic Cheek's off-balance try at the buzzer to win its fourth straight game.

Wayns and Corey Fisher paced Villanova with 15 points apiece, but the Wildcats (17-4, 5-3) fell for the third time in four games, including an 83-68 loss at Providence on Wednesday.

Corey Stokes chipped in 13 points but the Wildcats never led in the second half.

"We have to play a little more harder," Fisher admitted. "It's not about offense. Some games you're not going to make shots. Today we didn't make shots. We need to step it up another notch."

They pulled within two with 12 minutes remaining, though the Hoyas scored nine of the next 11 minutes for a 51-42 advantage following Jason Clark's pull-up jumper in transition inside the midway point.

Full-court pressure forced a pair of Georgetown mistakes during a 10-2 'Nova spurt that tightened things. Stokes drained a three-pointer for a 61-58 game following a Clark turnover, and a Chris Wright giveaway led to a pair of Wayns makes at the stripe with 2:08 remaining.

The teams traded successful possessions from there, leaving the Hoyas in front at the final buzzer.

The biggest lead for either team in the first half was six, first coming when Hollis Thompson's mid-range jumper capped a 10-point run and gave the Hoyas a 23-17 lead with 4:48 left.

Vee Sanford's late three-pointer had the visitors on top, 32-26, at the break.

The margin reach double figures, 39-28, on Clark's trifecta less than three minutes into the second half, but Stokes and Wayns each hit from long range to keep 'Nova within striking distance.

Game Notes

Georgetown leads the head-to-head series, 41-28, and has won seven of the last eight meetings...Freeman has scored at least 30 points three times this season...Clark was the only other Hoyas player in double figures, logging 10 points...Pena ended with 10 points for the Wildcats, who are 15-0 when they score 70 or more in a contest and 2-4 otherwise...Villanova heads back to the Pavilion for a tilt against Marquette on Wednesday...The Hoyas are right back at it on Monday with a home game against Louisville.