The Georgetown Hoyas faced their first ranked opponent of the year and came out victorious, defeating the Butler Bulldogs 72-65. The Hoyas improved to 7-0 to remain perfect on the year and in the process handed Butler their third loss of the season.

Georgetown jumped out to an early nine point lead, and went into halftime up 39-31 thanks to Greg Monroe’s 14 first half points. The Hoyas began to roll early in the second half, with Austin Freeman hitting back-to-back threes, and Georgetown eventually stretched the lead to 17.

However, foul trouble hampered the Hoyas, and Butler was able to edge back into the game, cutting the lead to seven with eight minutes to play. Turnovers and missed free throws led to some tense moments for Georgetown fans, but the Hoyas were able to hold on, as Butler was never able to cut it to a one possession game.

Greg Monroe had a career day both in points and rebounds, scoring 24 points and grabbing 15 boards. Austin Freeman also added 18 points despite playing limited minutes in the second half due to foul trouble. Butler’s Gordon Hayward led his side with 24 points, leading the comeback for the Bulldogs, but in the end it was not enough.

Georgetown will again put their unbeaten record on the line against a ranked opponent, flying to California to play the Washington Huskies in the John Wooden Classic. Tip-off is at the unusual time of 11 AM locally, meaning a 2 PM start for Hoya fans on the East Coast.

Image via Associated Press