Rosemont, Ill.  –  Senior center Roy Hibbert (Adelphi, Md./Georgetown Prep) recorded his second double-double of the season with 17 points and a season-high 11 rebounds and added a career-high five assists to lead four players in double figures as No. 7 Georgetown opened a 21-point lead at halftime and beat DePaul, 76-60, in front of 11,252 fans at Allstate Arena.

It was the fourth-straight win for the Hoyas, who improve to 12-1 overall and 2-0 in the BIG EAST, while the Blue Demons fall to 6-8 overall and 2-1 in league play.

Leading by 21 points at the half after connecting on 65.5 percent of their first half field goals (19-of-29), Hibbert hit the first two baskets of the second stanza as Georgetown made the lead 25 points, 50-25, just over a minute in.  DePaul, however, would go on a 10-4 run, taking advantage of a three-pointer from Jabari Currie and a conventional three-point play from Mac Koshwal to pull within 54-37 after a put-back basket from Wesley Green.

Georgetown sealed the game with a decisive 13-3 run over a span of 5:26, taking a 67-40 lead on a put-back dunk from senior forward Patrick Ewing, Jr. ( Marietta , Ga. /National Christian Academy [Md.]) with 8:51 to play.  Freshman guard Austin Freeman (Mitchellville, Md./DeMatha), who finished with 13 points and two rebounds, scored four points during the run.

The Blue Demons pulled to within 19 points, 70-51, on a steal and drive from Dar Tucker, but baskets from sophomores Vernon Macklin ( Portsmouth , Va. / Hargrave Military Academy ) and DaJuan Summers ( Baltimore , Md. /McDonogh) pushed the lead back to 74-53.

Hibbert connected on 7-of-9 shots from the field and hit 3-of-4 free throws to finish with a game-high 17 points.  Senior guard Jonathan Wallace (Harvest, Ala./Sparkman) finished with 13 points and two rebounds, while junior guard Jessie Sapp (New York, N.Y./National Christian Academy [Md.]) added 12 points, four rebounds and four assists. 

The Hoyas connected on 54.4 percent of their field goals (31-of-57), including 35.7 percent from three-point land and hit 81.8 percent of their free throws (9-of-11).  GU out-rebounded DePaul 40-38, handed out 17 assists and committed 15 turnovers. 

Georgetown jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead, hitting its first six shots from the field and holding DePaul without a basket for the first 5:06 of the game.  Freeman fed Sapp for a backdoor layup for the first basket, then Hibbert hit a hook shot in the lane, Summers went backdoor on a feed from Sapp, Hibbert followed with a dunk and Wallace forced DePaul to call a 30 second timeout with a three.

The Blue Demons got on the board with a three from Dar Tucker, but Sapp responded with a three of his own, making it 14-3.  After a free throw from Jabari Currie made it 21-11, Georgetown came back with a 7-0 spurt in a span of 1:29, taking a 28-11 lead as Hibbert fed Wallace for a three-pointer. 

DePaul pulled to within 13 points, 33-20 after a drive and a three-pointer from Will Walker, but the Hoyas widened the gap with an 11-0 run over a span of 2:14, taking a 44-20 lead after Hibbert hit a pair of free throws.  DePaul was able to pull within 19 points, 44-25, after two technical foul free throws and a layup, but senior guard Tyler Crawford (Stuarts Draft, Va./Robert E. Lee) put back a missed shot at the buzzer, giving Georgetown a 46-25 lead at the break.

Georgetown returns back to the Nation’s Capitol this weekend, hosting Connecticut in its BIG EAST Conference home opener.  Tip-off on Saturday, January 12 is slated for 2 p.m.  The game will be shown live on ESPN and can be heard locally on SportsTalk 980 AM.