Georgetown Hoyas upset No. 5 Louisville Cardinals, earn signature win of season
Georgetown Hoyas forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) shoots the ball as Louisville Cardinals center Gorgui Dieng (10) defends in the first half at Verizon Center. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
In a back-and-forth thriller that came down to the last few moments of the game, Georgetown outlasted Louisville for the type of win that can define a season, 53-51.
The game was a throwback to the type of defensive efforts the Hoyas were known for with a dominant Patrick Ewing in the paint. The Cardinals only made 16 field goals on 47 shot attempts in finishing with a mere 34-percent field goal percentage on the afternoon.
[Related: Louisville ranks in preseason college football top ten]
Superstar Louisville guard Peyton Siva came into the tough road environment with a solid 11.5 points per game average. However, on Saturday, he only took two shots and was held scoreless for the first time all season.
On the other hand, Georgetown was led by the dual 17-point efforts of Markel Starks and Otto Porter Jr.; Porter completed a fantastic game with 11 rebounds as well.
After losing a head-scratcher at South Florida, Georgetown moved above .500 in league play with a 4-3 Big East record.
The Hoyas are trending up, but Louisville is headed in the complete opposite direction. Coach Rick Pitino’s squad had moved all the way up to No. 1 in the nation until it played Syracuse on Jan. 19. The team has not won a game since, losing its third in a row on Saturday to limp to the same 4-3 conference mark.
