'Really important win.' 5 observations as Xavier rallies on the road to beat Georgetown

WASHINGTON, D.C. − College basketball's most important month is here.

The new month brought a new result for Xavier men's basketball: a Big East road win.

Xavier, 2-7 on the road entering Saturday's game, was led by its best player in the second half at Capital One Arena, rallying from a double-digit deficit to defeat Georgetown, 98-93.

"Tonight was a really important win for us. To come on the road is a challenge everywhere," Xavier head coach Sean Miller said. "I think this is one of our most important wins."

Xavier climbs back over .500 (15-14) and evens its Big East record at 9-9 entering the final week of the regular season.

Here's what learned in our nation's capital Saturday night.

5 observations from Xavier Musketeers' comeback win over Georgetown Hoyas

Claude leads Xavier's comeback effort

In Wednesday's win over DePaul, Claude reaggravated a slightly sprained left ankle he suffered eight days earlier in preparation for a home game against Providence. Claude missed Thursday's practice in a walking boot, but played 38 minutes Saturday night and led Xavier's offense.

In the second half, Claude reached another level. The gameplan was simple − get Claude the ball and let him work. The sophomore guard was like a runaway freight train attacking the rim over the final 20 minutes. Claude, who was 3-of-8 at the break, went 10-of-12 from the field in the second half to finish with a career-high 36 points.

"I just let the game come to me," Claude said. "I was making layups, getting and-1s and knocking down free throws. Our thing was, if we get the mismatch, just keep attacking."

Xavier and Georgetown were tied 81-81 entering the final media timeout before Claude's back-to-back buckets gave Xavier the lead for good.

"I thought for a while he (Claude) was unstoppable," Miller said.

Claude anchored a Xavier offense that shot 73.1% in the second half and got to the free-throw line 46 times. Quincy Olivari, despite a 2-of-12 performance from the field, finished with 16 thanks to 10 at the charity stripe. Dayvion McKnight had 18, none bigger than his 3-point dagger that put the Musketeers in front 90-84 with less than 90 seconds remaining.

"Des, he was having a big night and he trusted me on those shots," McKnight said.

Down low, Gytis Nemeiksa was in double figures for the first time since Xavier's road win over Providence Jan. 13, finishing with 11. He and Kachi Nzeh (13) were a combined 9-for-9 from the field as the Musketeers racked up 48 points in the paint.

Xavier finally gets in front

Trailing by 12 to start the second half, Xavier trimmed the lead to four on five separate occasions. Each time, though, Georgetown had an answer.

Xavier finally broke through following the final media timeout, forcing a misfire that landed in the hands of Olivari. The Musketeers' defensive rebounding woes continued in spots against a Georgetown offense ranked No. 39 in KenPom in creating second-chance opportunities, but Xavier had enough in the tank down the stretch. Olivari led the team with 7 rebounds and the boards battle was even 32-32 for the game.

Containing Epps

Jayden Epps dropped 30 points in Georgetown's near upset of Xavier Jan. 19. It was the Musketeers' mission to get the ball out of the Illinois transfer's hands and they succeeded for most of the night.

Epps, who entered fourth in the Big East in scoring (17.9 points per game), didn't attempt a field goal in the first 13 minutes and didn't make a shot until the 4:34 mark. Epps' step-back 3-pointer to beat the shot clock with 2:19 left in the first half gave Georgetown a 35-21 lead. Epps was only 2-of-6 from the field at the intermission but help from his supporting cast help carry the Hoyas to a 12-point halftime edge.

Epps finished with 20 points on 6-of-16 shooting and Georgetown got a career-high 24 from guard Rowan Brumbaugh.

"I just tried to make it hard on him (Epps)," said McKnight, who played all 40 minutes. "He still had 20 points. I just tried to make it the hardest 20 he could have."

Georgetown can't miss early

No amount of game planning can account for a team that just catches fire. Xaiver found that out the hard way Saturday night when a Georgetown offense that entered 10th in the Big East in scoring (70.8 points per game) couldn't miss.

Xavier and Georgetown were tied 8-8 at the game's first media timeout, but the Hoyas opened up a big lead behind a barrage from beyond the arc.

The Hoyas shot 53.1% from the field in the first half, which included an 8-of-13 showing from downtown. Dontrez Styles' corner triple made it 17-11 and forced a Miller timeout. It was immediately followed by a pair of 3-pointers off the bench from Jay Heath to stretch the Hoyas' lead to a dozen.

"Georgetown was really sharp offensively and came out with a ton of energy in the first half," Miller said. "It almost knocked us out."

Xavier had an 8-0 run to close the gap, but Georgetown continued to fire away with Wayne Bristol Jr. and Brumbaugh each connecting from the perimeter. Heath, playing on his senior night, had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting (three triples) in the first half.

Up next?

At this rate, the numbers say Xavier's on a collision course to face Butler in the first game of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, March 13. Before that, the two will tango at Hinkle Fieldhouse Wednesday in Xavier's final road game of the season.

As of now, with Butler No. 69 in the NCAA NET Rankings, it's a Quadrant 1 opportunity for the Musketeers, who are just 2-10 in those contests this season.

"We enter the final week here playing for a lot of different things," Miller said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Big East basketball: Xavier rallies to beat Georgetown