Syracuse Syracuse/Georgetown Georgetown Men's College Basketball recap on ESPN

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It had been a long time since Georgetown's students stormed the court to celebrate a victory with the players. It hadn't happened this season, not even during the 16-game winning streak.

It happened Saturday, when the Hoyas (No. 19 ESPN/USA Today, No. 21 AP) got their biggest home victory since coach Craig Esherick succeeded John Thompson two years ago, beating Syracuse (No. 12 ESPN/USA Today, No. 17 AP) 72-61

"I can't remember a game that I thought was as big as this in terms of the national picture," Esherick said. "We have pushed ourselves. We have earned the right to be in the national picture based on our play during the course of the season. Certainly, we haven't been in this position in a while."

Demetrius Hunter, who hasn't had a full practice in more than a week because of a sore Achilles' tendon, scored 21 points as the Hoyas (21-6, 8-6) moved into a second-place tie with Syracuse in the Big East West Division. Only the top two teams get byes in the conference tournament.

Georgetown, 5-6 since starting 16-0 with the help of a weak non-conference schedule, hadn't won at home against Syracuse in five years.

Syracuse (20-7, 8-6) has lost three of four. The Orangemen were hampered because their hottest shooter, DeShaun Williams, was in foul trouble the entire game. Williams scored 16 points in 24 minutes, getting his fourth foul with 18:39 remaining and fouling out with 2:42 to play.

The Hoyas outrebounded the Orangemen 44-24 and kept putting fresh bodies on Preston Shumpert, who was 1-for-9 from the field and scored just eight points. Shumpert, who scored in double digits the first 24 games of the season, has been held to single digits in two of the last three games.

"They beat us on the boards, and we didn't make shots," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said.

Kevin Braswell had 14 point and seven assists, and Ruben Boumtje Boumtje had 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Hoyas.

Boumtje Boumtje energized the crowed by rejecting Williams and Shumpert on the same possession, then converted a 3-point play at the other end to give Georgetown a 61-53 lead with 5:36 left, the first time either team had lead by more than seven. Syracuse made only one field goal the rest of the game.

Syracuse held the lead only twice for very brief periods. The last tie was 46-46, then Hunter made back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Hoyas up for good.

Hunter, who headed back to the campus for treatment on his Achilles after the game, was also able to ignore his injury enough to make a pair of flashy, fast-break dunks that added to the celebratory atmosphere.

"I don't think Demetrius thinks that he's hurt when he's on the break," Braswell said. "I try not to throw him lobs like I used to. He doesn't think about it, but I do. I see him go up for a dunk like that, it scares me bad."

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Georgetown's Demetrius Hunter throws it down off the Syracuse turnover.
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Kevin Braswell threads the bounce pass to Gerald Riley for the bucket and the foul.
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DeShaun Williams heats up in the first half for Syracuse.
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Ruben Boumtje Boumtje owns the key as he sends two shots flying.
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