ROSEMONT, ILL. – Met by frigid temperatures in Chicago for the first game of their Midwest road trip, the Hoyas responded by heating up Allstate Arena.

Georgetown (11-1, 2-0 Big East) shot a blistering 57.1 percent from the field and led the entire way, cruising to a 67-50 win over DePaul (7-7, 0-2). Junior guards Chris Wright and Austin Freeman scored 18 and 17 points, respectively, shooting a combined 14-of-22.

The Hoyas went on an 8-0 run to close the first half with a 35-25 lead, and the Blue Demons could not close to within more than eight points the rest of the way.

“This is the Big East. To get a road win is as good as it gets. This is a tough conference,” Head Coach John Thompson III said.

Georgetown built an 11-point lead midway through the first half, but DePaul went on a 14-5 run to cut the margin to two at 27-25 with 3:37 remaining. The Hoyas, settling for jump shots against DePaul’s active 3-2 zone, went cold from the field over that stretch.

The Blue Demons played zone defense for most of the game.

“Our key was just to try to attack the zone. To penetrate and kick [out a pass to the perimeter], or to get the guy to the middle and play from there,” said Freeman, who hit 3-of-5 three pointers and added four assists.

DePaul Head Coach Jerry Wainwright attributed the zone to Georgetown’s size, and he cited the Hoyas’ win last year when the Blue Demons’ zone defense held Georgetown to 48 points.

“They shot 57 percent without a back cut and without typical Georgetown basketball stuff,” Wainwright said. “[The Hoyas] are very opportunistic. When you make a mistake or there’s an opening, they’re going to make a basket. That’s why they’re one of the top 15 teams in the country right now.”

Georgetown’s defense shut down DePaul, holding the Blue Demons’ leading scorer, senior guard Will Walker, to a season-low nine points on 3-of-14 shooting.

The Blue Demons were led by junior center Mac Koshwal, who missed eight games in the non-conference schedule with a left foot injury. The center was a one-man wrecking crew in the first half, erasing Georgetown’s double-digit lead.

Koshwal stole the ball from Wright at the 9:52 mark in the first half, and then converted a lay up on DePaul’s ensuing possession. The 6-foot-10, 255-pound big man rebounded a miss from Georgetown and scored again on the other end. Then he blocked junior forward Julian Vaughn’s jumper, ran the floor and put in another lay up for six points in 70 seconds.

“I guess Mac is back and he’s healthy,” Thompson joked after the game. “His feel for the game at both ends is unbelievable. On the offensive end . he’s someone that can finesse you or beat you up, and that’s unique.”

Following a three from sophomore guard Jason Clark (13 points), Koshwal showed off his strength and touch as he grabbed an offensive rebound and scored a basket despite being fouled. He had 12 points in the first half and 16 for the game on 8-of-12 shooting.

The center from Chicago also played solid defense on Georgetown sophomore Greg Monroe, holding the Hoyas’ leading scorer to 10 points on six shots.

onroe contributed in other ways for Georgetown, adding five assists, three blocks and two steals.

“Greg is one of these players where . he can score 10 points but still have a great effect on the game,” Thompson said. “We need [Monroe] to score and we need to work through him, but the more he touches the ball, the easier life is for everyone else. I think he’s doing a better job this year at the defensive end of being a presence.”

The Hoyas will need another all-around effort when they continue their Midwest road trip Wednesday night at Marquette. The Golden Eagles have lost back-to-back heart-breakers to top 10 opponents West Virginia and Villanova.

arquette held a one-point lead in the waning seconds against the No. 6 Mountaineers, but Da’Sean Butler hit a fade-away 20-footer with two seconds remaining to lift West Virginia. The Golden Eagles had another one-point lead against No. 8 Villanova with under 20 seconds, only to see Scottie Reynolds twist his way into the lane and hit a difficult jumper.

Now at 9-5 on the season, the Golden Eagles are still looking for their first Big East win.

Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. Eastern at the Bradley Center.

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