Georgetown 68, DePaul 63: D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera recorded 19 points and seven rebounds to help the host Hoyas hold on for their third straight victory.

Joshua Smith added 15 points and 11 rebounds as Georgetown (18-8, 10-5 Big East) took over sole possession of second place in the conference - 2 1/2 games behind Villanova - after nearly blowing an 11-point lead in the second half. Isaac Copeland contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Jabril Trawick had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Hoyas, who have won 12 of the 13 meetings since the Blue Demons joined the Big East in 2005.

Forrest Robinson scored 11 of his 17 points during a 2:13 stretch of the second half to help DePaul close the deficit to one, but could not prevent the Blue Demons (12-16, 6-9) from losing their fourth straight game and seventh in their last eight contests. Jamee Crockett scored 13 points, Billy Garrett Jr. registered eight points and seven assists, and Tommy Hamilton IV recorded seven points and six rebounds for DePaul, which was 9-for-24 from 3-point range.

After the Blue Demons led by as many as five early, Georgetown unleashed a 12-0 run - highlighted by five points apiece from Smith-Rivera and Trawick - to take a 28-19 lead before DePaul closed the half with an 8-2 spurt. Smith scored the first four points of the second half and his three-point play stretched the Hoyas' advantage to 43-32 before the Blue Demons scored seven straight points - capped by Aaron Simpson's layup following Crockett's steal near midcourt.

Robinson scored 11 straight DePaul points - the final nine on 3-pointers - to trim the deficit to 56-55 with 5:45 remaining before Copeland's floater in the lane gave Georgetown some breathing room at 62-56 with 2:54 to play. DePaul scored six straight to close within 64-62 on a pair of Garrett free throws with 26.8 seconds left and after Georgetown's Tre Campbell made two free throws - his only points - with 25 seconds to go, Trawick sealed it by making one at the line with 12.1 left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Blue Demons, who lost to the Hoyas 78-72 on Jan. 13, have lost five straight Big East road games by an average of 9.4 points. ... Georgetown, which clinched a first-round bye in the Big East tournament, won the battle on the boards 43-30. ... DePaul, which averages eight 3-pointers, needs six to break the school record of 231 set in 2007-08.