Georgetown took an 84-76 victory over Butler Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the BIG EAST opener for both teams. The Hoyas shot 53 percent for the game, including 12-for-22 from three-point range.

Georgetown is now 11-3 on the season; Butler falls to 9-5.

 "We certainly had better fight than we did the other day at Florida," said Butler coach LaVall Jordan. "Their initial punch was a big hole to fight out of, but we did. After that we just had too many lapses defensively, and that cost us. We have a ton of belief in this group. We need to get into the film room, learn from it, and improve."

Greg Malinowski paced Georgetown with 26 points, making 10 of his 12 attempts from the field, including a 6-of-7 mark from behind the arc. Jessie Govan had 17 points.

Georgetown came out hot early, making seven of their first eight attempts from the field, ultimately taking a 10-point lead eight minutes into the game (22-12). The Bulldogs came roaring back with a 15-2 run to take a 27-24 advantage as Henry Baddley scored 10 points during that stretch. Georgetown took a 40-38 halftime lead.

Butler opened the second half by missing its first seven attempts as Georgetown's lead grew to eight points early in the half.

Five straight points by the Bulldogs trimmed the lead to 57-53 with 10:57 to play before Malinowski responded by scoring the next five points to give Georgetown some breathing room. That breathing room expanded to a 16-point margin (78-62) with 2:46 to play. Over the next 1:24, Butler would cut the lead all the way to five (79-74) before a missed jumper in the lane took away Butler's last chance at a comeback as Georgetown solidified the win at the free throw line.  

Kamar Baldwin led the Bulldogs with 17 points and nine rebounds. Baddley added 14 points and Joey Brunk had 11.

Butler out-rebounded the Hoyas, 43-35. The Hoyas helped to keep the home team in the game by shooting only 56 percent (18-32) at the free throw line.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, hosting Creighton at noon. The game will air on FS1.