The turning point of No. 8 Marquette's 94-82 win over No. 25 Georgetown Saturday was clear. It came with a little more than 13 minutes left in the second half with the Golden Eagles clinging to a fragile 54-52 lead.

It came when senior guard Jerel McNeal, the team's unquestioned leader, nailed a 3-pointer for the left side of the court to put Marquette up 57-52, then backpedaled down the court pounding his chest.

It came when senior guard Wesley Matthews forced a steal on Georgetown's next possession, then took the ball the length of the court and threw down a dunk that forced the Hoyas to call timeout and launched the Bradley Center crowd into a near-destructive roar.

From that point Georgetown (12-8, 3-6) was out-hustled, out-played and out of luck as it was handed its fifth consecutive loss (and fourth straight in conference play).

"When the Bradley Center is rocking like it was today, it's a hard place to play. We feed off each other. When (McNeal) makes a play, you want to come down and make a big play," Matthews said. "That's the kind of players (we are), that's the kind of mentality we have."

Entering the game, 77 of the last 90 teams to play against the Hoyas had failed to shoot better than 45 percent from the floor. Neither team had trouble topping that mark Saturday.

Georgetown started hot (shooting 65.4 percent in the first half) and didn't cool off much until late in the game. The Hoyas finished the game shooting 56.1 percent (32-of-57) from the field.

The Golden Eagles were able to shoot 51.9 percent from the field themselves, and held a 26-21 advantage in points off turnovers. Marquette forced 17 turnovers while only giving the ball away 12 times.

"In the second half, we were a much different team, although the numbers don't necessarily reflect it," coach Buzz Williams said. "Georgetown still shot 52 percent in the second half, that typically doesn't trend toward winning the game."

In that first half, the Golden Eagles had no answer for Georgetown forward DaJuan Summers. The junior scored 11 of his teams first 14 points, helping the Hoyas jump out to an early 10-point lead. Only timely shooting by McNeal (14 first-half points, 3-of-5 3-pointers) and forward Lazar Hayward (14 first-half-points, 5-of-7 shooting) allowed Marquette to enter the half tied 42-42.

The Golden Eagles have excelled in the second half of games this season, and they proved that against the Hoyas. Marquette started the half on a 5-2 mini-run to take the lead at 47-44 with 17:55 left. A rim-shaking two-handed fastbreak dunk by Summers a few possessions later put Georgetown back ahead by one, but a 3-pointer by Matthews quickly put Marquette ahead 52-50.

"We needed (that second half). We probably graded a C-minus or D in that first half," Matthews said. "The second half, we had to come out and play the way we're accustomed to . we were the tougher team in the second half."

For the Hoyas, Summers ended the game with 22 points and seven rebounds while guard Chris Wright scored 19 points and dished out eight assists.

But this game was all about Marquette's ability to spread the scoring, and the Golden Eagles had three players score 20-plus points in a game that was much closer than the final score suggests. McNeal and Hayward led all scorers with 26 and 23 points, respectively (McNeal added five steals and 11 assists). Senior guard Dominic James added 10 points and Matthews scored 23.

"We played a very good team on their home floor, with a couple of great players who played like great players," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. Marquette's backcourt "is terrific . if there's anyone out there better, they aren't much better."