WASHINGTON — The rivalry between Syracuse and Georgetown has featured dozens of games that have gone back and forth, seven that went to overtime and a handful of blowouts.

Then there was the one played Thursday night, which stands in a class by itself.

Andy Rautins scored a season-high 26 points, and the fifth-ranked Orange blew most of a 23-point lead before escaping with an exhausting 75-71 victory over No. 10 Georgetown.

Syracuse (25-2, 12-2 Big East) never trailed. The Orange led by 11 before the game was 4 minutes old, by 16 late in the first half and 60-37 with 12:37 left.

What happened the rest of the way will forever be part of this rivalry's lore.

"You knew they were going to come back, and I think the reason they did is we just stopped scoring," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "You can never stop scoring, especially on the road. I thought that was the difference."

Syracuse made only three field goals over the final 12 minutes. At the same time the Orange began clanging shots off the rim, the Hoyas (18-7, 8-6) finally found the range.

The result: a stunning comeback that wasn't thwarted until the game's final seconds.

First, came a 10-0 run by the Hoyas. Then, after Rautins connected from beyond the arc, two more Georgetown baskets made it 63-51 with 7½ minutes left and brought the crowd in the Verizon Center to its feet.

Rautins made two foul shots, but the Hoyas followed with a 9-0 spree to close to 65-60. Minutes later, Austin Freeman converted a three-point play and added a dunk to make it 67-65 with 3:12 to go.

Georgetown closed to 71-70 with 1:10 remaining and had a chance to take the lead, but a shot by Jason Clark bounced off the rim. Kris Joseph then scored on a drive for the Orange with 8.4 seconds left, and after a free throw by Clark, Rautins sealed the win with two foul shots.

"Kris just had a horrendous night. He kept missing layups," Boeheim said. "That's why I went to him at the end — because I knew he was due."