WASHINGTON (AP) -- The University of South Florida men's basketball team came up just short in its bid for a BIG EAST Conference victory for the third time in four opportunities, this time falling 50-47 at Georgetown Tuesday night in league action.

Three (West Virginia, Syracuse, GU) of the team's four conference setbacks this season, have come by a total of 13 points. USF continues its two-game road swing at Seton Hall on Friday night.

James Holmes scored 13 points, and Solomon Jones had 11 points and 12 rebounds for South Florida (6-11, 0-4), still seeking its first conference victory as a member of the Big East. Jones' eighth double-double of the season is the second-best total in the league.

GU's Darrel Owens went 6-for-10 from the field and was the only consistent player in an off night for both teams. His outside shooting kept Georgetown in the game, and the Hoyas survived the finish when McHugh Mattis' long 3-pointer to tie clanged off the rim at the buzzer.

Neither team led by double digits in a game of long droughts and little offensive cohesion. Bowman's first basket, a driving dunk with 10:37 to play, gave Georgetown a 39-34 lead, but the Hoyas missed their next five free throws to keep the Bulls close.

Mattis' dunk with 1:09 remaining cut Georgetown's lead to 48-47. He then intercepted Jonathan Wallace's pass to give the Bulls a chance to take the lead, but Jones was short on a well-guarded 10-footer with seven seconds to play.

Owens got the rebound, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining, leaving USF time for Mattis' final desperation shot.

Both teams had plenty of room for improvement after a tedious first half. Georgetown started 0-for-6 and needed nearly five minutes to score its first field goal, and USF had a scoring drought of nearly seven minutes. At one point, both teams were 4-for-14 from the field, with 11 combined turnovers.