Until last Friday, the Georgetown women’s basketball team was an undefeated team. They had beaten all four of their opponents to date, including Farleigh Dickinson, Colgate, Rider and George Mason. On Friday, however the Hoyas suffered their first regular season loss to the Stags from Fairfield University.
Approaching the end of December with a 4-1 record is a great start for Georgetown, but their schedule does not get much easier in the coming weeks. On Saturday, Dec. 8, the Hoyas will host No. 14 Duke University in McDonough Gymnasium. Duke also has a winning record, including a win over No. 6 Louisiana Tech on Saturday. The Blue Devils have several standout players, including recently named ACC Rookie of the Week Monique Currie. This marks the second time in three weeks that Currie has received the honor. Duke also boasts All-America team candidate Alana Beard. Beard averages 17.4 points and six rebounds per game and has started all seven games this season. Duke will likely be a challenge for the Hoyas, but one they will be prepared to face.
Following their rendezvous with nationally- ranked Duke, the Hoyas will travel up the road to face crosstown opponent American University on Dec. 11. American is 5-3 so far this season, suffering losses to Pittsburgh, Marist and UMBC. The Eagles ended last season with a record of 4-23, leaving them much to improve upon during this season. They will look to extend their winning streak on Georgetown, however, they will not get very far if sophomore forward Rebekkah Brunson and the Hoyas have anything to say about it.
Following their crosstown match-up, the Hoyas will host another local foe, UMBC. The Retrievers are 3-2, having been defeated by Mount St. Mary’s, Loyola and West Virginia. UMBC faces a tough collection of opponents including Lehigh, Towson and Navy, before they come to Georgetown on Dec. 20.
After the holidays, Georgetown women’s basketball picks up its competition again at the St. Joseph’s Tournament on Dec. 28 and 29. Their first game in the tournament comes against Kansas.
Finally, to kick off the new year, the Hoyas will travel to Rhode Island for their first Big East game against Providence. So far the Friars are 6-1 and off to a good start. They Friars have had several high scorers already this season, including a double-double from Dani Trippany against Rhode Island.
The Hoyas’ final game before students return from break will be Jan. 5, when they host another Big East opponent, the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Panthers are 4-2 so far, having defeated several opponents, including American University by a score of 84-60. If this is a measure of their strength, then Georgetown’s game against American next week should be a good indicator as to how they will perform against Pittsburgh.
From there, the Hoyas’ Big East schedule picks up and if they perform as they have been, there is no doubt that their loyal following will grow in the coming weeks and months.
