Georgetown enjoyed another stellar week of Women’s Basketball, as the team took No. 21 Miami into double overtime on Jan. 14th, then overwhelmed No. 19 Virginia Tech at home on Jan. 17th, giving ever-emotional Coach Knapp his first victory over a ranked opponent in seven seasons. Georgetown wrapped up the week with an 18-point home win over Big East foe St. John’s on Jan. 21st.
After defeating Notre Dame for the first time in 16 years and leading no. 4 UConn at the half, the Hoyas went into the Miami contest with considerable momentum and motivation: over the winter holiday Georgetown began to emerge as a legitimate bubble team, a club that, if their solid play continues, stands a very real chance of receiving a coveted invitation to the NCAA’s 64-team national tournament.
Georgetown did nothing to imperil their postseason hopes in Miami-they played an opponent with a 14-1 record and considerable national prominence about as tough as they possibly could without managing to actually secure a victory. Furthermore, they utterly dominated Miami inside, scoring 26 points in the paint to the Hurricane’s eight.
Despite two extra periods, the final score was a remarkably low 57-55 and is indicative of the poor shooting and turnovers that plagued both teams. The Hoyas held the Hurricanes to a meager 30.4% from the floor, but managed to connect on only a third of their own shots.
Georgetown’s superstar senior forward Rebekkah Brunson continued to advance her claim for any of the four national Player of the Year awards she is nominated for against Miami, as she led all scorers with 18 points and grabbed a team-high 12 boards. Watching the 6’3” Brunson elevate for rebounds is truly to be (again) forced to confront one’s own inadequacy. Guards Mary Lisicky and Bethany LeSeuer both contributed 10 points to the Hoya’s cause.
Georgetown enjoyed better luck over the weekend, as they blew a tight game open in the final seven minutes to defeat the Virginia Tech Hokies 70-50 in a battle of teams with terrible nicknames. Georgetown never trailed in the game, shooting over 50% and finishing with a nearly 1:1 assist to turnover ratio.
The contest hinged on the episode when Brunson went to the bench with her third foul with 6:55 left in the first half. Without their captain, the rest of the Hoyas held tough. The Hokies only managed to cut the Hoyas’ lead by one in the time until intermission and went into the half down 30-23. LeSeuer led the Hoyas in the first half with seven points, five rebounds, three assists and, most impressively, five steals.
Though the Hokies got as close as four early in the second stanza, the Hoyas gradually began to pull away, opening up a nine point lead with 12:30 to go. After trading buckets for the next six minutes, the hosts enjoyed a 10-point lead with 6:21 remaining. Georgetown went on a 14-4 run over the next 4:30 to salt the game away.
Brunson again led Georgetown with 23 points and nine boards, while LeSeuer also had an outstanding game, adding 17 points, nine boards and six steals. Lisicky also scored in double figures, adding 11 for the winners.
Georgetown turned in a similar performance in their next game, turning a three-point halftime lead into a comfortable 74-56 victory against St. John’s. From the game’s beginning, it was clear that the undersized Lady Johnies would have their hands full with the Hoya’s frontcourt.
Brunson was instrumental in her team’s second half run, turning in another monster game and scoring on a variety of post-moves, jumpers, drives and put-backs while going 9-11 from the line. She finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds. LeSeuer added 11 points, Carlin contributed 12 and seven boards, and Carmen Bruce added in eight points and eight boards for the impressive team win.
Despite the Hoyas’ recent success, there were an approximately equal number of Virginia Tech and Georgetown fans at McDonough arena for Saturday’s game and only 289 fans tuned out to watch Georgetown dismantle St. John’s. While we have an All-American candidate at our school, leading her team toward an invitation to the national championship playoffs. Georgetown basketball has not been this exciting in ages. The games are free with your GOCard. The next home game is Jan. 31st against Villanova. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
