by Timothy Follos
It was an agonizing week for fans of Georgetown’s Women’s Basketball team. Despite the record-shattering play of senior forward Rebekkah Brunson, the Hoyas lost two home games in strikingly similar fashion-falling to Virginia on Sunday 52-45 and to no. 25 Boston College 58-68 on Wednesday.
Georgetown did not seem particularly discouraged after losing the non-conference Virginia game, though it may have significant post-season implications: Both teams are competing for an at-large invitation to the NCAA national tourney, and the Hoyas’ margin of error is slight indeed. With the loss, Georgetown’s record (10-11, 4-6 in the Big East) dropped below .500 for the first time this season.
“It was a huge game,” Virginia Coach Debbie Ryan said. “Georgetown is having a great year. They know that they’re right on the edge of the NCAA tournament. Both teams today were just jockeying for position. I think this was a huge win for us to be able to come in here and do it.”
The Hoyas played solid defense against the Cavaliers but were so offensively inept that their efforts on the other side of the floor were futile. After several tough games, Georgetown’s offensive struggles reached their zenith Sunday-the Hoyas recorded season lows in both shooting percentage at 26.3 percent and total points. With the exception of junior guard Bethany LeSueur and senior phenom Rebekkah Brunson, the Hoyas shooting struggled. Even more striking was the resumption of the Hoyas’ foul-shooting woes: They went a miserable 13-26 at the line.
After taking a two point lead into the half, the Hoyas spent the game’s last 10 minutes trying to regain their advantage in a still close game. Georgetown has been able to rally and pull away at the end before, but there would be no late game heroics from Brunson and company this time. The Hoyas were forced to foul in the game’s closing minutes and watched Virginia calmly sink their free throws to seal the victory.
Brunson again led all players with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while the rest of Georgetown’s roster combined for only 20 rebounds. LeSueur added nine points, but also suffered through perhaps the worst free throw shooting of her career, going one for six from the line.
With an opportunity for another win over a ranked team against Boston College, the team had a chance to bolster its tournament resume. The Hoyas again started strong, building a 18-9 lead midway through the first. BC went on a 16-11 run to close out the period, however, as Georgetown went into the intermission up by four. In the process, Brunson reached another major milestone in her superlative-laced career, as she became the only player in Georgetown Women’s Basketball history to ever score 1000 points and grab 1000 rebounds. She turned in another dominant half to go with the record, scoring 20 points in the first 20 minutes.
Unfortunately, Brunson’s celebration was short lived. BC clung to a small lead through the game’s final four minutes, but the Hoyas were consistently unable to close the gap. Georgetown was eventually forced to foul to stop the clock, and BC hit a number of free throws to provide the final margin of victory. With 30 points and 13 rebounds, Brunson accounted for the majority of her team’s offense. Only junior guard Mary Lisicky, who pitched in with 10, also reached double figures in scoring.
After breaking their fans’ hearts, the Hoyas will try to win them back over on Valentine’s Day. Valentine of the Year Rebekkah Brunson and her Georgetown teammates will try to get back on track at Pittsburgh. The team’s next home game is Sat., Feb. 21 against Rutgers at 3 p.m.
