The Georgetown women’s basketball team extended their winning streak to three games with a 71-67 win over West Virginia Saturday at McDonough Gymnasium. The team improves to 9-12 overall and 4-6 in the Big East. The Hoyas are coming off significant Big East road wins over Syracuse and Providence making this the longest winning streak of the season. After a rough start, the streak comes at a perfect time.
“I felt different in this game,” senior guard Mary Lisicky said. “I think we’re a different team after the two wins; we understand what it is to win. Coming into this game we knew that they were going to make runs but we knew to stay composed.”
The Hoyas were tough on offense in the first period. With the shot-clock winding down, first year guard Kristin Heidloff hit a buzzer-beating trifecta with eight minutes left in the half. Senior forward Varda Tamoulianis helped pace the Hoyas with nine points. The Mountaineers had a run towards the end of the first half, taking a six-point lead towards the end, but the Hoyas narrowed it to four points by the end of the half as West Virginia entered intermission leading 35-31.
In the second half, Lisicky stepped up, hitting back-to-back shots from behind the arc early in the half. Fighting injury for most of the season, Lisicky finished the game with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists, posting her top performance of the season.
“It helps a lot even with her coming off the bench; that is a huge spark for us,” Head Coach Terri Williams-Fluornoy said. “Mary healthy is very good for us.”
The Georgetown defense frustrated West Virginia as sophomore guard Meg Bulger and first-year guard Chakhia Cole both fouled out. The Hoyas shot 46 percent from the field, pulling down 36 rebounds and outscoring West Virginia off the bench 19-6. The Mountaineers were led by first-year center Olayinka Sanni’s 21 points and Bulger’s 18 points and three assists.
“For once it’s good to be on a win streak,” Lisicky said. “It’s nice to win on the road. This game we were riding a high winning two in a row. We came out strong and carried it through. They made their runs, we stayed composed. We didn’t stop and I think that’s what the biggest thing was.”
The Hoyas face a tough schedule this coming week as they take on three tough Big East opponents. They travel to South Bend, Indiana on to face No.7 Notre Dame and come back to McDonough to square off against the No.11 Connecticut women on Wednesday Feb. 16th.
