The Lady Hoyas could not find their game Tuesday night in a Big East match-up against Rutgers. Ranked 2nd in the conference, Rutgers dominated the Hoyas 71-41. The Hoyas now sit with an 11-7 record (1-4 BE), while Rutgers holds a 10-5 record, (5-1 BE).
A three-pointer from Rutgers’ Matee Ajavon sealed the lead for the Scarlet Knights just 40 seconds into the first half. From this point on the Hoyas trailed, and the deficit would increase steadily.
The Hoyas were stuck with only seven points for nearly eight minutes, while Rutgers pulled out to a 31-7, the biggest margin of the half. The teams went into the locker rooms at halftime with the score 37-15 in favor of Rutgers.
The second half proved even worse for Georgetown, as again Rutgers came out stronger. Falling further behind, the Hoyas topped their first half deficit when they trailed 37 points with 11:55 left on the clock. In the time remaining, the Hoyas fought to come back, but their efforts failed. Rutgers proved too strong and too talented throughout the night.
The Scarlet Knights’ Essence Carson led her team in points and rebounds, netting 18 points and grabbing 10 boards. Georgetown’s sophomore forward Katrina Wheeler collected the most rebounds in the game, accumulating 11. Junior forward Kieraah Marlow put up 14 points for the Hoyas, and freshman guard Shanice Fuller, who finished with 11 points, was only one away from a career high.
“Essence was in a zone and sometimes when a player is in a zone, it doesn’t matter what you try to do defensively to stop her,” head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said after the game.
Overall, the Hoyas could not get their game together, and it cost them as they were held to their second lowest scoring output of the season. The ladies turned the ball over close to 20 times and gave up 29 points off of those turnovers. Their low score was a result of abysmal shooting. The Lady Hoyas shot just 24 percent from the field and 62 percent from the foul line.
“We just didn’t play very well and we didn’t handle their pressure,” Coach Williams-Flournoy said.
This Saturday the ladies will travel to McGrath Arena in Chicago to face off against the Blue Demons of DePaul in hopes of turning around their Big East record. DePaul is ranked 12th in the Big East, with a conference record of 1-3.
