The Georgetown women’s basketball team was unable to capture a much-needed conference win on Tuesday night against the Pirates of Seton Hall. The Lady Hoyas’ stifling defense helped them snap a six game slide against conference rival Villanova on Saturday, but they could only match that defensive intensity for one half in Tuesday night’s 71-67 loss.
The first half of the game was competitive, with five ties and four lead changes. The Hoyas, however, kept in front most of the time and went into the half up 37-29.
“We played with great defensive intensity and we were able to consistently make shots,” Williams-Flournoy said. “We never ran into that scoring drought that has plagued us time and again.”
Freshman guard Shanice Fuller, junior guard Kirsten Heidloff, and junior forward Kieraah Marlow each posted 10 points in the first half, contributing to a solid 64 percent from the field.
The Hoyas came out slower in the second half and had difficulty defending against the Pirates. Seton Hall managed to tie the game four times before taking their first lead of the second half at 8:32. Two minutes later, a three pointer from Fuller put the Hoyas back in front.
Georgetown could not pull away from the Pirates, however, and with 3:32 left on the clock Seton Hall’s Nicole Emery and Ela Mukosiej sank back-to-back threes to give the Pirates the lead 64-59. Seton Hall was able to convert their foul shots down the stretch, sealing the 71-67 win.
“We didn’t come out with the same defensive intensity,” Williams-Flournoy said after the game. “We gave them too many second chance opportunities by not hitting the defensive boards hard enough.”
Despite the loss, freshman Shanice Fuller had an outstanding game, posting a career-high 21 points (8-14 FG), three assists, and two steals.
“Shanice played tonight like I know she’s capable of playing,” Williams-Flournoy said of the freshman’s play. “If she can play with that much impact every night, she’s going to have a terrific career.”
The Hoyas (12-12, 2-9 BE) will host Marquette (19-4, 7-3 BE) this Saturday at noon in McDonough Gymnasium. With the Big East season drawing to a close, every game is a must-win for the Lady-Hoyas to make the Big East tournament. “They only take 12 teams to the league tournament and right now we’re on the outside looking in,” Williams-Flournoy said. “With only five games left, you can’t help but watch closely.”
