When the Georgetown women’s basketball team suffered a crushing 80-58 loss to Notre Dame on Jan. 18, head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy called it a great wake-up call. The team certainly heard that call with a win against Villanova last Saturday, followed by an even more impressive win against West Virginia in which they buckled down and refused to yield to the Mountaineers high-powered offense.
Rubylee Wright had full control of the offense, dishing out five assists. (Photo by Max Blodgett)
The No. 19 Hoyas (16-5, 4-3 Big East) won their second game against a top ten team on Tuesday night against the No. 8 Mountaineers (19-2, 5-2 Big East) by the score of 65-60.
When the Hoyas jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead it seemed as if the team might have an easy night, but such is never the case in the Big East. The Mountaineers weren’t about to go down without a fight and although they trailed for the majority of the first half, they made a comeback and led by eight at one point in the second half. With their tough press and impenetrable zone, the Hoyas were able to turn the game around to clinch the victory.
“They made their run, OK, we’re making our run too,” senior guard Monica McNutt said about the team’s resiliency.
Juniors Adria Crawford and Tia Magee both played well defensively against key West Virginia offensive threats to help maintain the momentum early in the first half. The hustle plays by both players might not have showed in the box score, but they made a big impact on the game.
However, the team did not come out of the locker room for the second half with the same mentality. The Hoyas had too many turnovers in the second half of play, which was the main reason they lost their lead. The Hoyas committed 28 miscues, which led to 25 points for West Virginia. Leading scorer Sugar Rodgers attributed the turnovers simply to the team having butterfingers.
On the offensive end, Rodgers had her finest game, scoring a career high 30 points, including four points in the final 50 seconds to put the Hoyas ahead for good. Ever modest, she credited her success to her teammates.
West Virginia senior guard Liz Repella led the Mountaineers with 20 points, but the overwhelming Hoya defense became too much for her. In the last five minutes alone, the senior missed three attempts from behind the arc.
“Even when we’re down 10, like we keep telling ‘em it’s our defense that does it,” Williams-Flournoy said. “Making a big defensive stop gives us the opportunity to not get so far behind.”
The zone and trap kept the Hoyas alive, as did their uncharacteristic success on the boards. The women out-rebounded their opponents 32–17 and limited the second chance opportunities for the Mountaineers. Free throw shooting was also a huge factor. Rodgers went 10-for-10 from the stripe and Crawford was perfect as well. Overall, Georgetown shot 88 percent from the line, as opposed to West Virginia’s 61 percent.
Even though the Hoyas have been fairly successful in the Big East so far, they know they can improve. And after this big win, there isn’t a better time to get on a roll.
“Last year we lost three games in conference total,” McNutt said. “So it’s go time.”
The Hoyas face off against Seton Hall next Saturday in New Jersey. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
