For the Georgetown women’s basketball team, star guard Sugar Rodgers has been the unquestioned key to their success. However, the No. 17 Hoyas (20-6, 8-4 Big East) must also give credit to their bigger, more experienced players—Monica McNutt, Tia Magee, and Adria Crawford—for their triumphs this season.
Monica McNutt provides invaluable leadership as the Hoyas’ lone senior. (Photo by Jackson Perry)
Despite a close 75-71 overtime loss against the No. 25 St. John’s Red Storm last weekend, the Hoyas have had an incredible season with two weeks remaining before the Big East Tournament.
McNutt, the senior guard and second-year captain, has provided vital leadership for the team this season on and off the court. She is the second leading scorer on the team, averaging 11 points per game and pulling down 4.5 rebounds per game. She scored a personal season-high 27 points against rival Syracuse on Jan. 4.
While her talent in the paint is given a lot of attention, her leadership is crucial to the team’s success. The veteran, is sure to credit her other teammates, however.
“We’ve got a great group of girls,” she said. “We all support each other and [they] make the job easy for the most part.”
Despite their winning season, McNutt knows that pressure is on the Hoyas to continue their success in the post-season. This will be the third consecutive year they have made the playoffs.
“We know it’s crunch time. …At this point, we want to run the table,” she said. We know we have to be extremely focused…and be focused the entire way.”
In her time on the Hilltop, the Hoyas have not always made the postseason and she doesn’t take it for granted.
“[McNutt] has stepped up and been one of the offensive threats,” head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said.
Meanwhile, Magee, the junior forward, has helped the team by providing height under the basket to grab rebounds and make easy baskets. Magee pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds this season in a game against Louisville on Feb. 1. Williams-Flournoy said that Magee’s growth as a player has provided an important presence down low.
“[Tia] is stepping in and being [a strong] inside person that we need,” she said.
The beginning of the season was tough for Magee due to knee pain, which caused her to miss four games. Once she got back on the court though, Magee stood out with her performances against Villanova and Clemson. In both games, she brought the ball to the basket and made inside shots consistently. Magee scored 18 points against the Wildcats, tying a career high. She also had a team-high 15 points in a blowout victory against Houston.
Crawford, Magee’s classmate and partner in the frontcourt, has made significant contributions as well. Like Magee, Crawford uses her height to her advantage both defensively and offensively, and she has been a huge threat when it comes to rebounding, blocking shots, and scoring. Against St. John’s, Crawford led the team with 9 boards and managed three steals.
Against Big East rival Seton Hall, Crawford led to the team in scoring and rebounding, tallying 14 points and grabbing nine boards. She scored a career-high 19 points during out-of-conference play against Rider University.
“[Crawford] is doing her own little thing and always showing up on the stats sheet,” Williams-Flournoy said.
She added that throughout her years of coaching these starters, she has strategically done the same thing, not wanting to mess with their success. With these three talented players, in addition to Rodgers, the Hoyas have been a force to be reckoned with this season.
The Georgetown women’s basketball team heads to Chicago to face No. 11 DePaul on Sunday. While the team has faced a lot of tough competition already this season, they have yet to face some of the best teams. Six days after they face DePaul, Georgetown will face No. 2 Connecticut.
Williams-Flournoy knows that the team’s experienced players can compete with anyone, because they have learned the most important thing.
“They’ve learned how to win,” she said.
