To say that the Georgetown women’s basketball team (10-7, 1-3 Big East) opened up Big East play with a tough schedule would be an understatement. Although they began the slate with a 79-64 win over Providence, the last three games have been a struggle for the Hoyas, with losses to national powerhouses Notre Dame and Connecticut, as well as to arch rival Syracuse.
The Hoya offense struggled mightily in its loss to No. 3 Connecticut (15-1, 3-1 Big East), shooting only 30 percent from the field and giving up 26 turnovers. The Huskies effectively held senior shooting guard Sugar Rodgers in check. She ended 23 points on just 8-of-22 shooting.
Following their loss to UConn, the Hoyas traveled up to the Carrier Dome where they fell 86-56 to Syracuse (15-1, 3-0). Although the Hoyas were only down 34-30 at halftime, the Orange exploded in the second half to score 52 points in what quickly turned into a blowout. The Hoyas offense was once again sluggish, with another 30 percent shooting performance. Rodgers led the team with 17 points, the first time this season she’s scored under 20.
“It bothered me a great deal,” Head Coach Keith Brown said. “I think this group doesn’t understand what the last group understood, which is we don’t lose to Syracuse. We can lose to anybody else, but if we lose to Syracuse it’s a sin.”
“We made a lot of defensive mistakes in those games,” said junior forward Andrea White about the losses to Connecticut and Syracuse. “In practice we’re trying to work on cleaning it up so it will be perfect for our next game.”
Brown echoed White’s concerns about the Hoyas’ numerous turnovers against the Huskies and Orange.
“I just think that we’re young and tentative,” Brown said. “If we stop being tentative and start being strong with the ball, it will care take of itself. I think sometimes they don’t want to make mistakes. I tell them that when you’re trying not to make mistakes, that’s when you make mistakes. ”
In their most recent game, the Hoyas skidded to another conclusive loss to No. 2 Notre Dame (15-1, 4-0 Big East). The Irish got off to a quick start in the first half and never looked back, as they led the Hoyas 44-29 at halftime. Their dominance continued through the second half, ending in a final score of 79-64 in favor of Notre Dame.
“I thought we played well in the second half, but we gave a good team too many opportunities,” Coach Brown said. “I tell them all the time, they give scholarships here in South Bend so you’re going to make mistakes because these are good players. It’s how you respond to those mistakes, that’s what we’re working on now.”
Opposing defenses have focused much of their energy on containing Rodgers, one of the top scorers in the country. Especially in the past three games, defenses have swarmed the Hoya talisman, double- and triple-teaming her at times. It has opened up a lot of opportunities for the rest of the team, but the Hoyas have yet to take advantage.
Despite the tough stretch, Brown still has optimism for the team going forward into the rest of Big East play.
“We’re concentrating on playing hard. If we can play hard, I think things will take care of itself,” Brown said. “The schedule won’t get easier. It will just be more manageable. We’re going to see if we can go on a run and hopefully make the tournament.”
