Thursday’s New Year’s festivities were dampened for the Georgetown women’s basketball team (7-5, 0-2 Big East) as they fell to the Butler Bulldogs (6-7, 1-1 Big East) on the road, 82-76. The Hoyas were led by a double-double effort from senior forward Dominique Vitalis, who registered 15 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman guard Dionna White added 17 points.
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Georgetown outrebounded Butler by a mark of 44-39, and committed five fewer turnovers than the Bulldogs (10-15). However, a poor shooting night doomed the Hoyas’ winning prospects. The team shot just 36.3 percent from the field on the day, including a dismal 17.6 percent from behind the arc. Butler shot 48.6 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from deep.
As a result of the poor shooting, the Hoyas found themselves down 65-49 at the end of the third quarter. The Blue and Gray refused to quit despite the deficit. White scored 10 of her 17 points in the final frame, while sophomore guard DiDi Burton and junior guard Tyshell King converted clutch baskets down the stretch to cut the Butler lead to 80-74 with just over 30 seconds remaining in the game. The Bulldogs nailed two free throws to put the game on ice, as the comeback bid fell short.
“I just think we didn’t finish,” noted Georgetown Head Coach Natasha Adair. “It wasn’t a matter of effort. I thought we competed, but at the end of the day you’ve got to reward yourself for your hard work.”
The loss drops the Hoyas to 0-2 in conference play and moves the team to a mark of 2-5 on the road this season. The Blue and Gray will now return to Washington, where they will host Creighton (6-8, 0-2 Big East) on Sunday, Jan. 3, and Providence (4-8, 0-2 Big East) on Tuesday, Jan. 5. Georgetown is undefeated at home this year (3-0) and will hope to continue that trend in the coming week.
“There’s nothing like being home on your own court, your gym, your fans,” said Adair. “We have a good test with Creighton and Providence coming in, and we have to make sure we get back and focus here at home.”
Creighton, much like Georgetown, has been plagued all season by poor play on the road, as they are just 1-4 away from Omaha. Coach Adair is aware of Creighton’s dangerous potential, despite their road struggles.
“They’re a balanced team,” said Adair. “They’re a veteran team. They play at a very fast pace. They’re looking to steal one on the road. We’ve got to play our ball—Georgetown ball. If we do that, if we score in transition, if we get multiple opportunities and finish, we’ll continue to hold court at home.”
Sunday’s game is set to tip-off at 12:00 p.m. It will be broadcast on the Big East Digital Network via Fox Sports Go.
