After starting the season off 2-0, the Georgetown women’s basketball team (2-1 Big East) came up short in its first significant test of the season against George Washington (2-2 Atlantic 10). The Hoyas were unable to recover from a dismal second quarter performance and recorded their first loss of the season to their crosstown rivals by a score of 65-54.
Georgetown began the game well, jumping out to 7-2 lead after junior guard Dionna White intercepted a Colonials inbound pass and dished the ball to senior center Yazmine Belk for an easy layup. By the end of the first quarter, however, the Hoyas trailed George Washington by a point, in part because of senior forward Cynthia Petke’s impressive eight first quarter rebounds.
In the second period, it all went downhill for Georgetown. The Hoyas recorded just one field goal in the entire quarter, shooting less than eight percent from the field. The offense struggled to penetrate George Washington’s zone defense and, after Belk went 2-2 at the line at the 4:46 mark, was unable to find another bucket for the rest of the quarter. The defense was no better, allowing a balanced Colonials attack to put up 21 points on 8-15 shooting. By the end of the first half, White, a preseason All-Big East selection, was scoreless and George Washington had doubled up the Hoyas, 36-18.
White came out of the locker room reenergized. Midway through the third quarter she split a high double team and found Petke underneath for two points. The next play, White blocked a 3-point attempt by George Washington junior forward Kelsi Mahoney, took it coast-to-coast for a layup on the other end, and then followed it up with a 3-pointer 28 seconds later. At the end of the period, senior guard Mikayla Venson pulled the Hoyas within 12 after a miraculous half court heave at the buzzer.
Unfortunately for Georgetown, the deficit did not shrink any lower than nine points for the remainder of the game. Solid play from Mahoney, senior guard Brianna Cummings, and freshman forward Neila Luma helped George Washington hold on for the victory. Four Colonials scored in double figures, and the team shot over 40 percent from the field.
The Hoyas’ struggles can largely be attributed to a lack of execution offensively. They made just six of 23 three-point attempts and gave the ball away 17 times. Petke was a bright spot on the day, grabbing 16 rebounds and recording her third straight double-double to open the season.
Georgetown will play a three-day round robin tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, over Thanksgiving weekend. The first game is against Auburn (1-1 SEC) at 8:30 PM on Friday.
