The Georgetown women’s basketball team (8-11, 3-6 Big East) heads to the midwest for a pair of road games this weekend, first facing off against Butler (13-8, 5-4 Big East) on Friday in Indianapolis before heading to Cincinnati to take on Xavier (9-11, 2-7 Big East) on Sunday.
The Hoyas are coming off a tough 78-62 loss to DePaul (15-6, 7-2 Big East) last Sunday at McDonough Arena. Senior forward Cynthia Petke anchored the Georgetown effort with 24 points and seven rebounds while junior guard Dionna White added 17 points for the Hoyas, who hung with the hot-shooting Blue Demons for three quarters before faltering in the game’s final period. After the game, Petke identified the catalyst for the Blue Demons’ late surge as a lapse in focus.
“In the fourth quarter, we lost a little bit of our focus, and that’s where the game was decided,” said Petke. “They hit two back-to-back three pointers and that’s where I think they got the lead and we couldn’t recover from there.”
Georgetown will look to bounce back against the Bulldogs, whom the Hoyas fell to 66-57 at home on January 5. In that game, Petke posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while White added 11 points. Butler is paced by the duo of junior guard Whitney Jennings (17.5 points per game) and junior forward/center Tori Schickel (17.1 points per game). In Butler’s most recent outing, a 68-57 victory over Providence (8-13, 1-8 Big East), Schickel led all scorers with 27 points on 11-17 shooting to go along with nine rebounds. On the season, the Bulldogs shoot a stellar 77.3 percent from the free throw line and also boast a rebounding margin of +5.4.
Facing a quick turnaround, the Hoyas will head to the Cintas Center looking for a season sweep over the Musketeers. Georgetown defeated Xavier 65-60 on January 2 at McDonough Arena, as White led the Hoyas with 20 points and seven rebounds. The Musketeers feature a balanced attack, as only one player, junior forward Imani Partlow, averages double-digits, while seven players average between five and 10 points per game. Xavier most recently played against Creighton (11-8, 5-4 Big East), dropping a 71-64 overtime decision in Cincinnati. In that game, the Musketeers staged a fourth quarter rally to send the game into an extra period, but only scored three points in overtime en route to a seven-point defeat. On the season, Xavier has been outscored by its opponents, averaging just 61.8 points per game while surrendering 64.7.
Tip-off against Butler is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Friday, while the tilt with Xavier is slated for 2 p.m. ET. Both games can be streamed on the Big East Digital Network. Follow @GUVoiceSports for game day updates and breaking news.
