The Georgetown women’s basketball team (12-13, 7-8 Big East) was victorious in Chicago on Friday night, notching an 86-85 win over Big East conference leaders, DePaul (20-7, 12-3 Big East). The upset victory was fueled by a standout performance from the Hoyas’ star guard, junior Dionna White who scored a career-high 33 points. This was Georgetown’s first win against the Blue Demons since January 23, 2010 and moves the Hoyas within one game of .500 with three matchups remaining.
A layup from junior forward Mart’e Grays and a three pointer from senior guard Amarah Coleman put DePaul up 5-0 to start the game and it appeared that the number one scoring offense in the Big East might give the home team a big early lead. However, Georgetown senior center Yazmine Belk responded with three straight jumpers to help her team remain competitive in the first quarter. Near the end of the first period, the Blue Demons again threatened to open up a significant advantage with three straight three pointers from Coleman, junior guard Ashton Millender, and sophomore guard Kelly Campbell that put them up 21-10. Again Georgetown countered, this time with White scoring four of her eight points in the quarter. After a layup from senior forward Cynthia Petke, Georgetown finished the first period trailing just 21-16.
Three minutes into the second quarter, the Hoyas turned the game on its head, tying it with a three pointer from White and taking the lead a minute and a half later with layup from freshman forward Tatiana Thompson. That score topped off an extended 15-2 run. DePaul reasserted itself quickly with a strong 10-2 run in response, taking a 33-27 lead after another three pointer from Millender.
Millender led the game with five three pointers while her teammate, Coleman, made four on 100 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Blue Demons lead the Big East in three point field goals made per game with 12.1, three more than the next highest team, Creighton (16-9, 10-5 Big East).
Millender hit another three with 22 seconds remaining in the first half to put her team up nine, but on the Hoyas’ next possession, White hit a three of her own at the buzzer. The teams went into the half with DePaul up 40-34.
It was a back-and-forth affair to start the second half until DePaul began raining shots from beyond the arc midway through the third quarter. Georgetown fought back with White and Petke combining for 16 points in the period, but going into the fourth quarter, the Hoyas were down 61-54 and DePaul appeared in control.
The Blue Demons opened the fourth quarter strong, but Georgetown’s defense prevented them from pulling away. With under eight minutes to go, the Hoyas began making their move with a jumper from Thompson and two straight layups from sophomore guard Morgan Smith bringing them within just two points. A couple minutes later, Thompson hit her second three pointer of the period to put Georgetown up 80-79. DePaul responded with a pair of free throws, but senior guard DiDi Burton converted at the line the following possession to give the lead right back to Georgetown. The Hoyas maintained a one point lead with under thirty seconds remaining, but fouled Coleman who sank both free throws. Head coach James Howard drew up a final play for the Hoyas, but White missed the layup. Fortunately, Smith was in the right position for an offensive rebound and went right back up with a layup to put Georgetown on top. The Blue Demons missed on their final attempt and the upset was complete.
White led all scorers with 33, while Petke posted 23 points and 11 rebounds for her 14th double-double on the season. Thompson added 10 points. Millender paced DePaul with 19 points, while Coleman chipped in 18.
“Tonight took a team effort, we played well as a team,” Howard said. “We gave up more points than we wanted, but one thing we did find tonight was find a will to win and offensive production. When you have two of your top scorers have 33 and 23, you know that everything is falling your way.”
The Hoyas return to action looking to get back to .500 on Sunday with a matchup against Marquette (16-9, 10-15 Big East) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. ET and streamed on the Big East Digital Network. Follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter for live updates and breaking news.
