The Georgetown women’s basketball team (1-0, Big East) began the season with a 73-53 road win over the Richmond Spiders (0-1, A-10). Graduate student guard Dorothy Adomako led the Hoyas with 14 points on her return to the court and added two blocks and three steals. She was supported by three teammates with 11 points each, senior guard Dionna White, graduate student guard Mikayla Venson, and junior guard Morgan Smith. White also led the team in rebounds alongside junior forward Anita Kelava, with nine each. Junior forward Jaide Hinds-Clarke led Richmond with 11 points.
The Hoyas flew out of the gates, with Adomako’s steal in the first twenty seconds leading to a Venson jumper, which kickstarted a dominant first quarter. The Hoyas played stifling defense, and a 10-4 run in the final two and half minutes of the quarter put Georgetown up 20-7 at the break.
The second quarter was scoreless for nearly three minutes until Smith hit a layup with 7:04 to play in the half. The Hoyas again settled into a rhythm, with consistent scoring from White, Venson, and Smith easily outpacing the occasional three pointer made by the Spiders. Kelava hit a layup at the buzzer to give Georgetown a 41-16 lead at the half.
Adomako exploded for seven points in the first two and a half minutes of the third quarter before the Hoyas’ lead would peak in the third quarter at 34 points. Smith knocked down a three-pointer with 6:19 to go in the quarter to make it 56-22. From there, the Hoyas took their foot off the gas, allowing Richmond to cut the lead to 26 by the end of the quarter.
That lead would fall to 20 by the end of the game, but each of Howard’s five starters were on the bench for the whole quarter, providing valuable minutes to an inexperienced freshman class, who finished the game strong, most notably freshman guard Nikola Kovacikova, who finished with eight points and five rebounds in her 12 minutes on the court. In the end, the Hoyas coasted to the 73-53 victory.
There’s still room for improvement for the Hoyas, as they attempted only four free throws on the night and turned the ball over 11 times. However, it’s still a strong start as they recorded 19 assists, eight steals, and six blocks while holding a 45-31 rebounding advantage. The Hoyas also shot 46 percent from the floor despite a 4-17 fourth quarter, and true to his word, head coach James Howard dug deeper into his bench, giving seven players double digit minutes while three others recorded at least eight.
The Hoyas return on Friday for their home opener against Maryland Eastern Shore (0-1, MEAC). Follow @GUVoiceSports for live coverage of that game, as well as updates on all of Georgetown’s athletic programs.
