The Georgetown women’s basketball team (4-3, Big East) lost both of its matchups at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout over the weekend. The Hoyas’ comeback attempt came up short on Friday in a 73-64 loss to Buffalo (4-1, MAC). On Saturday, Georgetown was back at it against No. 4 Baylor (6-0, Big 12), but could not keep up with the Big 12 powerhouse, eventually falling 67-46.
On Friday, the Bulls came out firing from long range, converting on their first three 3-pointers, and took an early 9-4 advantage. Layups from junior forward Anita Kelava and graduate student guard Mikayla Venson cut the lead to one, but Buffalo went on to make two more from deep in the first quarter, to extend the advantage to eight going into the second quarter.
In the second period, Georgetown’s defense held strong for a few minutes, allowing the Hoyas to cut the lead to one possession. After a pair of free throws from senior guard Cierra Dillard, the lead was back to five, but Kelava again responded with a layup. Kelava would finish the first half with a team-high 10 points. Georgetown’s defense struggled to contain Dillard and, after she scored on five straight points midway through the quarter, the lead was back eight. With two minutes remaining in the half, senior guard Dionna White triggered a 6-0 run with a steal and a fast break layup at the other end, but the Bulls would again recover, building a 38-28 lead going into the break.
Midway through the third quarter, the advantage grew to as much as 14 before sophomore forward Tatiana Thompson converted on back-to-back threes. Dillard continued to stay hot though, and after making a pair of free throws, she splashed her fourth 3-pointer of the game to help extend the lead back to 11 going into the fourth.
Early in the fourth quarter, senior forward Courtney Wilkins’ 3-pointer made it a 14-point game, but two threes from Venson kept it close. Around the four minute mark, three straight layups from Thompson, junior guard Morgan Smith, and White cut the advantage to just four, but Dillard again came back, this time with a fast break layup. She would go on to score six straight points, and the Hoyas would not get closer for the rest of the game.
Dillard finished with a game-high 33 points on eight of 15 from the field. She also notched eight assists and six rebounds. For the Hoyas, Kelava had a team-high 15 points, including 11 of 12 from the free throw line. White finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists.
In the second game of the back-to-back, Baylor set the tone early on with a 9-0 run to start. White stopped the bleeding with a layup, but a 3-pointer from junior guard Juicy Landrum and a jumper from freshman forward NaLyssa Smith extended the lead to 12 less than five minutes into the game. Head coach James Howard gave more minutes to his taller players against the big Lady Bears lineup, and saw results with a layup from sophomore center Breonna Mayfield that cut it to 10. The Hoya defense held strong for the remainder of the quarter, and the lead was 22-11 going into the second.
In the second quarter, neither team could score for the first couple minutes, but the Lady Bears eventually took hold of the game. An inside layup by 6-foot-4 junior forward Lauren Cox made it a 19-point lead before a 5-0 run from Venson cut it back to 14. A couple minutes later, the lead was suddenly 22 after two straight Baylor 3-pointers. Venson did her best to keep it close, notching 10 points in the period, but the Hoyas would go into the half down 24.
A 3-pointer from graduate student guard Dorothy Adomako opened the second half, and it seemed the Hoyas still had some life. The defensive intensity picked up on both sides, and after Baylor coughed up the ball midway through the quarter, a deep 3-pointer from White cut the score to 52-31. The Hoyas would allow just seven points in the quarter, but could not take advantage on offensively and still trailed 20 going into the fourth quarter.
After grabbing an offensive rebound, White stepped into a jumper to kick off the final period. The Hoyas were able to cut the lead to under 20 twice in the fourth, both times on buckets from freshman guard Tayanna Jones. Midway through the quarter, Adomako followed up a pair of free throws from Jones, with a mid range jump shot to make it 60-43, but that was the closest Georgetown would get for the remainder of the game. Baylor’s defense shut down the Hoyas after that point, and the Lady Bears eventually won, 67-46.
“Playing the No. 4 team in the country with that type of size could have overpowered us, but we came and we fought,” Howard said. “I think this game will help us prepare for later on in the season.”
White dropped another double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. For Baylor, 10 different players scored, with Smith and Landrum leading the way, each notching 14.
Next up for Georgetown is a matchup with Fordham (4-2, Atlantic 10) at McDonough Arena on Thursday. The game is set for a 7:00 p.m. ET tip-off and a stream can be found at GUHoyas.com. For live updates and continued coverage of all Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
