The Georgetown women’s basketball team dropped consecutive decisions on the road in New York City, losing to the Columbia Lions on Friday and falling to the Fordham Rams on Sunday. Their offensive struggles continued, as they were held to 49 and 54 points, respectively.
The Hoyas faced off against Columbia (5-3, Ivy League) in their first New York matchup on Friday, dropping a close decision 54-49. They began the game strong, opening up a 21-14 lead by the end of the first quarter. In that quarter, seven different Hoyas got on the score sheet, paced by six points from graduate student guard Taylor Barnes. However, the Lions got back in the game in the second quarter. A 3-pointer from sophomore guard Sienna Durr gave the Lions the lead, and Durr’s layup capped off a 10-0 run that gave Columbia a three-point advantage, 24-21. Sophomore guard Nikola Kovacikova stopped the bleeding with a layup, and junior center Breonna Mayfield added a layup of her own to give the Hoyas a 25-24 lead going into the half.
The Hoyas and the Lions exchanged buckets throughout the third quarter, as the lead changed hands six times in the quarter. Going into the fourth, the Hoyas still held a slim 38-37 lead. After a scoring drought that lasted nearly three minutes, the Lions tied the game on sophomore forward Hannah Pratt’s layup. Barnes answered with a 3-pointer of her own to give the Hoyas a three-point lead, but the Lions rattled off a 7-0 run to take a 49-45 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. When all was said and done, the Lions made their free throws down the stretch and bested the Hoyas 54-49. Barnes led all scorers with 17 points, while Durr and Pratt paced the Lions with 13 and 10, respectively. Freshman forward Kaitlyn Davis also contributed 10 points and 15 rebounds for Columbia, whose disciplined play and late run gave them a close victory.
The Blue & Gray had just two days to muster a turnaround against Fordham (5-5, Atlantic-10). In the early going, Fordham went on a 10-0 run to take an early 12-4 lead, paced by five points each from junior guard Breanna Cavanaugh and freshman guard Anna DeWolfe. Though Georgetown drew to within two, Fordham scored five points in the final minute of the quarter to take an 18-11 lead. In the second quarter, Cavanaugh and DeWolfe continued to dominate, with eight and six points in the quarter, respectively. Sophomore forward Kaitlyn Downey added five points of her own in the quarter, and it seemed as though the Rams were able to generate runs while the Hoyas could only pick up occasional baskets. Fordham went into halftime with a 37-25 lead.
The offensive woes continues for the Hoyas, who made only three field goals in the third quarter with two from Barnes and one from junior center Tatiana Thompson. Meanwhile, Cavanaugh continued to dominate the game, showing her versatility with an offensive rebound and strong finish as well as a three-pointer. She also recorded two steals in the quarter, taking away key possessions from the Hoyas. In the final frame, the Hoyas showed some life offensively. After the Rams built their lead to 61-38, Georgetown went on a 9-0 run keyed by sophomore guard Shanniah Wright’s five points. However, it was too little, too late, and the Rams pulled away for a 67-54 victory.
Barnes once again led the Hoyas with 13 points, and graduate guard Brianna Jones chipped in with 11 of her own. Unfortunately, the Hoyas could not overcome the efforts of DeWolfe (18 points, six rebounds, four assists) and Cavanaugh (23 points, 10 rebounds). They had a difficult time sustaining pressure offensively, shooting just 33.9 percent from the field. It didn’t help that Barnes and Jones ended up with four fouls apiece, which may have allowed the Rams to attack the basket and shoot a more respectable 40.4 percent from the field.
The women will try to bounce back on Saturday as they take on Rider (4-2, MAA) at McDonough Arena. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. ET and can be streamed on BEDN. For continued coverage of men’s basketball and all Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
