Georgetown had a lot to be grateful for during Thanksgiving week, as men’s and women’s basketball picked up three non-conference wins. Georgetown women’s basketball (5-1, BIG EAST) won two games on the road in California against the Pepperdine Waves (2-5, West Coast) and the Cal State Fullerton Titans (2-3, Big West) to stay undefeated on the road. Georgetown men’s basketball (4-2, BIG EAST) stayed at home and defeated Jackson State (1-6, Southwestern Athletic) at Capital One Arena on Nov. 25.
WBB @ Pepperdine (9/24)
On Nov. 24, the Hoyas traveled to Malibu, California to take on Pepperdine. Both teams struggled to score early, with the Hoyas wasting several fast break chances. Pepperdine had a 10-7 lead when the first quarter ended, and the Waves started the second quarter strong to open up a 20-13 lead on the Hoyas. The Hoyas were able to respond, though, as senior guard Kelsey Ransom and sophomore guard Victoria Rivera both made a pair of free throws, getting Georgetown back in the game. A last-second three-pointer from Pepperdine junior forward Maggie Vick gave the Waves a 25-24 lead going into halftime.
The third quarter began as a back-and-forth contest, but Georgetown started to open a lead as mistakes by the Waves began to pile up. Pepperdine had eight turnovers in the third, allowing Georgetown to slowly but surely increase their lead. Ransom went on a big solo run, scoring ten points for Georgetown, ending with a layup as the clock ran down to extend Georgetown’s advantage to 45-36 as the fourth quarter began. The Hoyas dominated the fourth, holding the Waves scoreless for eight straight minutes and scoring 14 unanswered points. Georgetown ended with a huge 59-40 win in the first of their two-game road series. Pepperdine struggled mightily with turnovers, recording 31 for the game, while Georgetown only had 17. The Hoyas also outrebounded the Waves 42-29 and scored 19 second-chance points, while the Waves only managed two..
WBB @ Cal State Fullerton (10/26)
Georgetown stayed in California to take on Cal State Fullerton in Fullerton on Sunday, Nov. 26. Ransom started the game strong, scoring eight points in a hotly contested first quarter. The Hoyas held a slim 17-15 lead after the first, but the scoring slowed significantly in the second. The Hoyas and the Titans only scored three field goals apiece on 28 combined attempts, but the Hoyas were able to take a 24-23 lead into halftime.
The Titans took the lead in the third quarter with a balanced scoring offense; six Cal State Fullerton players combined for 20 points. However, the fourth quarter marked a turning point for the Hoyas, who went on a 20-4 run sparked by a three-pointer from Rivera and led by eight points from Ransom, who finished the game with twenty. The Hoyas’ strong fourth quarter ensured that Georgetown got a 65-55 win to stay undefeated during the road trip. Ransom, who led the Hoyas in scoring in both games, was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. Overall, Georgetown had an extremely successful Thanksgiving week road trip, picking up two wins to improve to 5-1 in non conference play so far this season. The Hoyas will host the Howard Bison (1-7, Mid-Eastern) at McDonough Arena on Thursday Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. EST.
MBB vs Jackson State (10/26)
Men’s basketball beat the Jackson State Tigers on Sunday thanks to a strong second half surge. The Hoyas were down 40-39 at halftime, but came alive in the second half. Sophomore guard Jayden Epps scored 24 of the Hoyas’ 49 points in the second half, further proving his reliability as a scorer in the end of games. Epps totaled 34 points in the game, improving on his career high that he set last game against American University. Junior guard/forward Dontrez Styles was Georgetown’s second highest scorer with 22 points, making Sunday his third straight game with over 20 points. Epps was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second week in a row thanks to his big scoring performance. The Hoyas improved to 4-2 on the season after their Thanksgiving weekend win and will host Merrimack (3-4, Northeast) at 8:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at Capital One Arena. The game will be broadcast on FS1.
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