Georgetown women’s basketball (7-1, BIG EAST) picked up a huge 82-58 win over the Northwestern Wildcats (3-5, Big Ten) on Sunday Dec. 3 in Evanston, Ill. The Hoyas opened up a double-digit lead early on, and Northwestern never really had a chance to get back in the game. Georgetown’s offense was unstoppable all game, with Sunday being the Hoyas’ highest scoring game all season by a significant margin. Another cause for celebration for Georgetown was that senior guard Kelsey Ransom further cemented her status as a Hoya legend by scoring her 1000th career point for the Hoyas.
Northwestern sophomore forward Alana Goodchild got the first points of the game for the Wildcats, but Georgetown responded with a huge 14-0 run featuring four three-pointers in a row from sophomore guard Victoria Rivera. The Wildcats recovered slightly in the last five minutes of the quarter, but the damage had already been done and Georgetown ended the quarter with a 22-13 advantage. Northwestern’s defense double-teamed the Hoyas as they drove to the basket, leaving Georgetown players, especially Rivera, open on the perimeter. Georgetown was consistently able to make good passes to find Rivera open for three-pointers; four different Hoyas assisted on Rivera three-pointers.
The Hoyas kept up the huge scoring pace in the second quarter. Ransom pushed the break on a few occasions, getting open layups as well as free throws for herself and her teammates. Some frustration from Northwestern began to show as the Wildcats increasingly began fouling the Hoyas. Georgetown capitalized on those opportunities and made all seven of their free throw attempts. The Hoya offense was simply unstoppable all quarter, and the exclamation point on the period was a buzzer-beating three-pointer from graduate guard Alex Cowan that gave Georgetown a 51-27 lead going into halftime. It’s impossible to understate how strong the Hoya offense performed in the first half. Georgetown’s 51 halftime points alone exceeded their total from their previous game, a 45-43 win against Howard.
Northwestern was able to cut down the Hoyas’ lead slightly in the third quarter, but they never made the game truly competitive. The Wildcats started pressing farther up court, trying to force Hoya mistakes, but Georgetown had good ball security all game and kept escaping the Wildcats’ traps. Northwestern sophomore guard Caroline Lau led a balanced scoring effort to give the Wildcats some life on the offense; however, that wasn’t enough to get back in the game, and the Hoyas still led 67-47 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Hoyas slowed their offense down in the fourth, which lowered their scoring pace but allowed them to comfortably see out the game, and the Hoyas left Evanston with a dominant 82-58 win.
The Hoyas’ season-best offensive performance was a team effort; Ransom, Rivera, Cowan, junior forward Brianna Scott, and graduate forward Graceann Bennett all scored double-digit points against Northwestern. The Hoyas moved the ball well, taking any opportunity the Wildcats gave them. Sunday’s win was a huge road victory for Georgetown in the midst of their non-conference schedule; it was the first time all season Georgetown played a high-major school. The game showed that Georgetown can put up big numbers on the scoreboard—something that’s been a struggle at times this season. Ransom’s milestone was also big for the Hoyas; the senior guard has averaged at least 10 points per game in all three of her seasons on the Hilltop and looks set to keep that streak going this season.
The Hoyas kept their momentum going on Tuesday, Dec. 5 with a dominant 61-40 win against Colgate. They will try to extend their winning streak to seven games at home against another high-major opponent, Wake Forest on Sunday Dec. 17. The game will be broadcast on Big East Digital Network. For continued coverage and updates on Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
