Georgetown women’s basketball (11-16, 4-12 BIG EAST) dropped a close contest against the Marquette Golden Eagles (19-8, 11-5 BIG EAST) 55-50 on Feb. 22. After falling behind big early, the Hoyas repeatedly rallied to keep the game close before a late three-point miss effectively ended the game.
Despite the fact that this is a recap about a basketball game, the story of this one was a lot bigger than just basketball. On this night, the Hoyas honored graduate guard, this seasons’ leading scorer, and all-time great Hoya Kelsey Ransom, as well as former coach Tasha Butts as a part of the Hoyas “Pink Game” in support of Breast Cancer research. Both Ransom and Butts have meant an enormous amount to the Hoya program in their time at Georgetown and beyond it. A moment of silence was held for Butts before tip-off.
As for the game itself, the Eagles took an early advantage as the Hoyas’ offense struggled to get any shots to fall, quickly falling down 17-7 to the road team. With the game nearly getting away from them though, Ransom led an emphatic 11-0 run starting with an elbow jumper on one end and a drawn charge on the other. The Hoyas used their toughness to battle back, often using offensive rebounds and putback layups to get on the board as their jumpers continued to go awry. On defense, they completely flummoxed the Marquette offense, forcing turnovers and a shot clock violation as the Golden Eagles weren’t able to get anything easy.
The Hoyas took the lead for the first time in the second quarter on a three pointer from freshman guard Khadee Hession, bringing the score to 18-17. Marquette was able to respond with a 9-2 run of their own, though, but the Hoyas refused to let the Eagles get away and kept the game within a score at half, 28-26. At halftime Ransom had 12 points, but all other Hoyas combined to shoot 6-22 from the field. Marquette junior guard Jaidynn Mason led the game with 14 points as the Eagles shot a slightly better 38 percent from the field, but the Hoyas 5-rebound advantage on the boards kept them in the game.
In the second half, the Eagles again tried to pull away, using two consecutive triples to create an early 35-28 lead, but again the Hoyas battled back. Ransom again played a key role in the Hoyas’ response with two straight baskets. Hession also chipped in with a steal and score of her own to get the game back to a possession. At the end of three quarters, the Marquette lead was down to 41-40.
A three pointer from junior guard Victoria Rivera early in the fourth gave the lead to the Hoyas once more at 44-43, forcing a Marquette timeout. The break was for naught as a Marquette offensive foul of the timeout gave the ball right back to the Hoyas…who turned it back over with an offensive foul of their own. In case it wasn’t clear already, these teams were quite evenly matched tonight. The Golden Eagles regained the lead once more, but the Hoyas then tied the game again 47-47 as Ransom was able to get to the free throw line at will down the stretch.
With 13 seconds left and a one point lead, Mason drove and hit a layup, extending the lead to three, putting the Hoyas in a desperate position. On the ensuing possession, Rivera wasn’t able to hit a three under duress. With no foul called, the Eagles recovered the rebound, securing their victory after shooting a pair at the line. The Hoyas lost, despite a strong defensive outing, 55-50. Ransom led the game with 22 points, Mason led the Eagles with 18, and the non-Ransom Hoyas shot 11-38 from the field.
Next, the Hoyas head on the road to take on the St. John’s Red Storm (14-12, 4-11 BIG EAST) on Feb 26. at 7:00 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on FloSports. For continued coverage and updates on Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
