Georgetown women’s basketball (11-18, 4-14 BIG EAST) snuck past the Providence Friars (13-18, 6-12 BIG EAST) 58-56 on Friday, Mar. 7 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. in the first round of the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament. A loss would have ended Georgetown’s season, but graduate guard Kelsey Ransom did not let her time as a Hoya end yet. She set a career high with 36 points, willing the Hoyas to survive and advance.
Ransom opened the scoring with a midrange jumper that rolled in, but both teams struggled on offense in the early going. Georgetown’s defense, though, left the biggest mark on the first quarter. The Hoyas forced seven Providence turnovers in the first quarter, particularly through well-timed double teams that forced Friars players to make questionable passes. Ransom’s 6 points led the Hoyas to a 14-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
It took just one minute for Providence to erase that deficit, though, with graduate guard Grace Efosa hitting a midrange jumper and senior guard Nariah Scott hitting a three-pointer to tie it up. The teams battled back and forth as the second quarter wore on, with both teams struggling to get good shots on offense. However, it was once again strong defense that made the difference. Georgetown began to press Providence more aggressively, forcing turnovers and scoring six unanswered points to enter halftime up 31-24.
Just like in the first quarter, Ransom scored the first basket of the second half with a trademark drive to the basket and finish. Providence continued to run their offense through senior forward Olivia Olsen, who became the first Providence player to reach double-digit points in the third quarter. Defending Olsen was a challenge for the Hoyas, putting two of their main post defenders in foul trouble. Both senior center Ariel Jenkins and senior forward Kaliyah Myricks picked up their respective fourth fouls in the third quarter. Myricks picked up her fifth with just under four minutes left in the third quarter, keeping her out from the rest of the game.
The fouls and missing players allowed Providence to cut into Georgetown’s lead, closing the gap to just four points. Although Georgetown had missed their first twelve attempts from behind the arc, Ransom ended the drought at the perfect time. In the last minute of the third, Ransom hit Georgetown’s first three-pointer of the game to put the Hoyas up 47-40 going into the fourth quarter. She also boosted her scoring tally for the game up to 25 points, more than half of the team’s total offense.
To open the fourth quarter, Ransom made yet another three-pointer to give the Hoyas their biggest lead of the night at 50-40. However, the momentum quickly swung back in Providence’s favor. With six minutes left, Jenkins fouled out while fighting for a rebound, leaving the Hoyas with no forwards or centers available except for freshman forward Alexia Araujo-Dagba. On the next possession, the referees called a technical foul on Georgetown head coach Darnell Haney, and Providence closed the gap to 50-47 on the ensuing possession.
The teams traded points until Georgetown led 56-52 with just under two minutes left. Then, Olsen scored four unanswered points to tie the game with 53 seconds left. Ransom missed a short jumper, leaving Providence a chance to take the final shot of the game. Olsen got the ball in the paint but her shot attempt was blocked and Georgetown got possession.
The Hoyas had 3.7 seconds left on the clock for their final possession. Ransom got the ball off the inbound and was fouled, heading to the line with a tie game and the chance to be the hero. She made both free throws, setting her career high with 36 points. Olsen had one last chance to tie the game with 2.7 seconds left, but her tip-in rolled off the rim and out, leaving Georgetown to celebrate a 58-56 victory.
The Hoyas are back in action tomorrow at 7 p.m. EST against the Creighton Bluejays in the second round of the BIG EAST Tournament. The game will take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and it will be broadcast on FS2. For continued coverage and updates on Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
