Georgetown women’s basketball (11-18, 4-14 BIG EAST) couldn’t quite pull off the upset against the No. 23 Creighton Bluejays (24-5, 16-2 BIG EAST), falling 70-72 on Saturday, Mar. 8 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. in the second round of the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament. Georgetown led by as much as 12 points, but Creighton battled back to win a heartbreaker.
From the get go, Creighton’s game plan was clear. On defense, the Bluejays committed to stopping Georgetown graduate guard Kelsey Ransom, who scored 36 in Georgetown’s first-round game against Providence. On offense, Creighton relied on their most effective weapon— three-point shooting.
In the first quarter, Creighton executed that plan to perfection. They held Ransom scoreless and sank five three-pointers on seven attempts. However, Georgetown turned to senior center Ariel Jenkins, who scored 8 points in the first. Her efforts kept Creighton within reach, as the Bluejays only led 22-16 at the end of the quarter.
The Hoyas found their footing in the second, and a big part of that was Ransom, who scored her first six points of the game in quick succession. During that stretch, she scored the 2000th point of her career, a mark that only two other players have hit in the history of the program.
After the Hoyas fought their way back to just a two-point deficit, freshman guard Khadee Hession made a three-pointer while being fouled, converting a four-point play to put the Hoyas up 38-36. Hession’s play started a 12-2 Georgetown run to end the half. Hession capped that run off with a buzzer-beating three-pointer off the glass, sending the Hoyas into halftime with a 46-38 lead and all the momentum.
The Hoyas kept that momentum up as the third quarter began, with Jenkins and Hession scoring right off the bat to put the Hoyas up 50-38. It seemed like nothing was going Creighton’s way—the Bluejays missed three layups on their next offensive possession.
However, senior guard Morgan Maly hit Crieghton’s first three-pointer since the first quarter. Maly’s shot seemed to turn things around for the Bluejays, who found an offensive rhythm and began to play better on the defensive side. They cut Georgetown’s lead down to just six points, putting the score at 59-53 heading into the final quarter of the game.
The Bluejays did not let up, narrowing Georgetown’s lead to just three points in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. As the minutes ticked down, the pace of the game slowed as both teams repeatedly committed fouls. Creighton cut Georgetown’s lead to just two points with just two and a half minutes left. Right after, Creighton forced a turnover from Hession, and senior guard Lauren Jensen tied the game up at 68.
The teams traded scores, leaving the game at 70-70. Creighton missed a shot with 35 seconds left, but Georgetown whiffed on their next opportunity, as Ransom’s contested jumper rolled off the rim. With four seconds left, Georgetown junior guard Victoria Rivera fouled Creighton junior guard Kiani Lockett away from the basket, who made two free throws to put Creighton up 72-70. Georgetown Coach Darnell Haney called his last timeout to draw up a final play. With one last chance, Rivera couldn’t get a clean look for the win, and Creighton ended Georgetown’s season.
Ransom and Jenkins led the way in their final games for Georgetown with 20 and 16 points respectively. In her final collegiate game, Ransom also tallied 10 assists and 9 rebounds, just one board short of a triple double. On the other end, Jensen had 22 and Maly had 20. In an impressive defensive display, Georgetown held Creighton to just one made three-pointer after the first quarter. However, it wasn’t enough down the stretch as Creighton battled back to stave off the upset.
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