Georgetown women’s basketball (5-3, 0-1 BIG EAST) opened up their conference play this Thursday, Dec. 4, against the Villanova University Wildcats (7-2, 1-0 BIG EAST). The Hoyas put up a fight and tried to stage a comeback in the fourth quarter but were ultimately unable to overcome the Wildcat lead, losing 76-69.
The Hoyas started hot, scoring on their first two offensive possessions of the game and bringing intensity on both sides of the court. They outrebounded the Wildcats early in the quarter and their quick rotation on defense kept Villanova scoreless for the first three and a half minutes.
Despite their strong start, Georgetown faded quickly. The rest of the quarter was characterized by missed shots and execution mistakes that turned into seven turnovers. However, with the Wildcats also struggling to put the ball through the net, the Hoyas were able to keep themselves within three. The score was 11-14 at the end of the first.
The second quarter was not marked by the same level of intensity that the Hoyas started the game with. Georgetown struggled to sink shots and convert opponent turnovers into points. With just three minutes left in the half, Hoya sophomore guard Summer Davis got a quick steal and a layup to give Georgetown some momentum. This seemed to be just what Georgetown needed, as they followed it up defensively with a block and later a three-pointer by Davis to bring Georgetown within six.
Junior guard Khia Miller fed off the intensity from Davis, and a good defensive effort gave Georgetown the ball for what should have been the last shot of the half with just 27 seconds left. However, an offensive foul gave the Wildcats the ball back. They were able to easily break through the Hoya defense for a layup, allowing them to go into the half up 32-25.
While the Hoyas kept it close for the first half, the game looked like it was slipping away by the beginning of the third quarter. Georgetown couldn’t contain Villanova’s sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe, who hit several stepback jumpers to increase the Wildcats’ lead. Nevertheless, the fight continued. Georgetown ended the quarter with momentum by drawing a charge and driving to the basket several times but was unable to make a dent in Villanova’s lead. The score going into the fourth was 54-44 Villanova.
Feeding off the end of the third quarter, Georgetown started the fourth with the energy they should have had the entire game. Sophomore guard Khadee Hession hit two three pointers in the first minute, and several offensive fouls by Villanova and strong defensive Georgetown stops had the Hoya bench erupting and the crowd on its feet.
The last minute Hoya energy gave Georgetown 25 points in the fourth—more than they scored in any other quarter—but it ultimately wasn’t enough to get the job done. Villanova was able to fend off Georgetown’s attacks and some costly Hoya fouls allowed the Wildcats to maintain their lead to end the game 76-69.
Georgetown women’s basketball looks to bounce back on Sunday, Dec. 7 at Wake Forest University (9-1, ACC). The Hoyas will need to find a way to string together four solid quarters of high-intensity basketball, hopefully learning from their struggles with maintaining their energy against Villanova.
