Georgetown women’s basketball (13-14, 6-12 BIG EAST) lost 66-58 to the Butler University Bulldogs (10-18, 4-14 BIG EAST) in a close game on Saturday, Feb. 21 at McDonough Arena. Graduate forward Brianna Scott led the way for the Hoyas on Saturday, leading the team in points and rebounds, but her effort was not enough to secure the victory for Georgetown.
The Hoyas started off the game on their front foot, with play flowing through graduate forward Brianna Scott. In the first five minutes of action, Scott created offensive opportunities in the paint and outside the arc, at one point splitting two defenders for an and-one layup that fired up the home crowd. She also got the crowd on their feet with a huge block as the clock ran down the quarter. The Hoyas finished the first period up, 17-11, in a commanding position.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Butler fought back to cut Georgetown’s lead to two points, 23-21. Turnovers started to throw a wrench in the Hoyas’ offensive machine as more possessions ended with unforced errors. After a Georgetown turnover and foul, Butler sophomore guard McKenna Johnson drove into the paint and finished a layup to bring Georgetown’s lead to one point. The score sat at 27-26, where it remained at the end of the first half.
To start the second half, Butler came out hot, taking their first lead since the third minute of the game. Both squads traded buckets, leaving the contest tied up at 38-38. However, the turnover bug returned for the Hoyas, and they could not get a scoring possession, leaving Butler to score six unanswered and take a 44-38 lead. Georgetown took a timeout, leading to a cutthroat mid-quarter game of musical basketballs (think musical chairs, but with basketballs) that ended with a fight between two pint-sized kids over the last ball. Seeing the children’s winning desire lit a fire under the Hoyas, especially Scott, who scored tough baskets in the paint on back-to-back possessions. Scott’s effort cut the Bulldogs’ lead to just 46-42 heading into the final period.
As the game entered its final quarter, both teams recognized the importance of the remaining 10 minutes of play, fighting for every loose ball and every possession. The Hoya defense couldn’t stop Butler as the Bulldogs built a 60-53 lead, forcing Georgetown to call a timeout with just over two minutes left. Coming out of the timeout, the Hoyas quickly cut the Bulldogs’ lead to just 60-56. With little time left on the clock, Georgetown started to foul, but Butler made their free throws and the Hoyas settled for a 66-58 loss.
Georgetown travels to Connecticut to face the No. 1 University of Connecticut Huskies (28-0, 17-0 BIG EAST) on Thursday, Feb. 26. The Hoyas will look to pull off an improbable upset on the road against the undefeated Huskies.
