The Georgetown University Hoyas (8-8, 1-4 Big East) faced off against the No. 7 AP poll-ranked University of Connecticut Huskies (15-2, 6-0 Big East) Jan. 11, and despite leading after the first quarter and well into the second quarter, the stronger, more experienced Huskies defeated the Hoyas, 73-55.
First-year guard Khadee Hession led the Hoyas, scoring a career-high 22 points and going 6-for-8 from beyond the arc, while the Huskies’ defense held graduate guard and Big East leading scorer Kelsey Ransom to a mere 9 points following her career-high 35-point match against Villanova University just three days prior. While Georgetown started the game with speed and power, UConn ultimately gained both offensive and defensive momentum, shutting down the Hoyas to secure the victory.
Saturday’s matchup was a home game for the Hoyas, though it was played at Washington, D.C.’s sold-out Entertainment and Sports Arena rather than Georgetown’s usual home turf of McDonough Arena. The Hoyas hardly enjoyed a home-field advantage though, and UConn’s momentous return in the second quarter may have been helped by the sheer number of Huskies fans in the stands.
This matchup was the second between the Hoyas and Huskies, as the Huskies previously left Georgetown with a 79-44 loss last month. Last season, the two teams faced off in the Big East Championship in March, where the Hoyas suffered an eerily similar 78-42 loss.
Senior center Ariel Jenkins secured the first possession for the Hoyas in the tipoff, though UConn guard Kaitlyn Chen put up the game’s first points. A set of skilled passes and maneuvering led junior guard Victoria Rivera to score the Hoyas’ first points, and a missed screen leading to an open three for Jenkins put the Hoyas up 5-2 a minute and a half into the game. A UConn lob and a layup brought the score up to 5-4 Georgetown, and a backcourt violation on the Hoyas’ end and a screen and successful shot on the Huskies’ end put UConn up 6-5 about three minutes into the game before a 3-pointer from Rivera and a jumper from UConn guard Ashlynn Shade tied the game up 8-8 close to four minutes in.
An 8-point run by the Hoyas consisting of threes from first-year guards Jayden McBride and Hession and a layup from Ransom saw Georgetown go up 16-8. The Huskies quickly responded, putting up a 7-point run to cut the Hoyas’ lead to one point. A slew of turnovers saw each team score an additional basket to end the first quarter with an advantage 18-17 to Georgetown.
The second quarter saw much of the same basket-to-basket action, with the teams fighting for whatever narrow lead they could garner. Hession continued to dominate, netting a pair of threes and working to secure rebounds. Ransom’s stellar defense also helped to keep the Huskies’ offense at bay, and the game was tied 31-31 with less than three minutes left in the half. However, multiple missed shots on the Hoyas’ end and a field goal percentage of just over 69% on the Huskies’ side for the quarter saw UConn go up 38-33 at the half.
The start of the third quarter saw the Huskies crack down on the full-court defense they had been playing all game, increasing the pressure on the Hoyas. Georgetown continued to use the same defensive tactics from the first two quarters, only picking up players once they got around the arc. Both teams continued to put up baskets, and the 6-point UConn lead remained relatively stable.
About 2:40 into the quarter, after coming down from a rebound attempt, Rivera hit the ground hard and clutched her left hip until she was helped off the court. Turnovers from both teams, some nifty steals, and a few successful baskets saw the Huskies steadily grow their lead. Georgetown attempted to regroup with a timeout and gained back Rivera, who sent in a 3-pointer about two minutes into her return, but it was not enough. Hoya shots spun out of the basket, and the Huskies sailed on another successful run to end the quarter up 57-43 as tension and excitement rose in the energy-filled arena.
Unfortunately, the fourth quarter saw much of the same action as the third, with multiple turnovers, defensive rebounding and steals, and a second pair of 3-pointers for Hession. But ultimately, Georgetown’s shots could not fall, and after UConn secured possession with seven seconds left, the game came to an unfortunate end for the Hoyas, with the Huskies winning 73-55.
Throughout the game, both teams put up a similar number of attempts, with the Hoyas having a few more opportunities for points off free throws. Both teams went 10-for-26 in the 3-point range, while UConn boasted a dominant 53.4% field goal percentage for 58 attempts compared to Georgetown’s 33.9% for 56 attempts. This difference ultimately cost Georgetown the game. Georgetown had been shooting 41% from the floor this season on average so far, though that level would still not have been able to best UConn’s strong offensive form.
Although the Hoyas did not secure the win over the Huskies, the team performed better than their previous two matchups against UConn, nearly cutting their deficit in half. The less dominant performance on the Huskies’ side could be in part due to the lack of their star player, guard Paige Bueckers, who was out with a lower body sprain. However, the Georgetown offense was still not a match for UConn, as the Hoyas fell to the Huskies for the 40th consecutive time.
The Hoyas will now gear up for their next game against Butler University (11-7, 1-4 Big East), where they will be hoping to win their fourth straight game against the team and earn their second conference win of the season in a bulldog-to-bulldog matchup. The Jan. 14 game will be away at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., at 7 p.m., and can be viewed on the Big East Digital Network.
