Following an impressive win at home last weekend against rival Villanova, the Georgetown women’s basketball team looked to build off of that performance during an important weekend road trip at St. John’s and Seton Hall. Using the momentum from the Villanova win would be instrumental in catapulting the Hoyas out of the depths of a previous three-game conference losing skid. However, Georgetown fell in Big East matchups, losing 59-51 to St. John’s and 76-63 to Seton Hall.

Georgetown faced St. John’s first Jan. 25 in Queens, N.Y. The Hoyas (9-11, 3-6 Big East) appeared to be in trouble, as the Red Storm (9-11, 2-7 Big East) jumped out of the gates with an 11-2 run. Georgetown managed to regain its composure quickly and responded with an 8-0 run of its own. As the first quarter drew to a close, the team was within striking distance, trailing just 15-13.

The game remained a tightly contested battle in the second period, as neither team could pull away from the other. When the Big East rivals entered the locker room, the Red Storm clung to a one point lead over the Hoyas, 24-23.

Senior guard Brianna Jones led the offensive charge in the first half for the Hoyas, tallying seven points off the bench. Reinforcements were provided by graduate student guard Dorothy Adomako and senior guard Dionna White, both of whom added five points.

The second half played out similarly to the first, as the game remained close throughout. The Red Storm were able to create a degree of breathing room between themselves and the Hoyas in the third quarter by outscoring Georgetown by five points. Early in the fourth quarter, St. John’s truly began to take hold of the game by building its lead to 12 while Georgetown’s offense fell into a dry spell.

Facing their biggest deficit of the game, the Hoyas fought back to cut the difference to four with just three minutes remaining. The game then became a test of whether St. John’s could hit free throws, as Georgetown needed to put the Red Storm on the line to extend the game. This final effort ultimately failed, as the Hoyas came up short 59-51.

Just as they did in the first half, Jones and Adomako were able to keep Georgetown in the game throughout the second. They finished with totals of 14 and 12 points.

Head Coach James Howard was disappointed in his team’s recent performance. He remarked on how key extra effort is in a postgame interview with GUHoyas.

“There was no consistency, no effort tonight,” Howard said. “If we can find consistency, and toughness by boxing out and doing the little things we can change the outcome of these games.”

Less than 48 hours later, the Hoyas travelled to South Orange, N.J., on Jan. 27, looking to salvage a split on this road trip with a win against Seton Hall (13-7, 5-4 Big East).

Given the play in the first period, the Hoyas seemed to be in the midst of another tough road game that would require a complete effort in order earn a victory. Both teams went back and forth, with Seton Hall clinging to a 13-9 lead at the end of the quarter.

The game transitioned quickly into a offensive showcase, as both teams found their rhythm and combined for a 40-point quarter on offense. However, the Pirates managed to get the best of the Hoyas during this stretch, as they outscored Georgetown by six in the quarter, which gave them a 36-26 cushion to start the second half.

The Pirates’ lead grew sizably in the beginning of the third, as the Hoyas found themselves down 17 halfway through the quarter. The women showed incredible resolve after this offensive flurry by answering with a 13-0 run in a matter of minutes to make the score 48-44.

The game entered the fourth quarter at 52-48 but did not remain close for long. Seton Hall opened up the final period with a 9-1 run that gave them a 12-point lead and control of the game. This time, the Hoyas could not mount a comeback like they did in the third quarter and walked away with their second loss on the road trip, 76-63.

On offense, Adomako led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Not much further behind her was graduate student guard Mikayla Venson, who contributed 18 points on 7-11 shooting from the field. White also made her presence on the court felt, as she put together a very complete performance that consisted of 13 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals.

After the game, Howard expressed that while he was proud of how the team fought, they still did not do enough to win in a interview with GUHoyas.

“They fought to come back and showed intensity, but we didn’t have that sense of urgency for the entire game,” Howard said. “We fought, but we need to continue to do all of the little things to come all the way back and get the win.”

Georgetown’s next opportunity to get back in the win column comes at home against Creighton on Feb. 1. The Bluejays beat the Hoyas 65-38 earlier this season Jan. 6.