Graduate guard Kelsey Ransom starred in a career game as the No. 10 Georgetown University Hoyas women’s basketball team (12-18, 4-14 Big East) outlasted the No. 7 Providence College Friars (13-19, 6-12 Big East) for a 58-56 win in the first round of the Big East women’s basketball tournament March 7.
After running the table last year to reach the Big East championship game, the Hoyas have faced a tougher year this season. On senior day, Georgetown lost their seventh straight to Providence, 66-62, fueling the Hoyas as they went into a game they were expected to lose.
The Hoyas grabbed the opening tipoff and started strong, as Ransom opened up the scoring with a quick make from the top of the key.
However, both teams struggled to settle in. Poor shooting and turnovers kept the score at 4-4 through the first three minutes.
The Hoyas then started to find their rhythm offensively, adding two layups and retaking the lead. Georgetown standout first-year guard Khadee Hession drew a charge and appeared to hurt her ankle, but remained in the game, providing momentum to propel the Hoyas through the quarter.
Ransom also shined defensively, blocking a Providence shot that led to a strong layup from senior center Ariel Jenkins.
Providence guard Nariah Scott made the game’s first 3-pointer with 1:30 left in the first quarter, though neither team was effective from beyond the arc throughout the game. The Hoyas shot 11.8% from 3 while the Friars made 19% of their long-range attempts.
Still, Georgetown, buoyed by a plus-3 turnover differential, took a 14-9 lead to end the first quarter.
The Friars made a quick run at the beginning of the second quarter, taking their first and only lead of the game, before Ransom quickly responded with a foot-on-the-line 2-pointer.
After the Hoyas opened up their lead to two possessions near the end of the half, Ransom again came in clutch. She recovered a bouncing rebound, turned and nailed a buzzer-beater from the top of the paint, giving Georgetown a 31-24 lead at halftime.
The Friars did not roll over in the second half, however, and took advantage of Georgetown’s frontcourt foul trouble. Halfway through the third quarter, the Hoyas’ starting forwards, senior forward Kaliyah Myricks and Jenkins, were both called for their fourth personal fouls. The Hoyas still kept the lead at 7, as strong defense prevented Providence from sparking a run despite Georgetown’s shooting struggles.
With 3:45 left in the third quarter, Myricks fouled out, and the Friars finally found some momentum on offense.
Forward Olivia Olsen valiantly spearheaded Providence’s effort, despite playing with a brace on her right knee and visibly limping up and down the court. Olsen led the Friars’ offense with 21 points, and was one of two Providence players to finish with a positive plus-minus in the box score.
With 6:33 left in the game, Jenkins also fouled out. As the pressure mounted on the Georgetown defense, Hession picked up a loose ball foul while falling herself. Head Coach Darnell Haney, surprised at the call, was then called for a technical, giving Providence the spark they desperately needed.
After the Friars made both technical free throws, Hession picked up a shooting foul on the next possession and the Friars narrowed the gap to 3 with six minutes left to play.
Undersized and with no players taller than six feet on the court, the Hoyas switched to zone defense in an attempt to stymie the Friars’ offense and take back the momentum, varying between a 2-3 and a 3-2 for the rest of the game.
Coming out of the under-five timeout, Providence found a wide-open three against the zone, and cut the lead down to just 1. After more back-and-forth possessions, Olsen was fouled in transition with just under a minute to play. At the line with the opportunity to tie, the Friars forward nailed both.
Ransom drove to the basket and threw up a layup that bounced right back to her at the next possession, and missed another effort afterward. Out of the timeout with 27.7 seconds left, the Friars held the ball at the perimeter and drained the clock, before feeding Olsen in the post. Olsen tried to pivot, but was double-teamed by the Hoyas, including an aggressive Ransom. But the referees held their whistles, and Ransom blocked a layup from Olsen that would have given Providence the lead.
After replay review, the Hoyas were awarded the possession and the chance to win the game.
On the inbound, Georgetown unsurprisingly looked to get the ball to Ransom, who was fouled immediately. In the most crucial moment of an incredible standout performance, the all-Big East guard sank two free throws to give the Hoyas the late lead.
With 2.7 seconds still remaining on the clock, the Friars still had one last chance. They threw the ball up to the rim, where Olsen had an uncontested tip-in, but she tapped the ball just a bit too hard and it rolled off the rim.
After the game, Haney was full of praise for his superstar, Ransom, who finished the game with a career-high 36 points and played every minute.
“The kid just has an unbelievable will. Her will gets her over the hump. She will not be denied,” Haney said in a postgame press conference. “She’s the ultimate winner. She finds a way to get it done.”
Ransom remained humble, thanking her teammates for their effort.
“That’s 36 points off of great screens and fantastic passes, and my teammates knowing where I need the ball,” Ransom said after the game. “There’s five people on the floor, 13 people on the bench, you can’t do it by yourself. You have to rely on your teammates and your sisters.”
The Hoyas now move on to the quarterfinals, and will play No. 2 seeded Creighton (24-5, 16-2 Big East) March 8 at 7 p.m. on FS2.
