On Feb. 12, the Georgetown women’s basketball team suited up to play No. 1 University of Connecticut Huskies. Despite a slow start, UConn secured a 64-40 victory at McDonough Arena.  

Although UConn currently leads the Big East and is arguably the country’s most historically formidable team, Georgetown came ready to battle. The Hoyas started the game with a lot of hustle, down by 1 point at the end of the first quarter. By halftime, the Huskies were up by 8 points. In the second half, however, the Huskies secured the game.  

Georgetown (1-10, 1-10 Big East) dominated the first quarter, with UConn (16-1, 13-0 Big East) up by just 13-12 after the first 10 minutes. In a tight zone defense, the Hoyas were active in the passing lines and strongly guarded the paint. First-year guard Kelsey Ransom was all over the floor, with two steals in the first five minutes. With 4:35 left in the first half, Georgetown scored 7 points on UConn’s five turnovers. At 4:05, the Huskies shifted to a full-court man-to-man press in response to a 7-3 run by the Hoyas.

UConn soon picked up its pace. Junior guard Christyn Williams broke open the second quarter by draining a step-back three-pointer from the corner. This second-quarter run was augmented by first-year guard Paige Bueckers, an offensive force who was also lethal from the three-point line. The Huskies outscored the Hoyas 16-9 to end the half, starting the third quarter up by 7 points. 

In the third quarter, UConn continued its offensive push, outscoring Georgetown 18-7. Against a tight man-to-man defense, the Hoyas continued to move the ball around. Sophomore forward Graceann Bennett worked hard to get to the high post spot, but Georgetown continued to settle for outside shots. Some success came when the Hoyas forced the Huskies to defend in the paint. After a little off-the-ball movement, first-year guard Yasmin Ott got it to the rim herself. 

UConn held Georgetown to just 12 points in the fourth quarter. The game ultimately got away from the Hoyas against a strong offense from the Huskies, led by guards Williams and Bueckers. Bueckers, who is compared to the likes of Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, recorded 19 points and nine assists. Williams also earned 19 points and seven rebounds.

Despite the loss, Georgetown should be proud of its performance against UConn, a team currently poised to win its 12th national championship this season. Huskies Head Coach Geno Auriemma had his foot on the pedal until the bitter end, keeping his team in a full-court press well into the fourth quarter and subbing out Bueckers with only a minute left. 

After a weekend of rest, Georgetown will face off against Seton Hall (9-5, 7-4 Big East) on Feb. 17 in South Orange, N.J. The game will tip off at 7:00 p.m., with Georgetown looking to earn its second season victory.