The Georgetown women’s basketball team brought out the high-wire drama early this season, eking out a 67-66 win over the Netherlands’ National Team Monday night on a buzzerbeater.
The last-second score came courtesy of senior guard Mary Lisicky, who kept the team afloat with six three-pointers and 24 points for the night. With a little luck and a jump shot off a give-and-go, Lisicky helped steal away the victory from a resilient Dutch team marked by strong outside shooting.
The Orange – no, not Syracuse; the other Orange – were in town on an East Coast tour, a ritual for both international teams and their collegiate stateside counterparts in November.
The Dutch gave the Wildcats fits up at Villanova in a triple-overtime victory, and they also proved puzzling for the Hoyas.
“This Netherlands team is very good. This is a very good shooting team. It’s pretty much what I expected of it,” Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said.
Georgetown looked as if it could roll to a win in the opening minutes of the first half, staying well ahead of the visiting team.
But before the Hoyas could put their victims away, the Dutch surged back with a series of three-pointers to take the lead with seven minutes left in the first half, 22-20.
After a 12-4 run, the roles looked reversed, and the Netherlands held an imposing 34-24 lead with three minutes to go.
Georgetown managed to shut down its opponent’s perimeter offense and got back into the game by the end of the half, only trailing 36-32.
“They went up when we didn’t get out and guard the three-point shooters. It was streaky, and it had a lot to with our defense,” Williams-Flournoy said. “When our defense was up and tough and didn’t give up the second shots, then we were able to do what we were supposed to do. When we gave them the open shots, when we gave up rebounds, then that kept them in the game.”
Neither team established an advantage in the second half, but the Hoyas helped keep things under control with better coverage and stronger rebounding. Lisicky hit five baskets from behind the arc while senior center Varda Tamoulianis posted nine rebounds for the half.
After 18 minutes of play, the Netherlands was riding high off shooting guard Irene Sloof’s three-pointer with 30 seconds left to put her team up 66-65.
But Georgetown managed to bring the ball down to their side and cobbled together a play in the final seconds. Lisicky passed the ball to Tamoulianis and cut inside, where Tamoulianis fed her the ball for one last attempt.
Fortunately for the Hoyas, and less so for the mass of orange-clad spectators in the bleachers, the shot found its way to the basket.
“Varda just flashed, and I gave her the ball. I saw that I had a step on my man, so I just [went] right to her and right to the basket,” Lisicky said. “Varda found me and I threw it up – shot it, I didn’t throw it up.”
Tamoulianis snagged 17 points and 14 rebounds in her first game of post-Brunson post play. Senior guard Bethany LeSueur also chipped in with some key field goals and 12 points while freshman forward Kieraah Marlow provided some muscle in the frontcourt in her first game at Georgetown with six offensive rebounds.
“Kieraah did a great job today in game. She got so many offensive boards. She’s doing great,” Tamoulianis said. “All the post players are doing great. They just need to get more experience.”
Forward Marloes Roetgerink led the Netherlands with 17 points, and guard Laura Kooy rode four three-pointers to a 15-point performance.
Georgetown will face another European opponent, UMMC-Ekaterinburg of Russia, on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. in cDonough Gymnasium. The Hoyas’ first regular season game will take place next Friday at 7:30 p.m. against the George Washington Colonials, also in McDonough.
“I think we came out with intensity. Our matchup zone in the first half was effective. We’re still learning that. I think it’s just going to come,” Lisicky said. “From what we worked for three weeks with coach, her offense and her defense, it worked pretty well. So hopefully we can just improve.”
