Charles Nailen/The Hoya Although senior guard Lesley Walker got a rest during this preseason game shown above, she played 40 minutes against Rutgers.

Facing the loss of several players, including sophomore forward and leading scorer Rebekkah Brunson, to injury, the Georgetown women’s basketball team had a challenging winter break, clawing its way to a 9-5 record.

The Hoyas played eight games since the end of last semester’s classes, winning four and losing four. However, two of the losses came at the hands of No. 7 Duke (12-3) and a strong St. Joseph’s squad (11-2). The other two were extremely close games _ a 59-55 loss to Providence and a 63-61 loss to Pittsburgh. Most recently, they ended a three-game skid with a 67-57 win over Rutgers on Wednesday.

Brunson has been sidelined with a stress fracture in her lower leg since Dec. 20. She is expected to be out for two to three more weeks. She leads the team with 16.9 points per game and 7.6 rebounds. Sophomore forward Varda Tamoulianis is out for the season with a knee injury, according to Head Coach Pat Knapp. Junior guard Joi Irby has also been sidelined with an injury. In addition, junior guard Shawntese Charles was out with an ankle injury during the break; she has since recovered and is expected to be in action tomorrow.

“We’ve really been battling the ups and downs and the unfamiliarity of having different people play,” Knapp said.

The Hoyas played an intense first half against Duke and were down 40-31 at the break. Led by strong play from senior guard Lesley Walker, who finished the game with a team-high 21 points, the Hoyas were within 10 points with 14:33 remaining in the game. However, the Blue Devils, who had six players in double-digits, went on a 13-0 run and finished with an 89-54 win.

Against American (6-7) on Dec. 11, freshman point guard Mary Lisicky tied a Georgetown record for three-pointers in a game, sinking seven. She led the team with 21 points on the way to a 78-56 victory. The Eagles refused to roll over for the Hoyas, and it took separate 20-4 and 18-3 runs, as well as 70-percent field goal shooting in the second half for Georgetown to pull out the win. Lisicky was named Big East Rookie of the Week for the week of Dec. 17.

The Hoyas first suited up without Brunson on Dec. 20, as they traveled to face University of Maryland-Baltimore County. In the absence of their star player, several other Hoyas stepped up to lead the Hoyas to victory. Junior center Suzy Bendegue, usually a reserve, started the game and poured in 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 15 minutes of playing time. Junior forward Zsuzanna Horvath also had 12 off the bench. Five players were in double figures and the team had 20 assists on the night. The Hoyas shot 58 percent from the floor.

“We will miss Becky on the court, but our number one concern is her overall health,” Knapp said. “It will be a challenge for the team without her, but every day people have been stepping up their games, and we expect that to continue during her absence.”

The Hoyas traveled to St. Joseph’s University on Dec. 28 to compete in the 2001 Hawk Classic, along with St. Joseph’s, Kansas and Morgan State. Facing Kansas (5-10) in the first round, Georgetown had another player step up in Brunson’s absence; junior forward Nok Duany scored 20 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the floor. Up by only one point at the half, Georgetown went on an 18-6 run in the second half to pull away for a 70-57 win. Lisicky added 17 points, and Walker had 13. Bendegue came off the bench this time to get 11 boards.

“I was very proud of the team after the Kansas game,” Knapp said.

After St. Joseph’s beat Morgan St. 99-51, the Hawks (11-2) faced the Hoyas in the final round of the tournament. Halfway through the first period, the game was knotted at 21, but the Hawks pulled away steadily from that point on, working their way to an 89-51 victory. Georgetown couldn’t stop senior forward Susan oran or sophomore center Irina Krasnoshiok, who both scored 22 points. Moran also had a career-high 16 rebounds. She was named ost Valuable Player of the tournament. Duany led the scoring for the Hoyas with 13 points and was selected to the All-Tournament team. They shot just 37 percent from the floor and were outrebounded 41-21.

The Hoyas looked to come back from the loss in their Big East opener at Providence (8-7) on Jan. 2. Despite being down 27-17 at halftime, the Hoyas made a comeback in the second half, outscoring the Friars 38-32. With 56 seconds remaining, Lisicky made a three-pointer to put the Hoyas up by one. However, the Friars scored with 37 seconds left and then made a three-pointer for the 59-55 win. Duany led all scores with 13 points. Walker scored 12 and had seven rebounds and five assists.

The Hoyas played in another tight contest Jan. 5 against Pittsburgh. They were down 40-28 at the break, but came out firing and went on a 19-7 run at the beginning of the second half to get within two points. Horvath fouled out with seven minutes left, and the Hoyas never took the lead. With seven seconds remaining and the Hoyas down two, Panther junior guard Brooke Stewart missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity. Hoya junior forward Santia Jackson grabbed the rebound and passed it down court to Walker, whose last-second shot fell just short, giving Pittsburgh the 63-61 win.

Duany led all scorers with 22 points. Horvath had 12 points and 10 rebounds in her first double-double of the season, and Walker added 16 points and seven assists. The Hoyas outrebounded the Panthers 49-31.

The Hoyas ended their three-game losing streak on Wednesday at Rutgers (4-9). The Scarlet Knights were without senior forward Davalyn Cunningham, who was averaging 11.1 points per game before being sidelined with an ankle injury. The Hoyas went on a 10-0 run to end the second half and took a 30-20 lead into the locker room. The Hoyas led by as many as 22 points on their way to the 67-57 win.

“I think the Rutgers game signals a situation where we settled in very well,” Knapp said.

Duany broke her career-high scoring mark for the second straight game, netting 24 as well as eight boards. Walker had 17, and Lisicky scored 16, including four three-pointers. All three of those players were on the court for all 40 minutes of the game due to the Hoyas injury-depleted roster.

“That’s something you prefer not to do,” Knapp said. “We’ve really taken some hits.”

The win at Rutgers should help the Hoyas in their two tough upcoming contests. They face Virginia Tech (10-2), ranked No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, tomorrow in McDonough Gymnasium at 4 p.m. The Hokies are currently on an eight-game winning streak and are coming off a 73-52 win over No. 24 (Associated Press poll) Boston College (11-3). Things will only get tougher for the Hoyas, as they face No. 1 Connecticut (17-0) on Tuesday at 8 p.m.