Travel south to Alabama, fight off the first-game jitters, break two freshmen into a retooled starting lineup, and return home with a win. Georgetown did it all with style Sunday, cruising to a 74-63 victory over Jacksonville State in their season opener, enough to impress Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy.

“They played extremely hard,” Williams-Flournoy said. “We need better defense, but for the first game, with all the jitters, they played really well.”

Redshirt senior center Krystle Hatton led the way for the Hoyas’ victory with a strong performance in the paint, posting a career-high 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds. After starting only four games for Georgetown last season, Hatton’s breakout game may have been a surprise to some, but not to her coach. “Krystle has been playing extremely well in practice,” Williams-Flournoy said. “She has brought in a good attitude to dominate at the five, and that’s exactly what she did.”

The Gamecocks got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 16-14 lead nine minutes into the first half. But junior guard Shanice Fuller responded with a jumper to tie the game, and a layup by sophomore guard/forward Monica McNutt on the next possession gave the Hoyas an 18-16 lead that they never relinquished.

By halftime Georgetown had built a comfortable 35-27 lead, which the Hoyas stretched to as many as 14 points in the second half. A late 15-6 run by the Gamecocks cut the advantage to 65-60, but a jumper by junior forward Jaleesa Butler and seven free throws from Fuller sealed the victory for the Hoyas.

“[Winning the opener] was definitely a step in the right direction,” McNutt said. “We saw things that will pay off down the road.”

The Hoyas’ sixth-ranked recruiting class made their debut in impressive fashion. Guard Adria Crawford and forward Latia Magee earned the starting nod, and although early foul trouble limited Crawford to two points in eight minutes, Magee scored nine points in 21 minutes. Guards Rubylee Wright and Alexa Roche and forwards Tia McBride and Amanda Reese also made their debuts, together scoring 20 points off the bench.

“[The freshmen] came in and contributed,” McNutt said. “Great attitudes, great chemistry – they’re going to play a big role this season.”

The Hoyas shot 45 percent from the floor for the game while holding the Gamecocks to 37 percent shooting. Georgetown also out-rebounded Jacksonville State 41-33 and forced 18 turnovers.

Even with the season opener success and all the positives taken from it, some very serious work lies ahead for the Hoyas, starting with the defensive half of the court. Williams-Flournoy put it succinctly: “We’ve got to play better defense.”

Next up is a Wednesday trip to Providence, R.I., to play Brown, where the Hoyas expect to play a much-improved game. “We feel good, we feel we’re going to get a win, and play better than the last game,” Fuller said. “We have a lot more work to do before the Big East though.”

The flashes of brilliance were certainly there, and with a couple breaks, this year’s season could be a special one for the Hoyas. “I think once we get some things under our belt and get some discipline, we can be a really good team, “McNutt said. “We’re going to surprise some people.

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