This weekend, the Georgetown women’s basketball team played its final two home games and secured a first-round bye in the Big East tournament with an 83-72 win against Butler on Friday night and an 81-63 win against Xavier (11-16, 3-13 Big East) on Sunday night.
In a game that was tied 10 times, the Hoyas (16-9, 8-7 Big East) had a late surge against Butler (5-22, 2-14 Big East). The teams were tied at 55 at the end of the third quarter, but Georgetown scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to secure a victory.
Senior guard Mykia Jones scored 15 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter. Butler came within three points with just under five minutes left, but Jones led an 11-2 run to give the Hoyas a 71-62 lead with four minutes remaining in the game.
“I just think defensively we were locked in for longer periods of time,” Georgetown Head Coach Natasha Adair said. “You can just tell that we have nestled into our groove.”
Junior guard Dorothy Adomako scored 21 points and junior forward Cynthia Petke notched her first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
For Butler, sophomore forward Tori Schickel had an impressive showing with 25 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. Sophomore guards Taylor Buford and Michelle Weaver each contributed 11 points.
With the win, the Hoyas clinched a first round bye in the Big East tournament.
“It feels really good. We feel like we’re prepared and ready to go out there and kick butt. We’re excited, and we’re anxious all in one,” senior guard Tyshell King said.
Georgetown went on to play Xavier at home on Sunday for their senior night. Xavier did not lead the entire game. By the end of the first quarter, senior forward Faith Woodard scored nine points and the Hoyas held a 23-11 lead.
Nine different Hoyas scored, including freshman guard Marvellous Osagie-Erese who scored her first career points. Woodard, Adomako and sophomore guard Dionna White each finished with more than 15 points.
“I’ve just never thought that the time on the hilltop would go so quickly,” Woodward said. “I’m just proud of the things I’ve been able to do with this team. It was definitely an overwhelming experience — it being senior night — but it was something that I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
In addition to converting offensively, the Hoyas forced 19 Musketeers turnovers, while only giving up seven turnovers. For Xavier, sophomore forward Imani Partlow scored 15 points.
The Hoyas will play their final two games of the season this coming weekend, facing Marquette (20-7, 11-5 Big East) on Friday in Milwaukee and DePaul (22-6, 14-2 Big East) on Sunday.
The Big East tournament will also be held at Marquette, so the road trip provides an opportunity for the Hoyas to get used to the arena.
“I have a little something that I want to do with the team, just the visualization part of it, because again, we’re going to kind of double back,” Adair said. “We’re there, this is where the stage is going to be set.”
In the previous matchup against Marquette at home on Dec. 30, Georgetown lost 84-77. Marquette held the lead from the end of the first quarter until the end of the game. The difference in the game was Marquette’s three-point shooting. The Golden Eagles shot 45.8 percent from beyond the arc, while the Hoyas shot 22.2 percent. To win Friday’s game, the Hoyas will have to limit Marquette’s three-point opportunities.
On Sunday, Georgetown will play DePaul, the first-place team in the Big East. When the teams played on Dec. 28 at Georgetown, the Hoyas lost 76-53.
Georgetown struggled offensively that game, as White was the only Hoya to reach a double-digit point total. The Blue Demons outrebounded Georgetown 51-37, which gave them many second chances. In order to keep it close this weekend, the Hoyas must stay strong on the boards.
Tipoff for the Marquette game is 8 p.m. in Milwaukee on Friday. The game against DePaul tips-off at 1 p.m. on Sunday and will be televised on FoxSports1.
