For the Georgetown women’s basketball team (4-27, 2-16 Big East), the Big East tournament was a chance at a fresh start. In numerous interviews, Head Coach Natasha Adair referred to the conference playoffs as a “new season,” during which her team could rewrite the story of its struggles under her first-year leadership.

In spite of Adair’s optimism, Georgetown’s first-round contest against Xavier (18-15, 8-10 Big East) proceeded in a fashion similar to most of its regular season games.

The Hoyas, who entered the postseason as the lowest seed in the Big East tournament, scored eight straight points to open the contest and were able to maintain the lead for the first 12 minutes. However, the team, which struggled with consistency throughout the season, was unable to hold on to its advantage.

The Musketeers went on a 13-4 run to take their first lead of the game with 8:16 remaining in the opening period. The Hoyas answered with a quick score, but Xavier was able to reclaim the lead with 6:18 to play before halftime. The Musketeers closed out the remainder of the half strong, never again relinquishing the lead and heading into the locker room with a four-point advantage.

Although the Hoyas tied the game on three different occasions and never trailed by more than seven points, they were unable to regain a lead in the second half. Georgetown was down by only five points with 2:18 remaining in the contest, but could not get the defensive stops it needed in the closing minutes and was forced to put Xavier on the free throw line.

Junior guard Katie McCormick did her best to keep Georgetown in the game as time ticked off the clock. She scored seven points in the final 1:09, including a three-pointer that pulled the Hoyas within two points with 0:19 remaining.

Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for Georgetown. Xavier made its free throws down the stretch and held on to win 70-67.

The Hoyas were certainly familiar with the experience of letting winnable games slip away in the final minutes. Throughout the season, Georgetown was consistently plagued by an inability to put together a full 40 minutes of solid play. This lack of consistency can be attributed in part to the challenges that come with playing for a new coach and to the team’s lack of senior leadership.

Coaching changes are never easy. Players have to learn and adapt to a new system of play and are often forced to fill unfamiliar roles. This season was certainly a transition year for the Hoyas as they adjusted to playing under Adair’s direction, but it would be unfair to judge the success of that transition based solely on the team’s final record.

A shining example of Adair’s success in her first year is the play of junior forward Dominique Vitalis. Adair changed the way Vitalis was utilized and Vitalis thrived.

The junior went from being a role player, who in her first two seasons averaged only 10 minutes per game, to starting all 31 contests for the Hoyas this season and averaging 24.8 minutes per game.

Vitalis tripled her scoring average this season, increasing her offensive production from an average of three points per game to 9.1 points per game.

There was not a single senior on the Hoyas’ roster this season. A lack of experienced leadership can certainly pose challenges for a team, especially one that relies on freshmen to fill the vital point guard position and to contribute significantly to the team’s scoring. Georgetown’s struggles with consistency could certainly have benefitted from the presence of an experienced senior class to offset the newness of the team’s freshmen.

However, looking forward, this season’s absence of senior leadership may be a blessing for the future. Unlike other teams, the Hoyas do not have to worry about filling a void left by graduating players.

This Georgetown team now has one season under its belt as a unit and can hit the ground running next season with the advantage of being able to pick up right where it left off.

Perhaps the most promising sign for the Hoyas’ future is freshman guard Dorothy Adomako. Adomako was named Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year, and she certainly lived up to that hype.

Adomako led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, and earned the Big East Freshman of the Year honor at the conclusion of the regular season. Adomako has seemingly limitless potential, and Georgetown’s future is bright with her leading the charge.

Despite having won only four games this season, there are certainly reasons to be excited about the future prospects for Georgetown women’s basketball. Next season tips off in eight months.

Molly O’Connell is a sophomore in the College. She is a staff writer for THE HOYA.