Following two tough losses to Villanova and the University of Connecticut, the Hoyas secured a clutch victory over the Red Storm, 51-43, in an energy-packed homestand at McDonough Arena on Feb. 20.
The Georgetown women’s basketball team (17-10, 7-9 Big East) entered its matchup against St. John’s (15-13, 9-7 Big East), looking to regain some momentum as the Big East tournament approaches.
Interim Head Coach Darnell Haney said although the team encountered various challenges en route to the win, he feels confident in his team and their brand of basketball heading into the playoffs.
“We need to stick to our principles and stick to our guns,” Haney told The Hoya. “I think we kind of got away from Georgetown basketball a little bit. I think we tried to make it harder than it needed to be.We just got to go to who we are and what we do and have done all season and not try to reinvent the wheel and we’ll be alright.”
Georgetown won the tipoff to begin the game, but St. John’s was quick to be the first to score. Although the Hoyas began to settle in offensively toward the middle of the first quarter, turnovers and fouls gave the Red Storm a 13-8 lead by the period’s end.
St. John’s kept this lead for the rest of the first half, as the two teams traded baskets back and forth for the entirety of the second quarter. Former Hoya and current Red Storm forward Jillian Archer (COL ’22) proved to be a threat with 6 consecutive points in the period en route to a double-double game.
Though a dominant block from graduate forward Mya Bembry shifted the momentum in favor of the Hoyas, the team still trailed by 3 points at the close of the half at 23-20 thanks to a last-second layup by senior guard Kelsey Ransom.
Georgetown began the second half with a new sense of fight in them behind a strong effort by junior forward Brianna Scott. The Hoyas took the lead for the first time in the contest following a 5-0 run halfway through the quarter, launching them ahead 30-29.
Although St. John’s took back the lead temporarily, Georgetown closed the quarter ahead 36-35 following yet another 5-0 run behind a stellar Scott 3-pointer and a nifty Ransom floater.
A highlight-reel reverse layup off of a Scott screen sparked an 8-2 scoring run in the opening of the fourth quarter, and the Hoyas never looked back. Strong scoring efforts by Scott and Bembry helped the team keep pace with the Red Storm, ultimately ending the comeback attempt and sealing the win.
Scott said the energy of being on the Hoyas’ home turf contributed to the team’s hungry style of play for this contest.
“We owed them one,” Scott told The Hoya. “We dropped one at their place and they’re at our place now and we just had to get them back. That intensity, we come with that every game but it was just especially high for this game ’cause we knew we had to get them back for that.”
Georgetown lost a heartbreaker to St. John’s 57-56 on Jan. 28.
Many Hoyas impressed in the contest. Scott led the team in both scoring and rebounding, finishing with a season-high 21 points along with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. Bembry scored 8 points, grabbing 9 rebounds and blocking 4 shots as the team’s glue player. Ransom contributed 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 11 points.
Once again, the No. 13 scoring defense in the country showed up: Georgetown blocked 7 shots, forced 12 turnovers on 6 steals and outrebounded St. John’s 39-29. Even though the Hoyas shot 40.7% (22-for-54) on the day, they allowed just 30.6% (15-for-49) shooting by the Red Storm and limited star guard and reigning Big East Sixth-Woman of the Year Unique Drake to just 3-15 shooting from the field.
The Hoyas will take on the Butler Bulldogs (13-13, 5-10 Big East) this Saturday in McDonough Arena at 2 p.m. for their last home game of the season.
