No.12 Georgetown (5-1) will be riding a wave of momentum into McDonough Arena this Wednesday night when they take on the reeling Richmond Spiders (7-4).

The Hoyas took home top honors at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands this past weekend, beginning with a win over Georgia Tech for Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy’s 100th career victory. The Blue and Gray then overcame a disappointing loss against Missouri with a memorable victory over Pat Summitt and the vaunted No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers, inspiring a surge of self-assurance in the relatively young team as it heads into its date with the Spiders.

“Winning against a team like Tennessee just gives [us] more confidence,” Williams-Flournoy said. “[The players] really believe in the things that we continue to preach every night, how good [we] are, how good we are when we play defense the way we play. They can see the outcome of us making [them] do so many defensive drills in practice.”

Richmond, on the other hand, is coming off consecutive blowout losses over the break at the Thanksgiving Classic in Orlando, Fla. The Spiders were routed 79-53 by tournament hosts Central Florida before falling 76-52 to No. 25 Michigan State. The pair of defeats ended a promising three-game winning streak for Richmond, which was highlighted by a victory over North Carolina State.

In spite of their recent defeats, the Spiders are dangerous. Senior guard Brittani Shells, a first team Atlantic-10 selection last year, leads the Richmond offense while senior center Crystal Goring has been a force on the boards this year, averaging 9.0 rebounds per game. Goring poses a particular threat to the Hoyas, who readily admit that they have struggled on the glass.

“It’s our Achilles heel,” Williams-Flournoy said. “It’s something we talk about all the time . We talk about team rebounding, everybody getting in and rebounding.”

The two teams bring contrasting styles of play into their midweek meeting. Richmond, led by Shells’ 21.4 points per game, tends to be involved in high-scoring shootouts. The Spiders average 72.6 points per game, but their poor defensive efforts have allowed opponents to average 73.1 points per game.

Meanwhile, Georgetown emphasizes defense above all else. The Hoyas average 12 fewer points per game than the Spiders, but they have yet to allow an opponent to score 60 points in a game this season and are holding opposing teams to 50.3 points on average.

“We’re an up-tempo, defensive team,” Williams-Flournoy said. “It’s not our offense that makes our defense. It’s our defense that makes our offense.”

With a 20-point disparity between the average output of the Richmond offense and the average output of Georgetown’s opponents, the matchup will likely turn on which team can impose its will on the game. Williams-Flournoy expects the Blue and Gray to stay the course and force the visitors into a low-scoring, defensive battle.

“Tennessee was averaging 83 points per game [before scoring 58 against us],” she said. “One of our defensive goals is to hold opponents under a certain number, so it doesn’t change no matter who it is. That same goal goes for Richmond as well.”

A consistent approach is exactly what Williams-Flournoy hopes to instill in her squad as it heads into not only this week’s game but the rest of its nonconference schedule, which includes four consecutive road games at the start of the month.

“Pressure, pressure, pressure. Trap, trap, trap,” sophomore guard Sugar Rodgers said, echoing the team motto. “We just want to play Georgetown basketball.”

“That’s what our coaches preach to us every day in practice,” senior guard Monica McNutt added. “We just want to get up and down [the court], wear teams out.”

Despite the focus on defensive intensity, the Blue and Gray have two offensive weapons in Rodgers and McNutt who have the potential to carry the team on any given night. Rodgers leads the team with an average 16.0 points per game while McNutt averages 11.7, including her season-high 24-point contribution against Georgia Tech.

“Honestly, on our team, anybody can step up [at] any given moment,” McNutt said.

Georgetown defeated Richmond 78-63 in last season’s lone meeting between the teams. Wednesday night’s tip-off is set for 7 p.m.