In a crosstown matchup, the Georgetown University women’s basketball team came out on top against the Howard Bison, pulling away in the final minutes of a back-and-forth game with a wild finish.
Georgetown (5-3) beat Howard (5-3), 69-63, in a fast-paced, gritty battle. After being down by 6 points with just minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Hoyas went on a 16-4 run to edge out the Bison for the win.
An action-packed first quarter saw the dueling squads trade buckets and turnovers, with neither team leading by more than a possession until the final minute of the quarter. Howard took the lead with 2:51 left, but the Hoyas stormed back with 6 unanswered points, including 4 from graduate guard Kelsey Ransom, to end the quarter up 17-13.
The second quarter saw Howard shift to a more defensive focus as the Bisons tried to contain Ransom and the rest of the Georgetown crew with a full-court press. They succeeded for the better part of the quarter, sprinting out to a 26-22 lead at the 2:51 mark before Georgetown answered with 4 points from Ransom and a 3-pointer from first-year guard Jaden McBride to send the teams into the locker room with the Hoyas up 29-27.
The Hoyas and Bison took turns trading the lead during the third quarter, as Howard fought for offensive rebounds and took advantage of 5 turnovers from Georgetown to keep the game within reach, going up by as much as 4 points. However, the Hoyas fought back with a well-timed layup from first-year guard Jaeda Wilson and standout defense from senior center Ariel Jenkins, tying the game up before the quarter was through.
The teams continued to trade punches in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter before Howard appeared to pull away, opening up the largest lead for either team all game after they went up 59-53 with 5:40 on the clock. But the Hoyas continued to fight back as they had done all game, going on a 12-2 run and regaining the lead off the back of 7 points from Ransom and a clutch 3-pointer from junior guard Victoria Rivera.
The game, however, did not end without chaos. In the final minute, Howard guard Destiny Howell went down after a collision with Ransom’s arm and a cut to the eye. Howell made both free throws, pulling the Bison within a possession of the Hoyas. But Howard’s hopes were dashed not even 20 seconds later when Howard Head Coach Ty Grace called a timeout without realizing the team had none left, which resulted in a technical foul for the team. Rivera made both free throws and sealed the win for the Hoyas, who prevailed 69-63.
Shooting-wise, the game was primarily a duel between Ransom and Howell, with Ransom scoring 28 points and Howell 21. No other player from either team reached the double digits. In a physical matchup, Jenkins won the rebound battle with 12 boards.
Ransom said Howard played with passion, particularly when rebounding, making the game a hard-fought win for Georgetown both physically and mentally.
“They’re fiery, they come out and they play with passion, so we knew we had to bring it top to bottom with us as well. That’s the game of basketball. You know, it’s physical, but it’s mental, it’s emotional, so it comes down to who wants it more,” Ransom told NCAA reporter Autumn Johnson in a postgame interview. “They got good O-Boards, we needed to box out, so it’s mentally as taxing as it is physically.”
Head Coach Darnell Haney said he was proud of the Hoyas for the team’s grit and cooperation in pushing past the game’s challenges.
“I’m just so proud of our team and their grit, they kept fighting. Going down, understanding that you’re going to face some adversity, these things are difficult and I’m so proud of our young kids,” Haney told Georgetown Athletics. “It was a total team effort and I’m just so proud of them. Now we’re just going to continue to beat the pavement.”
Georgetown are back in action on Dec. 4 at 6 p.m., finishing out their five-game road trip against Richmond.
