The Georgetown University women’s basketball team cruised to a 77-44 victory at McDonough Arena against the Sacred Heart University Pioneers Nov. 18, netting Georgetown Head Coach Darnell Haney his 100th win.
While the Hoyas (2-2) were the heavy favorite coming into the game against the Pioneers (1-3), the pressure was nonetheless high in the wake of back-to-back fourth-quarter collapses against No. 9 University of Maryland and George Mason University.
Georgetown scored first off a 3-pointer by junior guard Khia Miller. The Hoyas never once lost the lead.
With 4:23 left in the first quarter, the game was still relatively close, the Hoyas leading 11-9. A suffocating defensive effort led Georgetown on a 11-0 run to end the quarter. Sophomore guard Summer Davis had a highlight-worthy play with a steal followed by an explosive euro step ending in a layup to make the score 16-9 with 2:10 left in the quarter. After a three-point buzzer beater by sophomore guard Khadee Hession, the score was 22-9 heading into the second quarter.
The Hoyas were equally dominant in the second quarter. Despite major roster turnover — Georgetown welcomed seven transfers and one first-year over the summer — the offense at its best seemed to hum with chemistry; they had a 17-14 assist to turnover ratio compared to the Pioneers’ 5-27.
With 8:41 left in the half, junior forward Cristen Carter — who finished with 9 points — notched a layup off an assist from graduate guard Laila Jewett to bring the score to 26-11. A few minutes later, graduate forward Chetanna Nweke made a similar layup off sophomore forward Alexia Araujo-Dagba’s assist to bring the score to 41-18.
The Hoyas scored one last time with 16 seconds left in the half off another assist-layup combo between sophomore guard Destiny Agubata and Araujo-Dagba to end the half at 44-20.
In the third quarter, the Hoyas started to take their foot off the gas, scoring only 13 points compared to Sacred Heart’s 11. In one 6:26 span, Georgetown scored only 5 points. Fortunately, the Hoya defense remained strong, holding the Pioneers to only 8 points over the same timespan.
The quarter ended with the Hoyas up 57-31. While victory was all but assured even with ten minutes to play, Georgetown’s sluggish offense was nonetheless a reminder of the team’s second-half struggles.
In the fourth quarter, the team seemed to snap back. In the 56-second span between 8:00 and 7:04 seconds left on the clock, the team was on fire, combining for 7 points. After a pair of made free throws by Jewett, Summer Davis made a 3-pointer off an assist by her twin sister, sophomore guard Indya Davis. With another steal by Jewett and an assist to junior forward Brianna Byars, the team combined for 7 points in that span. Altogether, Georgetown outscored Sacred Heart by 7 points in the fourth quarter, 20-13.
Haney said he was proud of the team and hoping to enliven the crowd.
“I’m proud of how our young women represent the university, and we need to do that together,” Haney told The Hoya. “We’re gonna need them. We need the students; we need faculty; we need fans; we need the whole DMV in the building, baby. It’s gonna be a show.”
While chemistry and resilience take time to build, Haney said he believes in his team’s potential.
“It’s a process, and we’re gonna continue to grow, and we’re gonna continue to build that,” Haney said. “And I think when we embrace that, it’ll be dangerous.”
The Hoyas will look ahead to another home matchup Friday, Nov. 21, against the George Washington University Revolutionaries.
