No. 14 Georgetown women’s basketball (1-2) brought a flurry of defense to Wednesday night’s top-25 clash with No. 20 Louisiana State (2-0), but offensive droughts sealed the Hoyas’ fate. The Blue and Gray ultimately dropped yet another game in a 51-40 decision in Baton Rouge, La.
The Tigers made for another early-season stumbling block for the Hoyas, who returned 12 players from last year’s Sweet 16 squad. The defeat marked Georgetown’s second consecutive shortcoming versus a ranked opponent in four days after the Blue and Gray fell, 72-53, at No. 11 Maryland Sunday.
The Hoyas, known for their up-tempo, high-pressure defensive style of play, encountered a similar brand of basketball from the Tigers, which resulted in a low-scoring, turnover-filled affair. The Blue and Gray forced 18 turnovers from their hosts in the first half alone but committed 23 turnovers themselves while shooting a meager 24.2 percent from the field.
“We came out tonight playing the the defense that we were supposed to, but on offense we had a lot of missed opportunities,” Georgetown Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said in a press release. “This was especially at crucial times when we could have taken the lead.”
Georgetown took 4:15 to score its first points but still battled with LSU throughout the half. After six lead changes, the Tigers scored four points in the final six seconds of the half on a pair of free throws and a buzzer-beating layup to take a 26-21 halftime advantage. The five-point margin tied for LSU’s largest lead of the half.
Following the break, the hosts opened a six-point advantage only to see the Blue and Gray storm back to tie the contest at 32 points apiece with 13:58 remaining. LSU scored the next basket, however, and never looked back as Georgetown didn’t make another shot for more than 10 minutes until junior Sugar Rodgers connected on a jumper with 3:29 remaining. While the visitors’ defensive effort was enough to keep the spread within single digits until the final minute of play, Georgetown scored just three points from that moment onwards.
Senior forward Tia Magee topped the Hoyas’ scoresheet with 12 points, while Rodgers — a unanimous preseason selection for All-Big East honors and a member of the Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 — contributed 10 points, shooting just 4-of-20 from the field.
Forward LaSondra Barrett led the Tigers with eight rebounds and 11 points, including seven free throws, while guard Destini Hughes added 10 points for the hosts.
Georgetown scored just five bench points compared to LSU’s 20 and scored nearly half its total points off turnovers. The Hoyas forced 26 total turnovers from the Tigers, including 11 steals — four of which came at the hands of promising freshman guard Taylor Brown.
While a strong defensive effort is typically a given when the Blue and Gray take the court, a 49-42 rebounding advantage was a pleasant surprise for a Georgetown team that has traditionally been punished on the glass in recent seasons. Senior guard Alexa Roche led the way with nine rebounds, while Magee added eight and senior forward Adria Crawford contributed seven.
The Hoyas’ veteran lineup will need to revitalize an offense that has averaged just 49.7 points in the opening three games. They will get the chance this weekend at home, when the Blue and Gray return for a pair of non conference matchups against Houston and Monmouth.
Georgetown will look to bounce back with a victory this Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in McDonough Arena against the Cougars, whom the Hoyas defeated, 77-37, last December. The Hawks then pay a visit to the Hilltop for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Monday night.
