It could have been much worse.
Rutgers spared the Georgetown women’s basketball its full wrath, keeping its top star on the bench for much of its 69-33 win last night in Piscataway, N.J.
After leapfrogging 20 spots in the polls in the past two weeks with wins over Tennessee, Texas and then-No.1 Louisiana State, Rutgers (12-2, 3-0) landed in the No. 4 position with a rush of momentum behind them. The Hoyas (5-9, 0-3), struggling through the midseason, posed little threat to the Scarlet Knights throughout the night.
Rutgers kept senior guard Cappie Pondexter out of the game for long stretches, but relied on other standouts such as junior forward Michelle Campbell and freshman guard Matee Ajavon to pace the team. Campbell led the game in scoring with 20 points with Ajavon finishing runner-up with 18. Rutgers shot 54 percent from the floor, nailing 30 of 56 field goals.
Georgetown took its fourth straight loss and looking for its first Big East win. Senior point guard Mary Lisicky still did not start, yielding the position to freshman Kristin Heidloff as Lisicky limited her court time after an injury. The Hoya offense floundered against their high-profile competition, mustering only 23 percent. Senior guard Bethany LeSueur managed 10 points, but the team went for several long stretches without scoring.
The Hoyas kept up with their hosts for the first five minutes, but the Scarlet Knights’ talent, along with Georgetown’s inability to score, soon opened up the game. Rutgers poured on 16 points over then next 10 minutes to go up 24-7. The Hoyas rebounded slightly to finish the half trailing by 13 points, 30-17.
There was little Georgetown could do to come back, and another 16-4 run from Rutgers ensured that the Hoyas would suffer another loss. At three different periods in the second half, the team went scoreless for five minutes. Layups and jumpers clanked off the rim while the team managed five assists to 25 turnovers for the game.
Georgetown has struggled with its assist-to-turnover ratio throughout the season, but last night the team could hardly move the ball around, and a quick Rutgers team had little trouble capitalizing on weak ball handling. The host team scored 24 points off turnovers and 16 points on fast breaks alone. Rutgers also dominated the paint with Campbell while Georgetown only squeezed seven points from its starting forwards, freshman Kieraah Marlow and senior Varda Tamoulianis. The Hoyas also lost their biggest presence on the court when Tamoulianis fouled out with eight minutes left in the game.
The Scarlet Knights did not humiliate their opponents as badly as the Boston College Eagles, who scorched the Hoyas with a 78-29 win over the break. The 69-33 win still remains the second worst loss of the season and a dispiriting sign of things to come for Georgetown against a talented conference lineup. The team returns home for a Sunday faceoff with St. John’s (13-2, 2-2), whose only losses this season come from No. 4 Rutgers and No. 16 Connecticut.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in McDonough Gymnasium.
