Campaign Georgetown /The Hoya The Hoyas picked up a fifth straight victory over New Hampshire.
The Georgetown women’s basketball team extended their winning streak to five games after downing New Hampshire University 90-60 Wednesday night in McDonough gym. The game featured junior forward Rebekkah Brunson’s third double-double of the season, her 500th rebound, and sophomore guard Mary Lisicky’s tying her career points record at 21, while the team combined to set a plethora of records.
The Hoyas returned to McDonough gym after two road games at the Coca-Cola Charity Classic in Bridgeport, CT., where they vanquished Northeastern 79-66 and defeated Hofstra 72-69 to claim the tournament title. The team trailed its opponents for 69 of the 80 minutes of play during the two tournament games, but the Hoyas rebounded from those close games with a dominant effort Wednesday night.
“In the tournament we preserved, we were patient, and we believed we’d come back. That’s a factor now in our psyche, in our mental process. If we hang tough, we can make good things happen,” Head Coach Patrick Knapp said.
After winning the tip-off, Georgetown ran off to an early 10-0 lead in the first two minutes, prompting a timeout call from New Hampshire. When the teams returned to the court, the Hoyas continued to dominate, running up to 21-10 before the wildcats of New Hampshire called another timeout after six minutes of play.
New Hampshire then work its way back into the game, moving within four points of their opponents. Despite the Hoyas attempt to break away from their opponents, New Hampshire kept Georgetown’s lead close. The teams left for the locker room at the end of the first half with the Hoyas ahead by five, leading 42-37.
“They got ahead when we were trying to do different things, getting buckets while we tried to figure how to play their post. They made their little spree while we were sagging; we were doing things we shouldn’t have done like helping from the outside when we knew they had some inside shooters,” Brunson said.
Lisicky controlled the Hoya offense, scoring 25 points during the first half, while Brunson followed with ten. Junior center aren Matthias and sophomore guard Geneva Livingston anchored New Hampshire, each scoring eight points. Brunson grabbed five boards during the first half, while her opponent Matthias led the Wildcats with four rebounds. While New Hampshire caught more rebounds then Georgetown, the home team threw up more shots. The Hoyas dominated in most categories except in free throws, shooting a lackluster 57.1 percent.
Returning to the courts, the team maintained their back-and-forth battle, keeping the point difference between the two teams below ten. By the 15th minute the Hoyas looked to pull away, and by the 11th minute the team took over the game with a 20-2 run that would last until the third minute. The Wildcats scored a mere five points in the last 11 minutes, and Georgetown closed out the game with a commanding 90-60 victory.
“We knew they ran a four-out, one-in a just had one post player. We just had to contain our own player,” Lisicky said, citing one of the team’s winning strategies. “It starts with one-on-one play; when we can stop our own player is when we’re good.”
Patrick Knapp agreed, but added, “In the second half everyone we played executed out pressure defense properly, and that was the key.”
Lisicky led the game in scoring with 21 points, tying her career record. She went 5-for-6 from beyond the three-point line and grabbed eight assists, two shy of the double-double.
“It’s a little disappointing that I couldn’t get in one more shot and break the record, but we won and that’s all that really matters,” Lisicky said.
Brunson followed for the Hoyas with 18 points, while senior guard Sarah Jenkins and senior forward Nok Duany both scored in double digits, with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Brunson controlled the boards, grabbing 12, while her seven steals left her three short of completing her first triple-double of the season. After the first half Brunson had reached 500 rebounds and after the game ranked 15th on the all-time leader board for the Hoyas with 508.
Matthias continued to lead New Hampshire, scoring sixteen points and pulling down eight rebounds, while senior forward Aubrey Danen backed her up with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Overall the Hoyas managed to set records in single game scoring, 90 points, shooting percentage, 50.0 percent, assists, 27, and steals, 18. The game also marks the first time in over twenty years that Georgetown has opened with five victories.
“There are still some things we can do to improve, as far as knowing our opponent’s strengths and defending them well. There are a lot of mental errors we can still work on as well,” Brunson said.
By the game’s conclusion, the Hoyas showed complete control, outshooting their opponents 50.0 percent to 43.5 percent. Georgetown also looked much stronger from outside, hitting 8 of 14 three-point attempts while the Wildcats made four of 11 tries.
The Hoyas edged George Mason last week 76-73 in a tense game that went to overtime, and have played some close games this year. Wednesday’s game provided the team with a comfortable win, but Saturday’s game against Indiana University will probably test the team to a higher degree.
“I expect a very strong team, a very experienced team. Any Big-10 team you play will be a top-50, top-75 team in the country. They’re a very strong and physical team. We’re going to need some extra spark and hustle out there,” Knapp said.
The team travels to Bloomington, Indiana to the Hoosiers, a Big-10 challenger. Indiana started the season off with three consecutive wins, only to face two losses to Nevada and Florida State. Still, Indiana should pose a formidable challenge and have the added bonus of playing after the men’s game in a double-header that will bring extra fans to root for the home team. Despite the difficulties, the Hoyas eagerly await a chance to improve their record to 6-0.
“I expect this game to go to the wire. We’ve had some tough road games, and we have the experience. We have to see if we can put it together,” Knapp said.
