Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL | Hoyas Falter Late, Lose to Villanova

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The Georgetown women’s basketball team hosted Big East rivals the Villanova Wildcats on Sunday, Feb. 21, losing 64-56. Coming off an 11-game loss streak, the Hoyas hoped to get back on track but found themselves outplayed in the fourth quarter. 

Villanova (13-4, 8-4 Big East) was led by star forward Madison Siegrist, who scored 31 points and added 16 rebounds. The Hoyas (2-13, 2-13 Big East) had a balanced attack led by underclassmen: sophomore forward Graceann Bennett led the way with 13 points and five rebounds, and first-year guard Kelsey Ransom contributed 10 points, six rebounds and six assists. 

The game started off fast, with both teams scoring early and often. After six minutes, all Georgetown starters had scored, and the Hoyas had grabbed five offensive rebounds but only led 10-9. The game continued to slow down, as neither team could generate much offense. The first quarter ended 11-11. 

Siegrist was dominant in the first, recording eight points and six rebounds. No one from Georgeotwn could guard her except for junior forward Jillian Archer, who blocked two of Siegrist’s shots in the frame. 

The Georgetown bench kept the team in the game in the second quarter, providing 10 of its 12 second-quarter points. Junior forward Shanniah Wright led the way, dominating the low block with six points and two rebounds in the quarter. 

The Wildcat bench got in on the action as well. Forward Lior Garzon had eight points in the quarter, and her back-to-back three-pointers with 2:52 remaining in the half gave Villanova a seven-point advantage. Still, the Hoyas refused to surrender, as freshman guard Yasmin Ott knocked down back-to-back jumpers of her own. At the half, Villanova led 28-23. 

Georgetown started off the second half hot. After a quiet first half, Bennett scored five straight points for the Hoyas in the second, tying the game and forcing a Wildcat timeout. The rest of the quarter was back and forth, with Siegrist leading the way for Villanova. She contributed 10 of Villanova’s 15 points in the quarter, six of them coming from the free-throw line. Forward Brianna Herlihy scored the other five Wildcat points and scored 18 in the game in total. 

For the Hoyas, Ransom was influential in the third quarter, during which she racked up four of her six assists. Her chemistry with Bennett was evident, as she assisted on three of her field goals in the quarter. Bennett finished the quarter with 11 points as she and Ransom helped Georgetown keep pace with Villanova. However, at the end of three quarters, the Wildcats led 43-40. 

Villanova took multiple leads early in the final quarter, but Georgetown kept the game close. Ransom was again important, scoring four points in two minutes to keep Georgetown alive. After her jumper with 6:51 left, the Wildcats only led by one. But after this, Villanova pulled away. 

Over the next six minutes, the Wildcats ripped off a 14-4 run, stretching the lead to a game-high 11 with just under a minute to play. 

After the Villanova lead, the Hoyas went into their full-court trap and forced the Wildcats into three turnovers, but they could not fully capitalize. While Georgetown did cut the lead to six, it was too little, too late, with only 11 seconds remaining. While the Hoyas never led in the fourth quarter, this game had a similar feeling to their previous two: the Hoyas played a very good first three quarters, but had trouble finishing strong.

The Hoyas will be back in action in Cincinnati, Ohio, this Sunday, Feb. 28, on the road against Xavier at 12 p.m. EST.

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