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 Hope to Bounce Back Against ’Nova

With Saturday’s thrashing at Connecticut behind them, the Georgetown women’s basketball team looks to return to its winning ways tonight when they take on the Villanova Wildcats (15-10, 5-7 Big East) on the road.

The Hoyas (19-6, 8-4 Big East) were completely shut down by the then-No. 3 UConn Huskies, losing 80-38 in a game when no Hoya scored over 10 points on 25 percent shooting from the floor. Junior guard Sugar Rodgers, who led the team in scoring against UConn, thinks the offense simply needs to relax and control the tempo against Villanova.

“We are going to get better shot selections,” Rodgers said. “We’ve been shooting bad shots, and I feel like we’ve been rushing. We are not supposed to rush.”

In a continuation of her recent offensive struggles, senior forward Tia Magee was seemingly absent against the Huskies, scoring only 3 points on 0-of-8 shooting from the field. If the Hoyas are to consistently put high point totals on the board, Magee must do a better job to alleviate the pressure placed on Rodgers.

“When Tia scores, it gives us another scorer alongside Sugar so that so much attention isn’t given to Sugar,” Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “Tia will be fine. She’s got to relax and take good shots and feel comfortable taking those shots.”

While the Blue and Gray certainly need to improve their offensive output tonight, the defense has even more work to do. Georgetown allowed UConn to shoot 50 percent from to floor, including 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.

“Definitely pressure because that’s what we do,” the star guard said when asked about what the team needs to improve on. “Our defense is what gets us going. If our defense is not on, then as a team we are not going to be on. If we play defense, eventually we’ll hit shots, the basket will open up and we’ll get a win.”

The defense will have its hands full with Villanova junior forward Laura Sweeney, who averages just less than 15 points per game. Williams-Flournoy is focused on stopping the Wildcats’ dangerous spread offense.

“It’s very hard, because the way that they play, [Head Coach Harry Perretta] is going to call a lot of offense to be run through [Sweeney],” Williams-Flournoy said. “So we just have to communicate really well against Villanova because they run a spread-type offense. We just got to sit down and defend.”

Additionally, the Hoyas once again lost the battle of the boards — UConn pulled down 41 rebounds compared to Georgetown’s 34. The Hoyas will focus on boxing out and keep a physical Villanova team away from the basket.

“Connecticut was just a bad game all the way around,” Williams-Flournoy said. “We are not as bad of a rebounding team as we have been in the past, so that’s just another area we just have to put a little more focus on.”

Overall, the team’s mood is optimistic. The girls’ spirits are up and Williams-Flournoy is confident in theHoyas’ ability to bounce back.

“We are OK right now,” Rodgers said. “We got a lot to fix and a lot to work on, but you know next opponent you just got to go out there and take it out on [Villanova].”

Look for the Hoyas to avenge their disappointing loss last Saturday. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. tonight at The Pavilion in Villanova, Pa.

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