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 Look to End Losing Streak

FILE PHOTO: JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA Junior forward Logan Battle scored 16 points in the team’s overtime loss to Seton Hall at home on Sunday afternoon.
FILE PHOTO: JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA
Junior forward Logan Battle scored 16 points in the team’s overtime loss to Seton Hall at home on Sunday afternoon.

Less than a week removed from a heartbreaking overtime loss to Seton Hall (19-2, 8-1 Big East), the Georgetown women’s basketball team (4-17, 2-7 Big East) will travel to Chicago to take on DePaul (15-6, 7-2 Big East). Facing the second-ranked team in the Big East, the Hoyas will have a tough task as they attempt to end their five-game losing streak.

The loss to the nationally-ranked Pirates was the end of a rough week for Head Coach Natasha Adair and the Hoyas. The Hoyas held the lead throughout most of the game Sunday afternoon but were unable to stave off the Pirates who tied the game with 11 seconds remaining. The Blue and Gray had an opportunity to win the game on the final possession of the game but failed to connect.

In overtime, Seton Hall outscored Georgetown 17-3, with the Hoyas’ lone basket coming off of a three-pointer from junior guard Katie McCormick.

“I think we could have been more focused in the last few minutes of the game. It’s the little stuff that we have to do that we always practice, and we have to execute that in the game,” junior forward Dominique Vitalis said.

Now, the Hoyas must focus on stopping the No. 1 scoring offense in the Big East. DePaul senior guard Brittany Hrynko, who was just named the Big East Player of the Week, leads DePaul with an average of 20 points per game.

Earlier this season, the Hoyas lost to the Blue Demons, 105-85, despite 23 points and 10 rebounds from freshman guard Dorothy Adomako. If Georgetown wants to fare better Friday, it will need to stop DePaul’s fast-paced, run-and-gun offense.

“We’ve got to have heart on defense, we have to know that we can stop them and keep them away from the basket, put our hands up on defense and make sure they’re not getting their shots off,” junior guard Logan Battle said.

Vitalis reiterated the team’s emphasis on stopping the Blue Demon offense.

“Contain, contain, contain. They are a team that likes to put their head down and drive. We are pretty familiar with playing them, so we know that we need to contain,” Vitalis said.

Alongside Hrynko, who is the second-leading scorer in the Big East, the Blue Demons rely on sophomore guard Jessica January and junior forward Megan Podkowa. Podkowa, a pure shooter, leads the conference in field-goal percentage and is third in the conference in free-throw percentage.

Meanwhile, DePaul is coming off of a 90-42 annihilation of Providence — a team that the Hoyas only narrowly beat, 69-61, earlier in January — and has won six out of their last eight games.

At the midpoint of the season, Georgetown does not lack confidence as the season nears postseason play.

“We have to keep playing hard, we have to be consistent in our games. A lot of the time, we’re not very consistent and that shows in games for us. We know we can win these games — we’re a good team, we have all the skill in the world, we just have to put it all together,” Battle said.

With nine games left in the season, the Hoyas sit in eighth place in the Big East. The team has an opportunity to close out the regular season on a high note and possibly make some noise in the postseason behind the leadership of veterans like Vitalis, Battle and McCormick. With wins against DePaul on Friday and Marquette — a team that has not won a conference game this season — on Sunday, Georgetown could potentially vault itself into a tie for sixth place with the Xavier Musketeers.

“With the skills we have, we all know that we can win the Big East championship. We just [have to] play hard, we [have to] play for 40 minutes no matter how the game started out. We can win the Big East, for real,” Battle said.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Hoya

Your donation will support the student journalists of Georgetown University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Hoya

Comments (0)

All The Hoya Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *