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 | Second-Half Explosion Propels GU to Big Win

MARISSA AMENDOLIA/THE HOYA Senior guard Monica McNutt scored 16 points and had eight rebounds in the win.
MARISSA AMENDOLIA/THE HOYA
Senior guard Monica McNutt scored 16 points and had eight rebounds in the win.

The No. 19 Georgetown women’s basketball team (18-5, 6-3 Big East) routed conference rival Louisville (14-9, 5-4 Big East), 76-52, after trailing by as many as 14 in the second half on the road Tuesday night.

The Blue and Gray fell behind early and were down, 30-19, at halftime, but they flipped a switch after the break and outscored the Cardinals, 57-22, in the second half to pull away for the victory. Sophomore guard Sugar Rodgers’ 26 points — 22 of which came in the second half — helped propel the Lady Hoyas to their fourth consecutive Big East win.

“[Sugar] is definitely learning how to take over a game,” Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “She was making a lot of defensive plays to get us going as well. She’s really understanding our concept of defense even though she is very much an offensive player.”

The Blue and Gray struggled early from the field, shooting only 23.3 percent — including 1-of-9 from beyond the arc — in the first stanza. Fourteen first half turnovers also enabled Louisville to jump out to a sizeable early lead.

“We were really just hurting ourselves because we were turning the ball over,” Williams-Flournoy said. “We were basically giving the game to Louisville by turning the ball over. We were absolutely just playing awful in the first half.”

But even after Louisville increased its lead to 14 early in the second period, Georgetown countered with a 10-0 spurt that eventually stretched into a 24-2 run when the Hoyas took a 45-37 lead with 12:51 to play.

Georgetown continued its assault the rest of the way, shooting 67.7 percent in the second half, including 8-of-13 from three while also going a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line to widen the gap to 24.

The Blue and Gray also forced 17 turnovers in the final period while holding the Cardinals to 30.4 percent shooting and only 3-of-12 from three-point land.

“I think the team understands that when we go out and play defense the way we know how to play defense, we’re a much better team,” Williams-Flournoy said. “It was so evident … that when we turn up the defensive pressure, it was two totally different games [between] what was going on in the first half and the second half.”

During the Lady Hoyas’ 24-2 run, Rodgers scored 17 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her Georgetown career.

“It’s totally awesome,” Williams-Flournoy said of the milestone. “The team was so ecstatic, yelling and screaming, they were so excited for her. It’s an unbelievable accomplishment for her.”

Senior guard Monica McNutt contributed 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-9 from long range to go along with eight rebounds and four steals. Junior forward Tia Magee also added eight points, 12 rebounds and three steals in the effort.

The Hoyas will look to add on to their four-game win streak Saturday at home against Cincinnati. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at McDonough Arena.

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