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 | Georgetown Beats Villanova for Howard’s 100th Career Win

The Georgetown women’s basketball team took to McDonough Arena this weekend and won a pivotal Big East matchup against Villanova to secure Head Coach James Howard’s 100th career victory. Georgetown looked to improve its overall record to .500 after three consecutive losses in conference play.

After Villanova (11-7, 2-5 Big East) jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game, Georgetown (9-9, 3-4 Big East) quickly answered with 8-0 scoring run of its own to tie it. The back-and-forth first quarter was capped by a three-pointer from graduate student guard Dorothy Adomako to cut the Villanova lead to three.

Adomako continued her momentum in the second quarter, scoring six straight points and combining with senior guard Dionna White for 15 of the Hoyas’ 21 second-quarter points. The game continued to swing back and forth, as Georgetown took a 36-35 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.

GUHOYAS | Graduate student guard Dorothy Adomako, center, led the Georgetown women’s basketball team to victory against Villanova.

The second half got off to a slow start on offense for both teams, and the Hoyas lost their lead. They found themselves down just one point heading into the fourth quarter. However, the Wildcats then extended their lead to seven with 6:07 remaining in the game.

Georgetown slowly chipped away at the lead late in the game. Adomako led the charge, which included a three-point play to cut the deficit to one point and another layup that gave the Hoyas the lead. After four consecutive free throws from White to end the game, the Hoyas finished with a 68-63 win.

Georgetown’s comeback against its conference opponent was marked by experienced leadership. Adomako finished with a career-high 28 points in addition to 11 rebounds, while White ended the game with 25 points and six boards of her own. While Adomako dominated in the paint, White scored mostly from the free-throw line, tallying 11 of her 25 points from the charity stripe.

As Howard gained his 100th career win, he expressed his gratitude to the players and coaches that impacted him throughout his career. He also remarked on his team’s perseverance in an interview with GU Hoyas.

“I bless all the coaches I worked with who gave me this opportunity to be in this position and I thank the players because they went out there and gave me a tough win,” Howard said. “I’m glad I got my 100th win this way because it’s something I’ll always remember — how we came back after being down.”

Howard first came to the Hilltop as an assistant in 1997 but left after one season. He returned in 2015 again as the head assistant coach.

In 2017, Howard was promoted to the 10th women’s basketball coach in school history. He has developed star guards Adomako and White throughout their careers and brought the Hoyas to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, where they upset the Wildcats to advance to the semifinals in 2017.

The team will be back in action on Jan. 25 as it travels to Queens, N.Y., to face St. John’s University in another Big East matchup.

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