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

GU Splits Tournament Weekend

After suffering a disappointing 64-51 defeat to North Dakota State on the first day of the Ball State Credit Union Classic, the Georgetown women’s basketball team, huddling in the locker room, decided that it was time to find its identity.

“We talked about what we wanted the Georgetown program to stand for,” senior swingman Kate Carlin said. “We made a pact to ourselves that . if we can get our defense pushing, high-speed, our offense can carry over from that.”

The pep talk must have worked, as Georgetown (3-1) rebounded with a 77-45 win over Lipscomb (0-3), an Atlantic Sun team, in the consolation round on Sunday.

“We really emphasized getting up pressure . getting easy transition baskets rather than sitting there hoping the shot goes in,” Georgetown Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said.

The Hoyas opened the game sinking 11 of their first 17 shots, going on to post a 46.2 shooting percentage in the first half – Georgetown’s best first-half mark so far this season.

Georgetown took the lead for good on a Carlin three-pointer barely four minutes into the game, putting the Hoyas up 10-7. Sophomore power forward Kieraah Marlow followed that with a layup, two good free throws and another layup, but then committed two fouls within just 11 seconds of each other.

Marlow, who made the Big East honor roll this week, racked up 23 points on 10-for-11 shooting despite playing only 17 minutes due to foul trouble. Her fouls forced her to retire from the game with 3:08 remaining in the second half.

The Hoyas capitalized on their turnovers, scoring 28 points off 23 giveaways while the Lady Bisons took eight points on 11 turnovers. Georgetown also outplayed Lipscomb on the glass, earning 26 second-chance points on 49 rebounds while the Lady Bisons managed four points on 31 boards.

Freshman forward/center Katrina Wheeler earned her first double-double with 13 rebounds and 11 points.

“They were a good team. They got after us; they hustled,” Williams-Flournoy said. “We just came out a little more aggressive in our 2-3 matchup.”

No Lipscomb player scored in the double-digits. Forward Kaleigh Gossman and guard Dana Carrigan, both sophomores, had nine points each.

The Hoyas’ win over the Lady Bisons was rewarding after the offense could not get into a groove against the North Dakota State Bison on Saturday. The Bison, who are in the middle of a five-year transition from Division II to Division I play, are the second Division I independent team that the Hoyas have faced this year.

Georgetown could only muster a 29.9 shooting percentage on the game, compared to the 42.1 mark of North Dakota State (1-3).

“You put it in the file as one of those bad shooting days,” Williams-Flournoy said. “They weren’t bad shots. They were good shots; they just didn’t go in.”

The Hoya offense made a weak entrance into the game as Georgetown missed 16 of its first 22 field goals. Though three early steals kept the Hoyas close for a while – the score was tied at 7-7 at 13:59 – North Dakota State went into intermission with a 32-23 lead.

“Getting off to a good start was huge for us,” Bison sophomore guard Lisa Bue said in a press release. “We were able to set the tempo right from the start of the game.”

Marlow got into foul trouble almost as soon as she stepped onto the court, taking two penalties in the first 34 seconds of play, but nine of her 12 points did come in the first half. She fouled out of the game with 2:23 left in the second half.

“She don’t move her feet on defense, that’s all. She’s gotta learn to move her feet better on defense, or she’ll be sitting on the sidelines,” Williams-Flournoy said about Marlow, but added, “What she did, though, helped us. She contributed early.”

The Bison extended their lead to 19 points with 7:21 to go in the second half. The Hoyas could only cut it down to 13 by the buzzer, falling 64-51.

Bue led North Dakota State with 15 points and six rebounds while Georgetown’s Carlin led all scorers with 16 points, a season-high.

“Personally, my shot hasn’t been on point where I’d like it to be this season, but I got a couple of open looks from Bethany and Ki, and I got my shot to fall,” Carlin said. “I was lucky to have that fall in my favor.”

Senior guard Bethany LeSueur dished four of her six assists to Carlin, while earning a double-double for herself with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

But the Hoyas have put the loss – and their third-place showing at the four-team tournament, which host Ball State won – behind them. Georgetown looks toward the rest of the still-young season with a goal to create a more dynamic defense.

The new identity of Georgetown women’s basketball will be tested Wednesday against Fordham in New York, N.Y.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

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