WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Rodgers, White Instrumental in GW Win

The Georgetown women’s basketball team (6-2) followed up a tough weekend test against La Salle with a 70-54 win against George Washington (5-3) Saturday.

The Hoyas got off to a slow start, and after an 8-2 run by the Colonials, the Blue and Gray found themselves in an early 18-10 hole. GW would then go on to extend its lead to 10 with 6:27 remaining in the first half. 

“We made bad decisions in the beginning of the game,” Head Coach Keith Brown said. “Hopefully if we start making better decisions, we will have better starts. It is not that we are playing poorly — we just are not making good decisions with the basketball. When they calm down a little bit and relax, [they] have the tendency to play better.”

With just over five minutes remaining in the first half, the Hoyas — sparked by a jumper from senior guard Sugar Rodgers — went on an 8-0 run to come within two points of the Colonials. The Hoyas would later tie things at 26 on a put-back by freshman forward Logan Battle with 2:52 left in the first half.

The remainder of the half was back and forth, as the Colonials and the Hoyas continued to exchange baskets and entered halftime knotted up at 33. 

The Blue and Gray came out firing in the second half, though, forcing GW turnovers on defense while capitalizing on the opposite end. Contrary to their slow start in the first half, the Hoyas opened the second half with a 19-4 run to give themselves a 52-37 advantage. During this key run, Georgetown received contributions from Rodgers, junior forward Andrea White, senior center Sydney Wilson and junior point guard Samisha Powell. 

The Colonials ended the run by hitting a trey, which cut the Hoya lead to 52-40, and would crawl to within 10 on its next possession by converting two free throws. But that was the closest GW would come for the remainder of the game, as Georgetown responded with a 10-0 run to assume a 20-point advantage.

With just over six minutes remaining in the game, a layup by sophomore forward Brittany Horne gave the Hoyas a 65-44 lead — their largest of the contest. 

“We made better decisions with the basketball [in the second half],” Brown said. “We had 25 turnovers and we weren’t really pressured. In the second half, when we cut down on our turnovers, we actually made good decisions and were a pretty good basketball team.”

Despite GW’s finishing the game on a 10-4 run, the Blue and Gray went on to claim the commanding 70-54 victory. Rodgers led all scorers with 22 points, adding a team-high eight rebounds as well as four assists and six steals. In total, Georgetown had four players in double figures, including White, who posted 15 points and five boards. 

“Andrea can do a lot of things,” Brown said. “If she is healthy, I think she is going to have an outstanding season. … She is the number-two option, and her role had been identified before we even got started this season. She can do anything, and she is playing like it.”

Powell, meanwhile, contributed 11 points, and Wilson added another 10. 

“Sydney is also stepping up. She has been having really good games. … Sydney has to get touches,” Brown said. “Samisha is also starting to settle down in her role as a point guard.”

On the game, Georgetown shot a staggering 50 percent from the field, while GW only managed to shoot 36.5 percent. The Hoyas also outrebounded the Colonials 30-27 and forced 30 turnovers. Perhaps most impressive, however, was the team’s second-half performance, outscoring the Colonials 37-21 and outrebounding them by an 18-10 margin. 

The Blue and Gray will next be in action tonight at Monmouth, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.