CHICAGO, Ill. (Nov. 25) - Katie Smrcka-Duffy scored 28 points, including five in overtime, as Georgetown defeated DePaul in the Moran Realty Classic Championship game. With the victory the Hoyas improved to 4-1, their best start since the 1996-97 season.
Georgetown jumped out to an early lead and led by as many as 13 in the first half. GU went on a 12-0 run midway through the first half. Freshman Rebekkah Brunson had six of the Hoyas' 12 points during that run. She ended the game with 11 points and a career-best 10 rebounds in recording her first double-double. DePaul countered with a late run and trailed by just five at the half, 34-29.
The Blue Demons held Georgetown to just one point in the first five minutes of the second half as they took their first lead of the game. The game was back and forth the rest of the way. Smrcka-Duffy and Lesley Walker each nailed 3-pointers down the stretch to give the Hoyas a 62-59 lead with under a minute to play. However, DePaul's Lenae Williams sank a 3-pointer with a defender in her face with 19 seconds to play to force the overtime.
In the extra frame, Walker drained another 3-pointer to put the Hoyas up 72-70. Smrcka-Duffy put the finishing touch on the Blue Demons when she hit a free-throw with three seconds remaining. Williams' desperation 3-pointer missed as time expired.
Walker had an outstanding tournament for the Hoyas. She scored 20 points and had five steals in the championship game. Zsuzsanna Horvath added 10 points, all of them coming in the first half, as the Hoyas prevailed for their third-straight win.
Georgetown returns home for a game on Wednesday against George Mason University. Tip off is set for 8 p.m. at McDonough Arena.
