Feb. 29, 2008
Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University women's basketball team (14-13, 4-10 BE) is looking to earn one of the six remaining seeds in next weekend's BIG EAST Tournament. A win over Providence (12-15, 2-12) on Saturday, March 1 would certainly put the Hoyas in prime position for a tourney berth and send the GU graduating class of 2008 out in style on Senior Day. Tip-off between the Hoyas and the Friars is set for 3 p.m.
Center Aminata Diop, guard Kristin Heidloff, forward Kieraah Marlow and guard Brina Pollack play their final games in McDonough Arena on Saturday and the quartet will be recognized prior to the game.
Live audio and video with Chuck Timanus and Dana Simonelli on the call will be available via. www.guhoyas.com
GU now sits in 12th place in the league standings with two games left. Georgetown currently holds head-to-head tiebreakers over Seton Hall, USF and St. John's as the Hoyas look to qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 2005.
Georgetown's four league wins tops the Blue and Gray's three BIG EAST wins it has posted in each of the last two seasons.
Hoyas in the Series vs. Providence ... PC leads the all-time series, 27-18 but Georgetown has won each of the last five games. The Hoyas have also won six straight home games over the Friars.
Georgetown seniors Kristin Heidloff and and Kieraah Marlow have played extremely well in their three games vs. PC. Heidloff is averaging 10.0 points and 5.3 assists vs. the Friars while Marlow is averaging 20.0 points and 7.6 rebounds.
Fast Breaks ... Georgetown started 6-0 at home for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign.
-- Georgetown ranks fifth in the BIG EAST allowing 60.7 points per game. The Hoyas have held eight opponents to under 53 points. In BIG EAST play however, Georgetown is allowing 68.0 points per game, ranking 9th in the league.
-- Georgetown is 12-2 when they hold the lead with five minutes to go. GU led 48-45 with five minutes to go at Marquette but couldn't hold on. Last time out at Syracuse, the Hoyas squandered a nine-point lead with 5:15 remaining.
-- GU has had a higher field goal percentage than its opponent in 16 of the 27 games this season (13-3 record). Georgetown has also shot 50 percent or better in a half on 14 different occasions and finished a game shooting over 50 percent four times. The Hoyas connected on 58 percent of its second half field goals in the first meeting vs. Syracuse. The only other time Georgetown shot the ball better after halftime was in the win over Brown when GU made 59 percent of its shots. The Hoyas shot 58 percent from the floor in last Wednesday's loss to DePaul.
-- In their BIG EAST home games (4-3), the Hoyas are shooting 43.6 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from three-point distance for a total of 67.6 points per game. In their BIG EAST road games (0-7), GU is shooting 33 percent from the floor and 26 percent from long range for a total of 49.0 points per game.
-- Junior college transfer Karee Houlette is averaging 8.2 points on 11-24 three-point shooting (42%) and has seven assists vs. one turnover and five steals in the last six games. Houlette has come off the bench and tallied in double figures in two of the last three games.
-- Senior center Aminata Diop has tallied in double figures in seven straight games, the longest such stretch in her one-plus seasons on the Hilltop. Diop is averaging 11.6 points on 63 percent shooting (33-52) with 3.0 rebounds while shooting 15-22 from the free throw line during the stretch.
-- With five treys in the last three games, senior co-captain Kristin Heidloff now ranks fifth on the school's all-time list with 143 career three-pointers. Heidloff had 14 points five assists vs. No. 17 Notre Dame and became one of just eight Hoyas in school history to surpass the 300-assist mark (326).
-- Junior transfer and post player Krystle Hatton has come off the bench and posted career-highs with 12 points and five field goals at Syracuse on Tuesday.
Shanice Not Suffering from Sophomore Jinx ... Sophomore guard Shanice Fuller started at point guard in every game last season as a freshman. Fuller finished her rookie campaign averaging 5.0 points to go along with 83 assists and 95 turnovers.
As a sophomore this season, Fuller ranks 7th in the BIG EAST with 4.1 assists per game. The Chesapeake, Va. native compiled 111 assists already this season (83 last year) despite coming off the bench in all but 13 games.
Fuller has been in the starting lineup in each of the last 12 games, averaging 7.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists while compiling a team best 14 steals during the stretch.
Fuller has 111 assists this season, becoming the first Hoya in two seasons to surpass the century mark in assists.
Diop Continuting Steady Play in the Post ... Senior 6-5 center Aminata Diop, a transfer from Southeastern Illinois J.C., averaged 6.1points and 5.3 rebounds a year ago in her first season in the Blue and Gray.
The native of Senegal, on the western coast of Africa, hit 45 percent of her field goals and notched two double-doubles last season. Diop, who speaks four languages, English, French, Dutch and Wolof (native to Senegal) had her third career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds vs. Navy this season.
In her 23 starts, averaging 8.9 points on 52 percent shooting (84-152) and 3.4 rebounds in over 22 minutes per game
Diop did miss the ECU, Furman and Brown games with a sprained right knee.
Diop has tallied in double figures in seven straight games, the longest such stretch in her one-plus seasons on the Hilltop.
Scouting Providence ... Providence (12-15, 2-12) has BIG EAST wins at USF (61-49) and vs. No. 22 Syracuse (62-58).
Sophomore forward Kendria Holmesleads the team with 11.5 points per game while Baltimore native Mi-Khida Holmes is averaging 10.5 points per game.
Hankins has tallied 20 or more points four times this season.
