Jan. 26, 2009
Washington, D.C. - Georgetown University women's basketball player Jaleesa Butler (St. Louis, Mo./Alton) was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll Monday after an outstanding week where the Hoyas went 1-1 including an 86-68 road win at South Florida. Georgetown will face No. 25 Pittsburgh on Tuesday evening at McDonough Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Butler scored a career-high 27 points against Marquette going 12-of-17 from the field for 71 percent shooting and hitting 50 percent from beyond the arc. The junior forward also had a team-best six rebounds, two steals and one assist in the contest. In Georgetown's road win at USF, Butler was one shy of her career best with 26 points on 13-of-18 shooting. In helping the Hoyas to the victory, Butler also had seven rebounds, three steals and two assists.
For the week, the St. Louis, Mo., native averaged 26.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg. She shot an impressive 71.4 percent from the field and averaged 2.5 steals per game. This marks the first BIG EAST award of her career for the Hoyas and GU's first honor roll selection of the season.
Georgetown is 13-6 going into Tuesday's contest with a 3-3 conference record. The Hoyas have been playing with a quick, smaller lineup enabling them to run the floor on teams. GU's pressure defense has forced opponents an average of 20.6 turnovers per game. Georgetown is led by Butler who is averaging 9.9 ppg with Karee Houlette (Houston, Texas/Cypress Springs) right behind her averaging 9.1 ppg.
Pittsburgh is 14-4 overall entering the game with a 4-2 record in the BIG EAST. The Panthers have won the last three games including two-straight road contests over Seton Hall and Syracuse. Pitt is led by Shavonte Zellous who was the conference's Player of the Week this past Monday. The senior is averaging 23.6 ppg and 5.4 rpg.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m., at McDonough Arena. Coaches will be wearing an upside-down pink ribbon in honor of legendary coach Kay Yow who passed away after a long and publicized battle with breast cancer over the weekend. A webcast of the game and live stats will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.
