Dec. 12, 2009

Box Score

Richmond, Va. - The Georgetown University women's basketball squad won its eighth-straight game as the Hoyas defeated the University of Richmond Spiders (7-3) Saturday afternoon at the Robins Center in Richmond, Va. Junior guard Monica McNutt (Suitland, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross) paced the Hoyas with a career-high 24 points and GU shot 50.9 percent from the field to get the 78-63 victory. Georgetown is now 9-2 on the season as the Blue & Gray looks ahead to a week-long break.

"We turned the ball over way too many time and it's clear we have a lot to work on, but I was happy to get the win," said Georgetown Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy. "Richmond is a tough team so its nice to see us come out and find a way to win at their place."

The Hoyas attacked from every angle early as all five starters scored in the first four minutes of the game. Despite good looks on offense, careless turnovers kept it close. GU witnessed defensive pressure up top that rivaled its own and it seemed that the Blue & Gray might have more turnovers than the opponent for the first time all season. However, midway through the half Georgetown settled the ball and began to hit.

Richmond pulled within five with 10 minutes to go in the half, but GU answered with a 13-4 run including trey's from McNutt, Ta'Shauna "Sugar" Rodgers (Suffolk, Va./King's Fork) and Jaleesa Butler (St. Louis, Mo./Alton) to pull ahead by 14. The turnover bug returned as the half drew to a close, but hot shooting and solid defensive play kept the Spiders at bay. The Hoyas managed to maintain the lead despite Richmond finishing the half with five consecutive free throws to make the score 40-31 in Georgetown's favor.

Butler led all scorers with 13 points, Rodgers contributed 11 and McNutt finished with nine in the half. Despite the sloppy play, Georgetown outrebounded Richmond 16-13 and forced 14 Spider turnovers on eight steals. The difference-maker was Georgetown's 51.6 percent shooting from the field and hitting 57.1 percent from beyond the arc. Richmond shot 43.5 percent in the half and forced 13 GU turnovers.

Rodgers scored the first bucket of the half for the Hoyas to start the second, but it quickly became all McNutt as the junior guard hit six consecutive points and then five more minutes later to maintain the advantage. Combined with solid play down low and GU finally implementing its breakneck pace, GU went ahead by as much as 16 as the minutes ticked away,

As the half ended, Georgetown had control and went on to get the 78-63 victory.

McNutt led all scorers with 24 points and five steal going 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Butler posted her second double-double of the season with 17 points and a game-best 10 rebounds. Rodgers rounded out the scoring with 18 points to her credit. Georgetown outrebounded Richmond 35-29 and forced 26 turnovers but committed a season-high 22 turnovers on the other end. Brittani Shells led the Spiders with 16 points in the game.

The game was a rematch of last year's WNIT Third Round matchup, in that contest Georgetown won 65-49 at McDonough Arena. The win marked the first time since the 1992-93 season that GU has won eight in a row.

The Hoyas will have the week off for final exams before returning to the court on Sunday, December 20 to take on Jacksonville State. Tipoff against the Gamecocks is scheduled for 3 p.m. at McDonough Arena. Live stats and a webcast will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.