Feb. 14, 2009

Box Score

Providence, R.I. - Shanice Fuller's (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River) layup with a tenth of a second left gave the Georgetown University women's basketball squad the, 57-55, victory over the Providence College Friars (9-15, 3-8 BIG EAST) Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall. GU battled back from a ten-point deficit and used late free throws to get the win and improve to 15-10 overall as well as 5-7 in the BIG EAST. With four games remaining in league play, the Hoyas have tied last season's win totals overall and in the conference.

"Today was a confidence-booster for the team," said Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy. "To be in it and finally be able to finish really gives us a lift. We hit our free throws in the second half and that made the difference."

Turnovers plagued both squads to open the game, but the balanced Hoyas managed to maintain a small three-point lead thanks to a basket from six different players in the first eight minutes.

Midway through the half, the Friars pulled ahead after a pair of three's from Chelsea Marandola and four made free throws. PC put together an 18-4 run that forced the Hoyas into a ten-point deficit with six minutes remaining.

With pressure up top, Georgetown looked down low to come back. Krystle Hatton (St. Louis, Mo./Hazelwood East) banked in a pair of layups to get it back to six and after PC added a free throw, Fuller sank a three to make the score, 31-27, entering the break.

Hatton led the Hoyas with seven points, while Karee Houlette (Houston, Texas/Cypress Springs) added five. Hatton and Adria Crawford (Alexandria, Va./Thomas Edison) each had a team-best four rebounds in the half. In the incredibly even period, both squads had 20 rebounds and GU committed one more turnover (11-10). The Hoyas shot 33.3 percent from the field and had six steals to their credit.

Georgetown came out fired up in the second half. After allowing a Friar bucket on the opening possession, GU went on a 12-0 run to take the lead. Houlette sank a three and after a turnover on the other end, she made a fast- break layup. Monica McNutt (Suitland, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross) added another layup, Crawford scored one in the paint and Hatton connected on the three-point play to make it, 39-33 at the 16:38 mark.

However, a pair of three's minutes later gave the Friars momentum and the lead as the Hoyas were forced to play from behind for the rest of the half. After four scoreless minutes and a double-technical, GU found itself down seven with just over four minutes remaining. Free throws from Crawford, Fuller, Rubylee Wright (Latta, S.C./Latta) and Tia Magee (Jenks, Okla./Jenks) pulled Georgetown within one with 2:07 on the clock. After a turnover on the other end, Fuller hit the first of two shots to tie it at 55 going into the final minute.

The Hoya defense held the Friars scoreless but couldn't find the bottom of the net on the other end. With 13 seconds left, Crawford grabbed the rebound off of a missed Providence three-point attempt and GU called timeout to set up one last play. Off of the inbound, Georgetown worked the ball around looking for the open shot. With three seconds left, Fuller got the ball on the left side and drove the lane putting up a touch shot just a tenth of a second before time expired to give the Hoyas the 57-55 victory.

"Once it hit the rim I knew it was going in," said Fuller. "I wanted to take a layup instead of a jump shot and I knew I had to get it done."

After a tough first half at the line it was free throws that changed the game for the Hoyas, hitting seven foul shots and no field goals in the final four minutes until Fuller's game-winner.

Houlette led the squad with 12 points and Hatton added 10 in the paint. Hatton also had a team-high eight rebounds, while Crawford contributed seven including two crucial boards late in regulation. The Hoyas out-rebounded the Friars 38-35 and had 19 turnovers to PC's 21. GU shot 36.2 percent from the field for the game.

The Hoyas will host West Virginia on Wednesday at McDonough Arena at 8 p.m. The game is GU's annual Pink Zone event. Pink Zone is a nation-wide initiative to support the fight against breast cancer. Representatives from the Avon Walk for D.C., as well as other groups will be in attendance and fans will have the chance to snag a pink Go With The Flo t-shirt. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m., live stats and a webcast featuring Drew Wiseman will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.