Feb. 10, 2010
Box Score
Pittsburgh, Pa. - The No. 16/13 Georgetown University women's basketball squad managed to hold on Wednesday evening to get the 66-63 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers (12-11, 1-9 BIG EAST) at the Petersen Events Center. The Hoyas relied on their deep bench to pick up the slack after the starters got into foul trouble early. With the win Georgetown improves to 20-3 on the season and 9-1 in BIG EAST play.
"I have to credit the bench tonight," said Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy. "They really came through scoring 20 points and having some huge plays. Kenya Kirkland had a big rebound and Rubylee Wright took over when we needed her to."
The Hoya offense couldn't sync up early on, but senior point guard Shanice Fuller (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River) proved to be a calming force hitting a three and driving for the layup to spark the squad. Fuller's layup was the first in a 14-0 run that included eight Pitt turnovers as the up-tempo pace and stifling press caused problems for the Panthers.
Pittsburgh answered with a 5-0 run of its own as the Hoyas cooled off and Pitt began to get the ball in the middle eventually cutting it to four. However, three's by Monica McNutt (Suitland, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross) and Rubylee Wright (Latta, S.C./Latta) helped inflate the lead back to 14 with two minutes remaining in the half. The Panthers managed to come back making the score 41-34 at the break.
McNutt led the Hoyas with 13 points and Wright added nine. McNutt also posted a team-best three rebounds as both squads pulled down 17 boards. Georgetown forced 12 turnovers on seven steals and shot 41.7 percent in the half, but allowed Pitt to hit over 50 percent from the field. Pepper Wilson led the Panthers with 16 points.
Pitt opened the half with a 7-0 run to tie it at 41 and soon the Panthers took their first lead of the game eventually getting ahead by as much as four. It was Jaleesa Butler (St. Louis, Mo./Alton) to keep Georgetown alive scoring 10 points in the first eight minutes of the half.
A jumper by Butler allowed the Hoyas to regain the lead, but Pitt answered proving it would be a dogfight down the stretch. Georgetown battled and it was Wright that sparked Georgetown on defense coming up with steals and rebounds.
With the score tied at 63, Georgetown came up with a pair of defensive stops but couldn't find the bottom of the net until Butler hit a jumper in the lane with one second remaining on the shot clock and 35 seconds left in the game. Pitt missed a three on the other end, senior Kenya Kirkland (Brooklyn, N.Y./Grand Street Campus) came down with the rebound and was immediately fouled. She hit the first, but GU committed a lane violation on the second to lead by three with seven seconds to go.
Pitt set up a last-second shot but couldn't get off a good look as Georgetown went on to win 66-63.
McNutt led the Hoyas with 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Butler added 16 points and five rebounds. Wright had a big game with 11 points, three rebounds and a perfect performance at the point. Georgetown forced 20 turnovers on eight steals but was outrebounded 36-35 for the game. The Blue & Gray shot 39.7 percent for the game and had 20 points from the bench. Wilson led the Panthers with 18 points.
Butler scored all 16 points in the second half to lead the Hoyas.
"Jaleesa stepped up in the end and had some big shots," said Williams-Flournoy. "She was able to use her quickness over Pitt's size."
Georgetown will travel to West Virginia on Sunday to face the No. 9/8 Mountaineers. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPNU as part of the network's February Frenzy which is affiliated with the WBCA's Pink Zone which supports cancer research. Live stats will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.
