March 6, 2010

WASHINGTON - The third-seeded Georgetown University women's basketball squad will open BIG EAST Tournament play on Sunday with No. 6 Rutgers. The Hoyas had a double bye into the quarterfinals and will now face the Scarlet Knights who defeated Cincinnati 70-44 on Saturday evening.

Georgetown is 25-5 on the season and defeated Rutgers earlier this year 59-50 at McDonough Arena. The Blue & Gray is 3-15 all-time against the Scarlet Knights with two of the three wins coming on the road. Last season, the teams went into double overtime at the RAC before the Hoyas fell 60-47. This year, Georgetown downed Rutgers paced by 27 points from freshman Ta'Shauna "Sugar" Rodgers. GU shot 55 percent in the second half to take an 18-point lead and eventually go on to win for the first time in Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy's tenure.

Georgetown is 11-24 at the BIG EAST Tournament in 24 appearances with only two of those coming under Williams-Flournoy. Georgetown is 0-2 under Williams- Flournoy falling to No. 11 Syracuse, 68-58, as the sixth seed in 2005 and No. 15 Seton Hall, 70-45, in 2009. The furthest the Hoyas have ever gone is the semifinals, however, in 1999 GU advanced three rounds to the semifinals. Georgetown has never won the BIG EAST Tournament or made it to the championship game and has only had one player in history named to the All-Tournament team.

GU has already had success at the tournament as Rodgers was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team and the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. Junior Monica McNutt (Suitland, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross) was also named All-BIG EAST Second Team.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at the XL Center. The game will be televised live on ESPNU with Justin Kutcher on play-by-play and Meg Bulger commentating.