Feb. 1, 2011
Box Score
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It was a tale of two halves Tuesday evening in Louisville, Ky., as the No. 17/19 Georgetown women's basketball squad (18-5, 6-3 BIG EAST) scored 57 points in the second half to overcome a halftime deficit and get the 76-52 victory over the University of Louisville Cardinals (14-9, 5-4 BIG EAST). Sophomore Sugar Rodgers (Suffolk, Va./King's Fork) scored 26 points to hit her 1,000th-career point in just two seasons on the Hilltop.
"We really stepped up our pressure on defense and forced turnovers (in the second half)," said Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy. "Forcing turnovers gave us a better chance to score offensively."
Trailing by as much as 14 to start the second half, the Hoyas staged a furious 10-0 run to cut it to four, 35-31.
The run included five points from junior Adria Crawford (Alexandria, Va./Thomas Edison) as well as five from sophomore Sugar Rodgers (Suffolk, Va./King's Fork). The Blue & Gray capped it at 21-2 to put the squad ahead, 45-37, on a layup by Rodgers who scored 13-consecutive points. The defense forced nine turnovers during the four-minute span.
From that point on, the Hoyas controlled the game inflating the lead to double figures. The defense forced turnovers, converting those to layups and open threes on the other end.
In front of 10,011 pink-clad fans, the Blue & Gray dismantled the Cardinals shooting 67.7 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from beyond the arc in the second half. The defense forced 30 Louisville turnovers and allowed the Cards just 30.4 percent shooting from the field. At the final buzzer, the Hoyas had the 76-52 victory.
The Hoyas struggled in the first half shooting just 23.3 percent from the field and committing 14 turnovers. GU managed a 6-0 run forcing three-consecutive turnovers along the way to pull within two, 18-16, at 6:59. A 9-1 Louisville run to close out the half made it 30-19 at the break.
Rodgers led all scorers with 26 points while senior Monica McNutt (Suitland, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross) added 14 combining for eight of the Hoyas' nine treys. Junior Tia Magee (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks) scored eight points and pulled down a squad-high 12 rebounds.
Georgetown outrebounded Louisville, 36-26, and had 16 steals in the win. The 12-point halftime deficit tied the largest the Hoyas have overcome this season.
The Blue & Gray will host the University of Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday in a conference matchup at McDonough Arena at 2 p.m. Live stats and a webcast featuring Ryan Sakamoto will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.
Saturday's game celebrates National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The event includes ticket promotions for elementary and middle school female athletes as well as a meet and greet with the Hoyas.
