Feb. 22, 2011
WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University women's basketball squad will host the University of Pittsburgh Panthers in a BIG EAST matchup on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at McDonough Arena. The game will be the first of three in a six-day stretch as the Hoyas finish out the regular season. The Blue & Gray is 20-7 overall and 8-5 in BIG EAST play.
No. 18/19 Georgetown dropped its last game, 82-57, to then-No. 10/11 DePaul University on Sunday afternoon in Chicago, Ill. Sophomore Sugar Rodgers (Suffolk, Va./King's Fork) led all scorers with 20 points while junior Tia Magee (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks) had 12 points and two rebounds. Classmate Adria Crawford (Alexandria, Va./Thomas Edison) pulled down a squad-high eight rebounds with five points in the contest.
Georgetown struggled from the field hitting 30.2 percent and 20.8 percent from three. The Hoyas were outrebounded, 35-43, but the defense forced the Blue Demons into 15 turnovers on nine steals.
Rodgers leads the Hoyas with 18.7 points per game and 65 steals. She is also averaging 4.8 rebounds per game to tie Crawford for the team's leader. Monica McNutt (Suitland, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross) is GU's second-leading scorer with 11.0 ppg and Magee is behind her with 8.7 ppg as well as 4.7 rpg. Junior Rubylee Wright (Latta, S.C./Latta) has recorded a team-high 144 assists on the season and is GU's fourth-leading scorer averaging 7.3 ppg.
Pittsburgh is 13-13 this season with a record of 5-8 in BIG EAST play. The Panthers fell to then-No. 21/20 West Virginia on Saturday, 90-79. Taneisha Harrison led the team with 28 points going 11-of-13 from the free throw line. Jania Sims added 11 points as four Panthers were in double figures in the loss.
Harrison leads Pittsburgh with 15.3 points per game, while Sims averages 12.6 ppg. Chelsea Cole leads the squad with 10.0 rpg while also contributing 10.2 ppg. Three players on the team average more than 10 points per game. Pitt is 4-7 this season on the road.
The Hoyas are 20-27 all-time against the Panthers with 41 matchups coming in BIG EAST regular season contests. Last year, the Blue & Gray downed Pittsburgh, 66-63, in Pennsylvania. McNutt led Georgetown with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Jaleesa Butler added 16 points. Three played scored in double figures and GU had eight steals on 20 forced turnovers.
The last meeting at McDonough Arena was during the 2008-09 season when the Hoyas fell, 50-39. Georgetown is 9-11 at home against Pittsburgh and 16-26 in regular season matchups.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast tape delayed locally on Verizon FiOS.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and it is fan appreciation night where all fans will get in free. Live stats and a webcast will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.
