Jan. 2, 2016 WASHINGTON - The Georgetown women's basketball team (7-5, 0-2 BIG EAST) will host a pair of BIG EAST Conference opponents this week in GU's first two home games in conference play. On Sunday, the Hoyas will welcome the Creighton University Bluejays (6-8, 0-2 BIG EAST) for a noon matchup at McDonough Arena. The Blue & Gray will follow that up with a contest against the Providence College Friars at 7 p.m., on Tuesday. Both games will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
The Hoyas opened BIG EAST Conference play last week with a pair of road contests. On Tuesday, GU fell at Xavier University, 59-54, and on Thursday the Blue & Gray lost to Butler University, 82-76.
In the Xavier game, freshman guard Dionna White (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill) was the lone Hoya in double figures, finishing with 11 points and chipping in five assists. Logan Battle (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) had nine points, while DiDi Burton (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore City College Prep) and Dorothy Adomako (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) each had seven points. Tyshell King (Baltimore, Md./St. Frances Academy) tied for game-high honors with eight rebounds, while Burton and Dominique Vitalis (Bloomfield, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's) each finished with seven boards.
The Hoyas outrebounded Xavier, 40-30, and outscored the Musketeers, 10-3, on second-chance points. GU also had more blocks (5-0) and more steals (10-9). The Blue & Gray shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56) from the floor, but allowed Xavier to shoot 43.4 percent (23-of-53) and 50 percent (6-of-12) from beyond the arc.
Butler University pulled away in the second and third quarters and, despite a big fourth quarter comeback, defeated the Hoyas, 82-76, on Thursday evening in a BIG EAST Conference matchup at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Vitalis recorded Georgetown's first double-double effort of the season, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds. White scored a team-high 17 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter, and also grabbed nine boards as well as four thefts. Faith Woodard (Brandon, Fla./Freedom) had 14 points off the bench for the Hoyas.
GU outrebounded Butler, 44-39, and caused 15 turnovers while only committing 10. The Blue & Gray also had 10 blocks and nine steals. Butler shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the floor while Georgetown managed just 36.3 percent (29-of-80).
White is leading the team in scoring with 14.3 ppg and has posted 5.8 rpg, 3.8 apg and 2.9 spg. Adomako is second with 13.5 ppg as well as 5.7 rpg. Woodard rounds out the top three with 11.0 ppg as well as 4.3 rpg.
Georgetown holds a +5.3 rebounding margin over opponents and is shooting 39.4 percent on the season. The Blue & Gray also holds a +2.3 turnover margin. GU leads the league in rebounding offense (43.2 rpg) and blocks (5.9 bpg), while ranking second in rebounding margin. The Hoyas are currently 3-0 in the friendly confines of McDonough Arena.
In its last outing, Creighton was down 41-18 midway through the second quarter, pulled even early in the fourth quarter but ran out of gas in an 86-82 loss to Seton Hall on Thursday. Audrey Faber finished the game with a career-best 29 points, while Lauren Works also posted a career-high 16 points. Sydney Lamberty posted her second-career double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Jade Owens finished with 14 points.
Georgetown is 0-4 all-time against the Bluejays with all four meetings coming in BIG EAST Conference play. Last season, GU lost, 71-62, at home and fell, 76-61, on the road despite a huge second-half comeback.
In a 80-61 Providence loss to St. John's, freshman guard Clara Che led the Friars in scoring with a career-high 15 points. Che shot 4-7 from the field, including 3-5 from beyond the 3-point arc. She also added two assists and two steals. PC will face Villanova on Sunday before traveling to the Hilltop on Tuesday. The Friars are 1-3 this season in road games. Prior to the Friars' 64-55 overtime victory against Rhode Island on Dec. 20 of this season, Providence has not won a game on the road since Jan. 23, 2015. On that day, the Friars clipped Marquette, 66-58, in Milwaukee, Wis.
The Blue & Gray is 27-29 all-time against the Friars with just one meeting outside of conference play. GU split with Providence a season ago, winning 69-61 at home, but then falling 81-66 in Rhode Island. In the victory at McDonough Arena, the Hoyas had four players in double figures.
The opening tip against Creighton is scheduled for noon, while Tuesday's contest is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Live stats will be available for both games at www.GUHoyas.com.
The games will be broadcast live and for free on the BIG EAST Digital Network. To watch, download the FOX Sports GO app for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and phones and select Windows devices to view BIG EAST Digital Network games on-the-go. The FOX Sports GO platform can also be accessed at FOXSportsGO.com on desktops.
