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WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University women's basketball team could not stop a fourth run, falling to the DePaul University Blue Demons (15-6, 7-2 BIG EAST), 78-62, in a BIG EAST Conference matchup on Sunday evening at McDonough Arena. With the loss the Hoyas drop to 8-11 overall and 3-6 in league play.

"We battled for three quarters, but in the fourth quarter we fell asleep on some defensive assignments and you can't fall asleep on a team that shoots the three that efficiently," said Georgetown Head Coach James Howard. "Their run in the fourth was just too much to recover from."

Senior forward Cynthia Petke (Yaounde, Cameroon/-/Chipola College) led the way with 24 points and six rebounds. She was followed by junior guard Dionna White (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill) who had 17 points and nine rebounds. Senior guard DiDi Burton (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore City College Prep) managed eight assists in the contest.

The Hoyas were outrebounded by the Blue Demons, 37-33, but forced 18 turnovers while committing just 10. Georgetown shot 40.0 percent (26-of-65) from the field, and allowed 50.0 percent (28-of-56) shooting from DePaul. The Blue Demons made 15-of-31 attempts from beyond the arc in the game.

DePaul opened the game with a 3-pointer, but the Hoyas got out in transition to answer back. A 5-0 Blue Demon run made it 14-6 at the 7:11 mark, however a trey from White moved it back to a two-possession game. On three different occasions in the first stanza, DePaul would lead by 11, but the Blue & Gray fought. A 4-0 run with buckets from Petke and White made it 27-20 in favor of the Blue Demons at the end of the first period.

Senior guard Mikayla Venson (Arlington, Va./Yorktown/Virginia) sank a jumper early in the second quarter to cut the lead to five, 27-22. That would be as close as the Hoyas would come until the 5:07 mark when Petke's shot near the top of the key went in to make it 31-28. Georgetown continued to look for buckets in the paint, as DePaul fired from long range.

In the final two minutes of the half, Petke's off-balance layup pulled Georgetown within one, and White hit a free throw to tie the game at 33. Moments later, DePaul nailed a trey to end a five-minute scoring drought. The Blue Demons added one more triple before the break as Georgetown went into the break trailing, 39-35.

Petke cut the lead to two on the first possession of the second half. However, Georgetown could not capitalize on defensive stops as DePaul finally answered with a trey. Midway through the third quarter with the Hoyas down seven, a quick 4-0 run comprised of layups from sophomore guard Morgan Smith (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) and White pulled GU within three, 46-43. Out of a timeout, Venson knocked down a shot to make it a one-point game before sloppy play took over for both teams.

A shot from White in the last minute was matched with a pair of free throws, but in the final four seconds of the period, Venson knocked down a free throw to make it 53-51 at the end of the third.

Georgetown would keep it close early in the fourth quarter, but a 7-0 Blue Demon run made it 67-56 and that was too much to overcome down the stretch. The Hoyas eventually fell, 78-62.

The Hoyas will be back in action on Friday as the squad travels to Butler University for a 7 p.m. matchup at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) with Mark Minner and Nick Gardner calling the action. Live stats will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.

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