Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS - The Georgetown University women's basketball squad downed the Butler University Bulldogs (13-9, 5-5), 63-52, in a BIG EAST Conference matchup Friday evening at Hinkle Fieldhouse. With the victory, the Hoyas improve to 9-11 overall and 4-6 in league play.

"It was a great team effort tonight," said Georgetown Head Coach James Howard. "We made some changes in the lineup, and we felt we had to do that to show that, as a program, it's not me, it's we. When we talk about wins in the second half of the season, this was a good team win for us."

Junior guard Dionna White (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill) led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds as well as four steals. She was followed by senior guard Mikayla Venson (Arlington, Va./Yorktown/Virginia) who had 17 points and three assists. Senior forward Cynthia Petke (Yaounde, Cameroon/-/Chipola College) rounded out those in double figures with 12 points, while senior center Yazmine Belk (Queens, N.Y./Nazareth) pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Hoyas were outrebounded by the Bulldogs, 38-35, but forced 20 turnovers while committing just seven. Georgetown shot 34.4 percent (22-of-64) from the field, and allowed 37.8 percent (17-of-45) shooting from Butler. The Hoyas made nine attempts from beyond the arc, while Butler hit eight.

Butler jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead, but the Hoyas answered right back as freshman forward Tatiana Thompson (Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven) hit a pair of shots and Petke sank a trey. Georgetown stayed within two points for much of the first stanza, until a late 9-2 Butler run made it 20-11 in favor of the Bulldogs at the end of the first.

The shooting woes continued to begin the second period, but solid defense on the other end of the court kept it close as a free throw from White pulled the Hoyas within four, 21-16. Georgetown's defensive pressure began to force Butler turnovers as the Hoyas turned giveaways into points on the other end.

A layup from White sparked a late 9-2 run capped off with a trey from the junior and a layup by senior guard DiDi Burton (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore City College Prep). Georgetown went into the break trailing by one, 26-25, after outscoring the Bulldogs, 14-6, in the second quarter.

Just a minute into the third quarter, an offensive rebound from White was kicked out to Thompson who buried a 3-pointer to give GU its first lead of the game, 28-26. This began five-straight possessions with 3-pointers made as White and Venson both hit, but the Bulldogs matched with a pair.

Another trey from White and a Petke layup put the Hoyas ahead by six, 41-35, GU's largest lead of the game. However, the Bulldogs came back with a 7-0 run to regain the advantage. A Burton jumper ended the run, and the defense came up with a stop as the Hoyas led, 43-42, at the end of the third period.

Venson opened the final stanza with a jumper after two big defensive plays by the Blue & Gray. The Hoyas clung to a small lead for the first five minutes until a three tied the game at 48. After another stop, Venson hit a trey on the run to regain the lead, but the final three minutes of the game would prove to be a battle.

Belk blocked a shot on Butler's next possession, and it resulted in a 3-pointer from the corner from Venson to give GU the 54-48 lead. The Bulldogs answered back with a three of their own, but following a GU timeout, White sank a trey at the end of the shot clock.

The Georgetown defense stood strong and Butler was forced to foul. Down the stretch, the Blue & Gray made free throws and played solid defense on the other end to come away with the 63-52 victory.

The Hoyas will be back in action on Sunday as the squad takes on the Xavier Musketeers at 2 p.m. Sunday's game will have Steve Physioc and Kim Adams calling the contest on FS2. Live stats will also be available at www.GUHoyas.com.