LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Georgetown University women's basketball team fell 73-64 to the University at Buffalo Bulls (3-1) Friday evening at South Point Shootout in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center.  The Hoyas battled but could not find a way down the stretch and GU's comeback fell short to move to 4-2 on the season.    
 
Junior forward Anita Kelava (Zagreb, Croatia / Croatian National Team / Maine) led the way for the Hoyas with 15 points and eight rebounds.  She was 11 for 12 from the charity stripe in the contest.  Graduate student Mikayla Venson (Arlington, Va. / Yorktown / Virginia) managed 12 points, and senior guard Dionna White (Baltimore, Md. / Milford Mill) scored 10 points with an impressive 13 rebounds for the double-double as well as notching a team-best four assists.
 
The Hoyas shot 34.4 percent (21 for 61) in the game and allowed the Bulls 42.3 percent (22 of 52) shooting from the field.  The Blue & Gray outrebounded Buffalo 43-33 but had 22 turnovers to the Bulls 20.  Cierra Dillard led all scorers with 33 points and a 13 for 13 mark from the line for Buffalo.
 
Buffalo opened the game with a trio of 3-pointers jumping out to a 9-4 lead.  The Hoyas pulled within one, but the Bulls answered with a layup and another trey to move ahead by six, 14-8.  Buffalo would add five more points in the period as the Blue & Gray could not match.  Georgetown ended the first trailing 19-11.
 
Senior Brianna Jones (North Babylon, N.Y. / North Babylon / Louisville) knocked down a jumper to open the second and both freshman Shanniah Wright (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Polytechnic Preparatory Day School) and classmate Nikola Kovacikova (Levice, Slovakia / UKF Nitra) hit free throws to make it a 5-0 run to open the stanza. The game became more physical and fouls allowed Buffalo to score five points on free throws not hitting a field goal until midway through the period.  GU was unable to capitalize and went down by as much as 10, 29-18. 
 
Late in the second, Buffalo built an 11-point lead.  However, White picked a pocket at midcourt and went in for the layup which sparked a 6-0 run.  The momentum would swing back to Buffalo at the end of the half as a 3-pointer in the final seconds made it 38-28 at the half.
 
Georgetown struggled to get it going early in the third quarter, and Buffalo made it a 13-point game forcing a Hoya timeout.  With the game at 51-37, it was sophomore guard Tatiana Thompson (Winter Haven, Fla. / Winter Haven) who confidently sank back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to eight.  Buffalo came right back, but the Blue & Gray would not give up making it 57-46 at the end of the third.
 
It was Venson that sparked the Hoyas in the fourth quarter as she hit two 3-pointers and dribbled through three defenders for the layup to make it 62-54.  Buffalo scored, but a put back from Thompson and a huge defensive stop gave all of the momentum to the Blue & Gray.  Junior Morgan Smith (Upper Marlboro, Md. / Riverdale Baptist) cut it to six on a layup, and White then took a defensive rebound coast to coast to make it 64-60 with 3:30 remaining in the game.  Dillard took the Bulls on her back and rattled off six-straight points as Buffalo pulled away again down the stretch.  At the final buzzer it was 73-64 as the Hoyas fell.
 
The Hoyas will close out play at the South Point Shootout against No. 4/5 Baylor on Saturday.  The opening tip is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET. Live stats and a webcast will be available for both contests at www.GUHoyas.com.