WASHINGTON –  The Georgetown University women's basketball team fell 47-45 to the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (6-2) Sunday afternoon at McDonough Arena. Georgetown could not ride the momentum from a big third quarter to the end eventually losing and dropping to 5-4 on the season with just two games remaining in nonconference play. 
 
"We just have to make our shots, that's the biggest way to change the outcome," said Georgetown Head Coach James Howard.  "The way we play, we need kids to hit shots and when you play a tough VCU team they got more finishes around the rim and at the line in a tightly-contested game.  They finished the easier baskets and we had some bad defensive possessions which made a difference. We have some mental adjustments to make."
 
Two Hoyas scored in double figures as senior guard Dionna White (Baltimore, Md. / Milford Mill) and graduate student Dorothy Adomako (Midlothian, Va. / Cosby) managed 14 points apiece.  Adomako pulled in nine rebounds, and White added five boards and four steals.  Junior forward Anita Kelava (Zagreb, Croatia / Croatian National Team / Maine) tallied four blocks to go along with five points and a squad-high 12 rebounds.
 
Georgetown outrebounded VCU 40-37 on the glass. GU shot 32.8 percent (19 for 58) from the field.  The defense forced the Rams into 33.3 percent (17 of 51) shooting in the contest and the Blue & Gray forced 15 turnovers from VCU with seven steals in the game. 
 
After winning the tip, GU opened the first quarter with a 4-0 run.  Adomako and White were active early on and built an eight-point lead 14-6 on an Adomako trey before the first media timeout. The Rams came right back out of the timeout and quickly cut it to four.  A jumper made by senior Brianna Jones (North Babylon, N.Y. / North Babylon / Louisville) advanced the Hoyas' lead by two, but the Rams went on a 6-0 tear to end the stanza tying the game at 16.
 
The second quarter was back and forth as neither squad could gain momentum.  Graduate student Mikayla Venson (Arlington, Va. / Yorktown / Virginia) scored the first Hoya points of the second quarter, followed a minute later by a layup from junior guard Morgan Smith (Upper Marlboro, Md. / Riverdale Baptist) as GU regained the lead 20-19. Both teams continued to grapple for the advantage, with neither able to gain a definitive edge. Despite late buckets from Adomako, the teams went into the break tied at 24.   
 
Adomako opened scoring in the second half with a jumper, kick starting an 8-0 run that would make it 32-24 in favor of the Blue & Gray. Following a timeout, VCU responded with a 5-0 run, narrowing the Hoyas' lead to just two. With 1:09 remaining in the third quarter, White interrupted the Rams' run with a steal and a fast break layup. Another layup by White made it 36-30 as the Hoyas clung to a small lead.
 
The fourth quarter opened with a VCU 4-0 run to tie the game at 36.  Despite a layup by Kelava and a jumper by Venson, VCU kept pace and took the lead, forcing GU to call a timeout with 3:28 left in the game. Adomako knocked down a free throw to tie it up, but the Rams would answer with a quick 5-0 spurt as the game increased in speed and intensity.  Looking at a five-point deficit, White hammered home a trey to make it a one-possession game with 14 seconds left in the game.  The Hoyas were forced to foul and VCU missed both giving GU a chance.  The last-second shot missed the mark as Georgetown fell 47-45.
 
The Hoyas have just one nonconference home game remaining as GU hosts NC State on Saturday at 1 p.m. at McDonough Arena.  Live stats and a webcast featuring Monika Moore will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.