CHICAGO – The Georgetown University women's basketball team took it to the wire, but fell to the DePaul University Blue Demons (17-7, 8-4 BIG EAST) 76-71 Sunday afternoon at McGrath-Phillips Arena in a BIG EAST Conference matchup.  With the loss, the Hoyas drop to 11-13 overall and 5-8 in BIG EAST Conference play.  In the contest, senior guard Dionna White (Baltimore, Md. / Milford Mill) had a career moment surpassing WNBA All-Star Sugar Rodger as the program's all-time steals leader with 328.
 
"I'm so proud of the effort today, they really represented Georgetown this weekend," said Georgetown Head Coach James Howard.  "It's hard to play good teams at home, but our kids gave themselves a chance.  It came down to the little things, but if we play this way over the next five games we'll put ourselves in a great position going into the postseason.  If we play this well down the stretch, we're a tough team to beat."
 
Three Hoyas managed double figures led by White with 16 points, four steals and four rebounds. Graduate student guard Dorothy Adomako (Midlothian, Va. / Cosby) added 15 points and six boards while junior guard Morgan Smith (Upper Marlboro, Md. / Riverdale Baptist) tallied 10 points and five rebounds.  Freshman guard Nikola Kovacikova (Levice, Slovakia / UKF Nitra) had a team-best five assists to go along with two points and two rebounds.     
 
The Hoyas shot 42.1 percent (24 for 57) from the field while allowing the Blue Demons to shoot 47.3 percent (26 for 55). Georgetown was outrebounded by DePaul 34-33, but forced 17 Blue Demon turnovers to the Hoyas' 15.
 
The Blue Demons hit a trio of 3-pointers to begin the game, but Georgetown matched with a Mikayla Venson (Arlington, Va. / Yorktown / Virginia) triple and a jumper from junior forward Anita Kelava (Zagreb, Coration / Croatian National Team / Maine).  DePaul continued to hit from downtown, but the Blue & Gray fought back as Smith converted the three-point play and Adomako nailed a trey.  Despite the hot shooting, GU trailed by just one 14-13 midway through the first.
 
A free throw from Smith tied the game at 14, and White knocked down a triple from the corner as the Hoyas took the lead.  Georgetown would hold onto the small advantage as everyone got into the act.  In the final seconds of the quarter, Kovacikova drove the lane and dished to sophomore guard Tatiana Thompson (Winter Haven, Fla. / Winter Haven) in the corner who sank a trey at the buzzer to make it 26-19 at the end of the first.
 
DePaul scored four quick points to open the second quarter, but a put back from Thompson kept the Blue Demons at bay.  Georgetown clung to the small lead throughout the quarter finding points from everyone on the court.  A small run allowed DePaul to tie the score at 31 with 2:32 remaining in the stanza and the squad added a layup to move ahead.  The Blue Demons would hang on to the advantage as the momentum shifted.  At the half, Georgetown trailed 38-35.
 
The third quarter saw DePaul continue to hold onto its small lead as tensions ran high between the teams in the physical matchup.  Free throws allowed the Blue Demons to maintain the advantage as Georgetown battled to make up the difference.  Some big plays from Smith in the paint and drives by Adomako helped the cause, but the Blue & Gray trailed 59-51 at the end of the third quarter.
 
As DePaul looked to push the lead, Georgetown answered back as White took the team on her shoulders and delivered.  She manufactured a 7-2 run on her own to cut the lead to three, 65-62, and force a Blue Demon timeout.  A layup from Adomako made it a one-point game 65-64 with 3:41 remaining in the game as it would come down to the wire.
 
With Adomako at the line and trailing by three, she would make the first and miss the second as guard Brianna Jones (North Babylon, N.Y. / North Babylon / Louisville) came down with the huge rebound and then hit a jumper from the baseline to tie it at 67.  DePaul would find a retort, but an Adomako layup tied the game again with a minute to play.  The defense needed a stop and managed to just give up a free throw looking at a three-point deficit.  Venson was fouled on the inbounds and nailed both free throws to make it 71-71 with 29.5 seconds to play.
 
DePaul managed two free throws on the next possession, and the tying 3-pointer fell short.  This resulted in fouls and the eventual 76-71 decision.
 
The Hoyas will continue their road swing at Villanova University on Saturday, Feb. 16.  The opening tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Finneran Pavilion.  The game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) and live stats will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.
 
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