WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University women's basketball team earned its first win of the 2020-21 season in a 56-45 victory over visiting Butler on Thursday afternoon at McDonough Arena. A strong second half by the Hoyas allowed them to advance to 1-1 in both the regular season and in the BIG EAST while the Bulldogs fall to 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the conference.
 
ON THE RECORD
 
"Butler had a great game plan, and I always tell our kids that people say we only have nine but nine is enough and Butler showed that today seven is enough. If you love to play this game, there is no quit in you, you go and play the game. Being a young team being on the ropes, we could have done one of two things. We could have held our heads down when we got down 13 and it could have been a 20-point loss, but this young team showed me that they have fight. After this game, I'm liking the fight that I've seen in these first two games." - Head Coach James Howard
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
• Sophomore Talia Stimpson opened up the scoring for both teams but the Bulldogs pulled off a 13-point scoring run to take the lead.
• Freshman Yasmin Ott managed to add a quick five points before the first quarter ended as GU trailed 20-11.
• The Hoyas fought back in the second quarter and cut Butler's lead to as little as one with less than five minutes to go before the half.  
• Junior Jillian Archer led GU on an eight-point scoring run off of a pair of three-point plays.
• Freshman Kelsey Ransom made it a one-point game with a three from the top of the key to keep Georgetown in the game, but the Bulldogs led 35-31 going into the break.
• Georgetown came out strong out of the half, both offensively and defensively, managing a 12-0 run and allowing Butler just one basket in the third quarter.
• Ott tied it up at 37 with a three-pointer and sophomore Graceann Bennett gave the Hoyas the lead as they went into the fourth quarter 43-37.
• A 3-pointer from freshman Jazmyn Harmon gave GU an 11-point lead, forcing Butler to call a timeout.
• The Blue & Gray never looked back as they managed to outscore the Bulldogs 13-8 in the final quarter and earned its first victory of the season 56-45.
 
OF NOTE
 
• A trio of Hoyas scored in double digits, including Ott who led both teams with 13 points. Bennett and Archer each added 10. Ott was also 50 percent (3-6) from the three-point line.
• Archer led both teams with 11 rebounds and Ransom pulled down six. Ransom had a game-high five assists while graduate student Taylor Baur tallied three. Baur also added a game high of three steals.
• The Hoyas shot 38.6 percent (22-57) while Butler went 30.0 percent (15-50). Georgetown also outrebounded the Bulldogs 38-32.
• The Blue & Gray allowed Butler just 10 points in the second half while GU managed 25.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE HOYAS
The Hoyas return to action on Saturday, Jan. 2 against BIG EAST rival Villanova (7-1, 2-1 BIG EAST) at Finneran Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN).
 
BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports
 
New for 2020-21, the BIG EAST Conference has announced a one-year deal with leading sports streaming service, FloSports, to become the digital home of BIG EAST women's basketball, bringing elite collegiate competition to a global audience. The agreement provides a platform for all women's basketball games that stream on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) presented by SoFi.
 
Fan Information
 
Earlier this season, the Georgetown Athletics Department announced that no in-person fans would be permitted through December due to COVID-19.  This is in accordance with Washington, D.C. regulations which limit the size of in-person gatherings. A determination has yet to be made on whether fans will be permitted for home games in January through March.