CINCINNATI – The Georgetown University women's basketball team pushed through to pick up the 63-50 victory at Xavier University Sunday afternoon at Cintas Center in a BIG EAST Conference matchup. With the win, the Blue & Gray improved to 5-19 on the season and 2-11 in the BIG EAST while the Musketeers fell to 2-21 overall and 1-11 in the league.
Sounds of the Game
- "It was a great effort today, I thought they came out ready to play. It was Brianna Jones' birthday and she was locked in. To have four players score in double figures, and two with double-doubles in Brianna Jones and Nikola Kovacikova is key. If we continue to get that type of effort, we have a chance to win a lot more games." – Head Coach James Howard
How it Happened
- On her birthday, graduate student Brianna Jones opened the game with a 3-pointer before the Musketeers could match.
- Following a drought from both squads, it was graduate student Taylor Barnes sinking the trey and senior Anita Kelava on the jumper as GU staged a 10-0 run.
- Xavier tried to come back, but the Blue & Gray held strong, especially on the defensive end, to lead 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
- Kelava managed the three-point play to begin the second stanza and the Hoyas went ahead by as much as 10 but the Musketeers came back to pull within five 19-14.
- A 7-2 run from Xavier tied the game at 21 as it began to get physical and the Hoyas called a timeout to regroup.
- Xavier took a one-point lead, but Barnes connected on a jumper from beyond the arc as the Blue & Gray battled back. At the half the Hoyas led by five 30-25 thanks to late buckets from sophomore Nikola Kovacikova.
- Georgetown clung to a small lead throughout much of the third until a 6-0 Xavier run put the Musketeers on top 38-37 forcing a GU timeout with 2:20 left in the period.
- Barnes came out and drove for the layup and free throws helped the Hoyas hold the 43-40 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
- Xavier knocked down a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter, but the Blue & Gray gained control and did not look back.
- The Hoyas staged a massive 13-0 run as the Musketeers called two timeouts searching for an answer.
- Georgetown would take the momentum to the end eventually picking up the 63-50 victory.
Of Note
- Barnes led the way as one of four Hoyas in double figures with 18 points as well as pulling down five rebounds and tallying four assists.
- Jones had the double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Kovacikova also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards along with a squad-high five assists.
- Rounding it out was Kelava posting 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks on the afternoon.
- Georgetown shot 37.5 percent from the field hitting 21-of-56 shots while the Musketeers shot 29.6 percent hitting 16-of-54.
- The Blue & Gray outrebounded Xavier 45-34 and forced 14 turnovers while committing 13.
Up Next
The Hoyas will be back in action on Sunday at McDonough Arena as the squad takes on Villanova at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) and live stats will be available at GUHoyas.com. Fans can also follow the Hoyas on Twitter for in-game updates at @GeorgetownWBB.
The BIG EAST has a dedicated channel on Caffeine,
www.Caffeine.tv/BEDN, where fans can find all BEDN content. In addition to appearing on Caffeine, all BEDN events will be co-streamed on YouTube via the conference's main channel,
www.youtube.com/BIGEASTConference, and Twitter on the main BIG EAST handle, @BIGEAST.
