WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University women's basketball team used a third quarter run to defeat the Howard University Bison 45-43 on Thursday evening in McDonough Arena in a nonconference matchup with the crosstown rival. With the win, the Hoyas improve to 6-1 on the season and the Bison drop to 1-8 for the year.

Interim Head Coach Darnell Haney

• "This is who we are, we are going to fight, we have grit and we're resilient. We've been in situations like this before and we know what it takes. I'm proud of this team that, when shots weren't falling, we relied on our defense and got stops. I want to commend Mya Bembry for the job she did on Iyanna Warren. Mya is our Swiss Army knife and she's really the glue for us. Kelsey Ransom had another monster game with 14 rebounds, and Graceann Bennett had some key buckets at the end and probably the biggest block of her career. I'm just proud of the group as a whole, and we're just going to make sure we continue to grow, to get better and to do what we have to do to be successful."

How it Happened

• Georgetown jumped out to a quick lead, but Howard found a way to come back, staging an 8-0 run to take the 12-9 lead at the 3:35 mark in the first quarter.
• A pair of free throws from graduate student Alex Cowan would stop the run, but the momentum stayed with the Bison as they built the score to 15-11 at the end of the first period.
• Power in the post began the second quarter as junior Ariel Jenkins muscled her way to the basket, and senior Kelsey followed that up with a fastbreak layup to tie the game at 15.
• Howard answered back, but a pair of layups from Jenkins would tie it up again at 19.
• Down the stretch, the Bison had the lead but a jumper from senior Jada Claude on GU's final possession made it 22-21 in favor of the Blue & Gray at the half.
• The Hoyas put it in another gear in the second half staging a 14-1 run, including seven points from senior Kelsey Ransom, to take the commanding 38-26 lead.
• Howard would fight back, but Georgetown stayed on top at the end of the third with the 40-33 advantage.
• The fourth period was quiet for both squads as the Blue & Gray clung to a small lead.
• In the final two minutes, the Hoyas called timeout to advance the ball and a perfectly executed play went to graduate student Graceann Bennett for the short jumper in the lane to make it 44-40.
• Howard would answer with a long 3-pointer that bounced high off the rim and in to cut the lead to one.
• A free throw from Cowan and a huge block on the other end by Bennett sealed the 45-43 victory for the Hoyas.

Of Note

• Ransom led the way once again with her second double-double of the season scoring 12 points and tying her career-best on the boards with 14 in the contest. She also led the Hoyas with four assists and as many steals on the evening.
• Cowan added seven points and five rebounds, while Bennett managed four points, eight rebounds and three blocks for the game.
• The Hoyas shot 30.9% (17-55) from the field, and the Blue & Gray allowed just 24.2% (15-62) shooting by the Bison.
• GU was outrebounded by HU 47-43, and Georgetown forced 15 Bison turnovers on 10 steals.
• Iyanna Warren led Howard with 13 points as the lone player in double figures.
• GU's 6-1 record is its best start since the 2010-11 campaign when the Hoyas started the year 7-1. That season, the squad went 24-11 with a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16.

Up Next

• The Hoyas will head back out on the road to begin a two-game swing this weekend as the squad takes on Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois on Sunday.
• The opening tip is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
• The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and live stats will be available at GUHoyas.com.