WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University women's basketball team downed the Xavier University Musketeers 77-49 on Saturday afternoon in a BIG EAST Conference matchup at McDonough Arena. With the win, the Hoyas improve to 14-4 on the season and 4-3 in league play, while the Musketeers drop to 1-15 for the year and 0-7 in the conference. 

Interim Head Coach Darnell Haney on the Hoya Defense

• "Our principles defensively will take care of themselves, but we need to make sure that we are doing what we do to play Georgetown defense. We don't just say it, it's a system, there are parts to it. If you don't do those things the right way, teams are going to score. Once we locked in, we held them to two points the rest of the quarter. Sometimes we focus on scoring, but we tried to nullify that. We went out and played Georgetown defense every possession and that took care of it for us."

How it Happened

• Xavier held a slight lead midway through the first period, but a traditional three-point play from sophomore Victoria Rivera sparked a 19-0 run that included eight points from junior Brianna Scott as the Hoyas were rolling
• On the other end of the floor, GU forced seven XU turnovers and led 25-10 at the end of the first.
• The Hoyas kept pushing in the second quarter as the defense held Xavier scoreless in the first six minutes and managed a 9-0 run to build the lead to 34-10.
• The Musketeers would connect on only one field goal in the second period as Georgetown led 41-14 at the half.
• Rivera began the second half with seven quick points on a free throw and back-to-back triples.
• The Blue & Gray built the lead to as much as 37 points in the third quarter, never allowing Xavier back into the contest on both ends of the floor.
• Georgetown was on top 66-28 at the end of the third.
• Junior Ariel Jenkins began the final period with a triple, but Xavier answered with a 12-0 run.
• A bucket from graduate student Graceann Bennett would stop the run, and despite the Musketeer momentum, the Hoyas cruised to the 77-49 final.

Of Note

• Bennett led the way for the Hoyas with 18 points and eight rebounds as well as four assists and two blocks.
• Rivera managed 16 points for the second-consecutive contest and had four assists, while junior Brianna Scott posted 12 points.
• Ransom rounded out those in double figures with 10 points and six assists in the contest.
• The Blue & Gray shot 54.7% (29-53) from the field, and Georgetown allowed 36.0% (18-50) shooting by the Musketeers.
• GU outrebounded XU 34-23, and Georgetown forced 17 Musketeer turnovers on eight steals.
• Mackayla Scarlett scored 21 points as the lone Musketeers in double figures.

Up Next

• The Hoyas will stay home to face the No. 21 Creighton University Bluejays at McDonough Arena on Wednesday evening in a BIG EAST contest at 7 p.m.
• Tickets can be purchased at GUHoyas.com/tickets. Additionally, Georgetown students as well as GU faculty and staff will be admitted for free for all games at McDonough Arena with a valid GoCard.
• Fans can tune in to watch the contest on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports presented by Invesco QQQ. Click here for special University pricing.
• Live stats will be available at GUHoyas.com.