CINCINNATI - In the earliest game in BIG EAST Conference basketball history, the Georgetown University women's basketball team avenged a previous loss with a 65-52 victory over the Xavier University Musketeers on Saturday morning in a league matchup at Cintas Center. With the win, the Hoyas improve to 12-8 overall and 5-6 in BIG EAST play, while the Musketeers drop to 10-10 and 3-8 in league action.  
 
Head Coach Darnell Haney

• "This adversity just teaches us we've got to be ready to go at any time, and I felt like we were extremely ready to go this morning. We had some mishaps in the first half that we had to fix, and then we kind of came on in the second half. I'm proud of Brianna Scott for her performance today, she showed up and this was one of her best games. Also, Khia Miller had a good game, she's getting more consistent. We're going to celebrate this today, bundle up for the cold and move on to the next one."

How it Happened

• Xavier jumped out to a small lead, but midway through the quarter, the feisty Hoya defense began to force turnovers which resulted in points on the other end.
• A triple from junior local Brianna Byars to beat the shot clock sparked a 13-2 run.
• The Blue & Gray led 19-14 at the end of the first.
• A triple by sophomore Destiny Agubata began the second quarter as GU went up by as much as 10.
• An 11-0 Xavier run over four minutes moved the Musketeers back ahead, but junior Khia Miller answered with back-to-back 3-pointers.
• An XU layup at the buzzer made it 30-27 in favor of the Blue & Gray at the half.
• Graduate student Brianna Scott took over in the third quarter as the Hoyas opened with a 10-0 run including five points from Scott.
• A pair of triples from graduate student Laila Jewett and continued scoring from Scott made it 49-37 at the end of the third.
• Xavier found a way back in the fourth quarter cutting the game to eight early on.
• Despite the small comeback, Scott battled and kept the game out of reach as free throws down the stretch made the final 65-52.

Of Note

• Scott led the way for the second game in a row with a season-high 21 points to go along with a game-best eight rebounds. She also had three assists, three steals and two blocks while going 7-7 at the line.
• Miller was also in double figures with 17 points and three steals to her credit.
• The Blue & Gray shot just 42.3% (22-52) from the field, and allowed just 37.5% (21-56) shooting by Xavier.
• Both teams pulled down 32 rebounds apiece, and GU forced 23 XU turnovers on 17 steals.
• Mariyah Noel led the way for Xavier with 20 points as one of two Musketeers in double figures.
• It is believed that Saturday's contest was the earliest conference game tip time in BIG EAST men's and women's basketball history.

Up Next

• The Hoyas will return home for another early game on Thursday as the squad hosts the Seton Hall University Pirates at McDonough Arena for the annual school day game.
• Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Dorian Craft and Maren Walseth calling the action.
• Live stats will be available at GUHoyas.com.
• Tickets are available at GUHoyas.com/tickets.