WASHINGTON – An impressive fourth-quarter display propelled the Georgetown University women’s basketball team over the Xavier University Musketeers 64-41 on Monday night during a BIG EAST Conference clash at McDonough Arena. With this victory, the Hoyas enhance their record to 8-5 for the season and 1-1 in conference play, while the Musketeers fall to 5-8 this year and 0-2 in the BIG EAST.
Head Coach Darnell Haney
“Tonight was a true reflection of us returning to our fundamentals and ensuring we tightened up and executed Georgetown defense. We managed to secure some crucial stops and grab some rebounds towards the end, which significantly assisted us. I thought Ariel Jenkins was pivotal on the defensive end. She performed excellently in rebounding and guarding their post players, and kudos to Siobhan Ryan who came in and made substantial contributions on defense, and as a result, she pulled off some important plays for us. I was delighted with how we concluded the game.”
How the Game Unfolded
In spite of a rough beginning for both teams, Georgetown initiated a 7-0 burst to start the match.
The impactful play of senior Ariel Jenkins in the paint was crucial as she secured rebounds and converted free throws.
A late layup by Xavier provided them with momentum as GU ended the first quarter ahead 14-9.
Both sides experienced a quiet start to the second quarter until Xavier ignited with a trio of three-pointers to seize a 22-20 lead with 2:44 remaining in the half.
A floater from Ransom along with a free throw put the Blue & Gray back in front. A jumper from rookie Khadee Hession stretched the score to 25-22 at halftime.
Xavier commenced the second half with a 9-2 run to take the lead, 31-27.
The Blue & Gray responded with a 7-0 run including a three from Jenkins, but an XU basket tied the game at 33.
The lead fluctuated, but late contributions from junior Victoria Rivera and graduate student Siobhan Ryan granted GU a 41-37 edge heading into the concluding quarter.
The final quarter was dominated by the Hoyas as the team executed nearly a five-minute sequence to establish an 11-2 run to lead 52-41, prompting a Xavier timeout.
The timeout did not disrupt the Hoya momentum as GU outscored Xavier 23-4 in the final quarter to comfortably secure the 64-41 victory.
Additional Notes
Jenkins spearheaded the performance with a comprehensive display, achieving her fourth double-double of the season with 22 points and 14 rebounds as well as three steals and one assist.
Ransom also reached double figures with 14 points, while Rivera contributed 11, and Hession completed the tally with 10 points in the game.
The Blue & Gray managed a shooting percentage of 38.2% (21-55) from the field, while restricting the Musketeers to 35.4% (17-48) shooting in the match.
Georgetown dominated the boards against XU, with a 41-24 advantage in rebounds, and forced 15 turnovers from the Musketeers with 11 steals.
Loren Christie was one of the two Musketeers to score in double digits with 12 points.
Upcoming
Georgetown is set to visit Seton Hall University for a BIG EAST Conference contest on Saturday as they take on the Pirates at Walsh Gymnasium.
The game is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
This matchup will be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network via FloSports.
Live statistics will be accessible at GUHoyas.com.