The AU women's basketball team was able to rally twice from large deficits in Saturday's game against Georgetown but ultimately came up short at the end, falling by the final score of 65-55. The loss drops the Eagle's overall record to 2-6 on the season.
From the opening tip, the game would be marked by dramatic scoring runs by both teams. Although Georgetown scored the game's first points only 14 seconds into the game, the two teams traded baskets in the early minutes. AU soon gained its first lead at the 14:27 mark on a Latitia Jackson three-pointer to go up 8-7.
However, this lead would be short-lived, as Georgetown went on its first run of the game, scoring nine straight points on four consecutive baskets to lead 17-8 at the 11:34 mark.
Although the Eagles were down big, they were not out of the game. AU would respond with a 9-0 run of their own over a three-minute span to tie the game at 17 with just over eight minutes remaining in the half.
This would be as close as the Eagles would get in the opening period of play, as each team traded shorter scoring runs to end the half with the Hoyas up 30-28.
Entering the second half, Georgetown came out with the hot shooting hand while AU went ice cold. The Hoyas were able to go on a commanding 12-0 run, shooting four-six from the floor. On the other hand, the Eagles missed their first eight shots of the half to find themselves facing a 40-28 deficit.
While they seemed down and out, the Eagles were suddenly able to recover their shooting touch. Nicole Ryan went on a personal 13-1 run, converting five straight shots, including back-to-back-to-back three pointers, to tie the game at 41 with 9:50 remaining in the game.
However, the Eagles once again were unable to capitalize on this change in momentum, soon finding themselves down 59-49 at the 3:21 mark as a result of an 18-8 Georgetown outburst.
AU was able to cut the lead back down to three with just over a minute remaining on a pair of Ryan free throws but this would be as close as the Eagles would get, falling by the final score of 65-55.
The key to the game proved to be shooting percentage. While shooting slightly higher in the first half (37 percent to 33 percent), the Hoyas were able to win by a large margin due to shooting a remarkable 60 percent in the second half. AU was able to improve its touch to 43 percent in the second half, but it was not enough.
Georgetown's Kieraah Marlow was the game's leading scorer, gaining 17 of her 22 points in the second half to help lead the Hoyas to victory. AU's Nicole Ryan scored a career-high 18 points and teammate Liz Hayes chipped in 14 of her own in the losing effort.
The loss drops AU to 1-1 halfway through their current four-game home stand and their overall season record to 2-6. Next up for the Eagles is a home match against Furman University on Tuesday night. The game tips off at 7 p.m.
