Hoyas Bounceback Week Against St. John’s and Marquette, Eyes Focused On UConn
In my time covering Georgetown Hoyas women’s basketball, I’ve learned about the attention to detail and fundamental basketball that coach Darnell Haney expects from his team.
After a tough loss at DePaul in the midst of a stretch of games where the team left possessions and points on the table, the Hoyas have rounded into form over the last two games against St. John’s and Marquette.
The Hoyas beat St. John’s on Jan. 13, 59-34, and Marquette this past Saturday, 63-54, as they improved to 11-7 on the season, and 4-5 in Big East play.
Following the St. John’s win, Haney emphasized that “regardless of how many points we score, I feel like defense is something that we can control.”
In their last two contests, that mentality was reflected on the floor.
Against St. John’s, the Hoyas forced 18 turnovers and allowed the Red Storm to score in double figures in only one quarter of the game (2nd quarter). Against Marquette, they found a way to competitively contest shots, holding the Golden Eagles to 31.6% shooting from the field.
Watching the team in action last week in person, you could tell the teaching moments from tough losses were sticking. The team looks to be getting 1% better every contest, and it’s starting to show in the results.
Meshing as a Team
This team is designed with a rotation of versatile players and an offense that does a great job of spreading the wealth among its scorers.
“Everybody in this program is important, and everyone in this program brings something different,” Haney said in regard to the talent on his roster. He also referred to the group as the “Avengers,” further emphasizing the many different types of players and how they need to mesh together to have success on the court.
“I don’t need the windshield wipers trying to do what my engine does,”
- Coach Haney.
Offensively, that balance shows up in how scoring is distributed. This past week, the Hoyas had a game where Destiny Agubata and Laila Jewett led the team in scoring with 15 and 13 points, respectively. They then turned around the next game and had four players score in double figures, with Khia Miller leading the way with 21 points.
“[Coach Haney] gives us the game plan, we follow through, and you see the result,” Agubata said.
“It’s a lot easier for us to get open when our teammates are also threats,” added Jewett
While the Hoyas are trending in the right direction, they face their toughest Big East test this week against No. 1-ranked, undefeated UConn and local St. John’s College High School product Azzi Fudd on Thursday at CareFirst Arena.
While the task is tall, I’ll be looking forward to seeing how the Hoyas compete this week.
Regardless of the result, the growth of this team is showing at a critical point in the season.
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