#8 Tigers cage #7 Lions, push win streak to 15

On most nights, the Georgetown Women's Basketball team plays fast, up-and-down style on the court, which has led to tremendous success this season. Saturday's tussle against Freed-Hardeman played out in a slower, more physical style. Georgetown was able to flex its versatility in a 70-65 win to improve to 17-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Mid-South Conference.

Freed-Hardeman entered the game at 17-1 despite averaging under 70 points per game. The Lions play at a half-court pace, routinely work possessions deep into the shot clock, and play tough defense. Georgetown felt all 3 of those in the first quarter. The Tigers shot 2-12 from the field with 6 turnovers, scoring just 6 total points. Freed-Hardeman had the pace where it wanted in taking a 15-6 lead to the 2nd quarter.

The Lions extended their lead to 18-8 early in the 2nd before the Tiger offense started coming to life. To no surprise, Teionni McDaniel was the spark with a long 3. Anna Long followed with a 3-point play. McDaniel then scored 5 straight as Georgetown had cut the FHU lead to 1 at 20-19, forcing the Lions to a timeout. At the midway point of the quarter and after a Lion bucket, McDaniel drilled another 3 to tie the game at 22. The teams would trade buckets and free throws the rest of the quarter. Georgetown made 8 of 9 at the line in the 2nd in outscoring FHU, 27-13, to take a 33-28 lead to halftime. Teionni McDaniel nailed all 3 of her three-point attempts in scoring 11 points in just 6 minutes.

The Lions started the 3rd with a 3 on its opening possession. Abby Varney and Callie Jackson countered with a 7-0 run to give the Tigers a 40-31 lead with 7 minutes to go in the quarter. Georgetown continued to find its way to the foul line and with 5:11 to go, Abby Varney made 2 more to give the Tigers their largest lead at 46-33. Freed-Hardeman showed itself more than worthy of the #7 ranking as the Lions rallied for 14 unanswered to take a stunning 47-46 lead with 1:51 to go. Georgetown answered immediately as Sophie Smith launched a long pass off the inbound to a wide open Izzy Lamparty for a bucket and the Georgetown lead again. Free throws from Lamparty and 4 points from Teionni McDaniel put the Tigers back in command as they took a 54-48 to the 4th.

FHU started the 4th with a 3-point play to cut the GC lead in half with 9:17 to play in the game. Georgetown did not score its first points of the 4th until free throws from McDaniel with 6:45 to go for a 56-53 lead. Freed-Hardeman kept coming and with 5:25 to go, the Lions tied the game at 57. An exchange of buckets and stops saw the game find its way tied at 61 with just over 2 minutes to play. With Georgetown in possession, Sophie Smith grabbed a critical offensive rebound. The ball found its way to AJ Stevenson who nailed a huge 3 for the lead. The Lions countered with a bucket inside on its next possession to cut the GC lead to 1. On the ensuing Tiger possession, Izzy Lamparty found the ball in her hands with the shot clock winding down. The veteran showed poise and found Anna Long at the top of the key. Long let a 3 fly that dropped through the net to give the Tigers a 67-63 lead with a minute to play. Freed-Hardeman hit 2 free throws with 40 seconds to play to cut the margin to 2. Anna Long was fouled with 14 seconds to go and calmly sank 2 free throws to push the lead back to 2 possessions. Long hit another free throw after Teionni McDaniel blocked a Lion 3-point attempt with 8 seconds to go to seal another top-10 win.

Anna Long scored 6 of her 11 points down the stretch to help Georgetown hold off Freed-Hardeman. Teionni McDaniel led the Tigers once more in scoring as she finished with 20, along with 3 steals. Abby Varney continued to impress in her freshman campaign as she tallied 13. Trinity Klock scored timely buckets in the paint to end with 10. Sophie Smith was quiet in the scoring column but grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds and dished out 7 assists.

The MSC gauntlet continues next Thursday as the Tigers travel to Williamsburg to take on #16 Cumberlands. Tip time is set for 5:30pm.