Georgetown women’s basketball crushes Miami

It had been 10 days since the No. 17 Georgetown women last played as the Hoyas took time off for final exams. Coaches usually like to schedule a lightly regarded opponent to ease their players back into the rigors of competition. Not Georgetown Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy.

Back on the court for the first time since its Dec. 11 win over George Washington, Georgetown faced seventh-ranked Miami and its potent offense.

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Williams-Flournoy admitted she was a bit concerned about how her team would come out of the grueling exam period, but she needn’t have worried. The Hoyas, playing their best defense of the year, stifled the top-ranked scoring offense in Division I and defeated Miami, 71-46, on Wednesday night at McDonough Gym.

Sugar Rodgers scored 24 points to lead Georgetown (10-2), which extended its winning streak to nine games. The Hoyas have won 34 consecutive nonconference home games.

“We worked hard on and off the court because we had the exams,” Rodgers said. “We had to be focused this week. . . . I felt like they can’t beat us at home because they already beat us at their place [last season]. That was the big thing for me personally.”

Georgetown’s offense was a bit slow to get going, but its defense was suffocating from the opening jump ball. Miami (9-2) turned over the ball on six of its first eight possessions, while the Hoyas missed four shots and had three turnovers in the same span.

“They handed us a huge lesson, and I’m regretful that it happened,” Miami Coach Katie Meier said. “I’ll be more regretful if we don’t take it and learn from it and really use this as a thank you. Like, thank you Georgetown. We needed this. You smacked us in the face and we ran and called our moms and asked for help instead of turning to each other and saying, ‘Hey, let’s do what we can do to show some Miami pride.’ ”

Georgetown completely disrupted Miami offensively, holding the Hurricanes more than 40 points below their season average. Senior guard Shenise Johnson, the preseason ACC player of the year, went 1 of 13 from the floor and was the only player to score in double figures. She made eight free throws to finish with 10 points. Senior guard Riquna Williams, who has been named to the Wade, Naismith and Wooden player of the year lists, scored six points on 2-of-10 shooting.

“We wanted to bottle those two up,” Williams-Flournoy said. “Take the ball out of their hands as much as we could, and press and trap all over the place. We said, ‘When in doubt, just go trap.’ ”

The Hoyas turned Miami’s 23 turnovers into 19 points.

“They did a great job just dismantling us, making us try to beat them individually,” Johnson said. “That was our downfall tonight.”

It wasn’t just Georgetown’s pressure defense that flustered Miami. Adria Crawford, a 6-foot-1 senior forward, and Alexa Roche, a 6-foot senior guard, combined to block five shots. Roche, despite her short stature, leads the Hoyas with 16 blocked shots.

“I have no idea why I can jump the way that I jump,” Roche said. “It definitely makes up for a lot of flaws that I have in my game so I’ll take it.”

Roche has been a particularly prolific shot-blocker lately. In the Hoyas’ past five games, she has blocked 10 shots.

“She has incredible bunnies,” said Rodgers, referring to Roche’s leaping ability. “She blocks my shot in practice. She needs to block somebody else’s. That’s how I feel.”

American women win big

Sarah Kiely had 11 points and 10 rebounds to lead four Eagles in double figures as American rolled to a 63-48 victory over visiting Loyola (Md.)

The Eagles (7-4) took control with a 15-4 run late in the opening half. American pulled down 18 offensive rebounds and enjoyed a 39-23 rebounding advantage over the Greyhounds (4-6).

●FLA. GULF COAST 69, VIRGINIA TECH 41: Kelsey Jacobson scored 17 points and the Eagles (8-1) sank 17 three-pointers in cruising past the Hokies in Fort Myers, Fla. Aerial Wilson paced Virginia Tech (3-8) with 15 points.

— From news services

and staff reports