Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post - Georgetown forward Adria Crawford, left, and guard Alexa Roche (34) battle for a rebound during second-half action of the Hoyas’ 68-63 loss to Connecticut in Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA
If you want the Georgetown Hoyas to be happy about giving the top-ranked team in the nation a tough game, if you want them to celebrate being in the Sweet 16 rather than being angry at missing the Elite Eight, if you want them to smile and say how honored they were to be on the court with Connecticut on Sunday in the NCAA tournament — then move along. This isn’t the team for you.
“In case you haven’t noticed, our program is on the rise,” senior guard Monica McNutt said a few minutes after playing her final game at Georgetown. “We’re past moral victories. We should be in the Elite Eight.”
And so they should. Georgetown (24-11) outplayed the Huskies — now 35-1, the top seed in the East Region, the two-time defending national champions, the team going for an NCAA record-tying eighth women’s title — for much of the afternoon at the Liacouras Center before falling, 68-63, after Connecticut put together a killer 13-0 run late in the game.
Coming into this game, conventional wisdom said the Hoyas were a game bunch who had gone as far as they could go. Connecticut was too tall, too strong, too . . . Connecticut to lose to Georgetown. Nice run. See you next year.
But the Hoyas seem to thrive on being underestimated, overlooked, disrespected. After the women’s bracket was unveiled, when ESPN commentator Kara Lawson talked about Maryland’s ability to match up with Connecticut — apparently discounting the Hoyas’ chances of beating the Terrapins in the second round — it got the attention of Terri Williams-Flournoy and her players. They also good-naturedly chided President Obama for picking Princeton to beat them in the first round.
But after Sunday’s performance, the role of surprising upstart will be filled by another group of ingenues next season. The Hoyas will sneak up on no one. Georgetown became the team to beat in the Washington area with Tuesday’s decisive win over Maryland. Now they’re a power nationally, and they want to threaten the Huskies’ stranglehold on the Big East. One point in their favor — everyone off this season’s squad will be back next year, except McNutt.
That is an important exception. The 6-foot guard from Suitland is one of the most fervent disciples of Williams-Flournoy’s hard-pressing system, a strong locker room presence and a quote machine. She’s interning at NBC-4 and preparing to graduate in a few months.
“I have a sense of urgency because when this is over I’m looking for a 9 to 5,” she said after the victory over the Terrapins. Sunday, she looked at the assembled media horde and said, “I want to be on your side, so if anyone wants to help me out [with a job], let me know.” You can’t say she doesn’t know how to network.
She did her best to stave off the working world for another week Sunday, scoring 17 points with three assists and two steals. “She is my coach on the court, she is my coach in the locker room, she is my coach outside McDonough Arena,” Williams-Flournoy said afterward.
“She’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever had in my life,” said forward Tia McGee, who fought tears during the postgame news conference. “I told Coach, ‘Next season I want to be like Monica.’ I want to be her.”
She’ll get her chance. McGee will be a senior, along with fellow starters Adria Crawford and Rubylee Wright. Sugar Rodgers will be a junior with something to prove. After having the best game of her career — 34 points — against Maryland, she had just 11 points and committed five turnovers Sunday.
“We’re not good when Sugar doesn’t have a good night,” Williams-Flournoy admitted.
With Rodgers struggling, the Hoyas shot 38.7 percent — exactly what Connecticut shot — but missed a passel of layups and easy shots in the first half, when they had the Huskies back on their heels.
But Connecticut is the gold standard of women’s basketball for a reason. The Huskies put together a 90-game winning streak before suffering their only loss of the season in December to Stanford. Perhaps their fans sat stunned for much of the afternoon because the Huskies had beaten their first two NCAA tournament opponents, Hartford and Purdue, by a combined 60 points on their home court in Storrs.
But the Hoyas were not going to be added to the list of Huskies blowouts. Williams-Flournoy is right: They are not underdogs. They are not even merely one of the top 16 teams in the country. They are a good program now, on the verge of being a great one. High expectations are part of the package, but the Hoyas seem ready for the challenge.
“I’m never one to pat myself on the back, but I think I’ve done a very good job with this program,” Williams-Flournoy said. “We will never be the underdog, ever again.”
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