When Georgetown suffered its first conference defeat Jan. 27 on the road to Marquette, many teams would take that as an excuse to simply concede the Big East title to Connecticut.
However, the Hoyas rebounded with a huge 59-50 win at home over Rutgers Saturday and followed it up with an even more impressive 67-57 victory over No. 25 St. John’s Tuesday night.
The two wins propelled Georgetown to a 19-3 overall record and 8-1 mark in conference play heading into a Feb. 10 game against Pittsburgh — a team the Hoyas have not beaten since 2004.
South Florida bull rushes its way into top half of the standings
After a precarious 0-3 start to the Big East campaign, albeit against the likes of Connecticut, Georgetown and Notre Dame, South Florida has won four of its last five games, including a 61-51 triumph over Villanova Tuesday night.
The Bulls used a 43-26 rebounding advantage — including a 15-5 margin on the offensive glass — to help erase a 12-point second half deficit against the Wildcats. South Florida also committed a season-low nine turnovers in the game.
The win pushed South Florida into a four-way tie for sixth place in the conference standings at 4-4 and 13-8 overall.
Seton Hall picks up first conference victory of the season, leaves only Villanova winless
The Pirates snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 53-49 victory at Villanova Jan. 30, capturing their first conference win of the season.
Sophomore forward Kandice Green posted 20 points and 12 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the year. Junior guard Ebonie Williams added 11, including a pair of 3-pointers, to set a Seton Hall single-season record (56).
With the Seton Hall loss, coupled with a loss to South Florida Tuesday night, Villanova finds itself as the only remaining winless team in conference play at 0-8.
Two games to watch
Rutgers at South Florida, Saturday Feb. 6
The two teams will each enter Saturday’s game with a 4-4 record in conference play. The Scarlet Knights lead the all-time series 3-1, but the Bulls won last year’s meeting 59-56 in Piscataway, N.J. South Florida is led by Jessica Lawson’s 14.2 points per game, while Rutgers gets 15 ppg from Brittany Ray.
No. 1 Connecticut at Louisville, Sunday Feb. 7
The Huskies put their 61-game win streak on the line in this rematch of the 2009 national championship game. While Connecticut is on pace to break its own 70-game winning streak, the Cardinals have taken a step in the wrong direction, losing 74-68 in overtime to Cincinnati Tuesday night. The loss dropped Louisville to 11-11 overall and just 3-6 in conference play.
Player of the week
Jessica Lawson, South Florida, Sr. Center
Lawson picked up her conference-leading 11th double-double of the season in South Florida’s only game of the week, a 64-47 win at Cincinnati, Jan. 30. The senior center poured in 22 points on 64.7 percent (11-for-17) shooting from the field, while also grabbing 12 rebounds in the victory. The double-double was her fourth consecutive and her fifth in the last six games.
Points per game: 14.2
Rebounds per game: 10.6
Field goal percentage: 51.3
Free-throw percentage: 66.7
Total blocks: 29
Total assists: 14
