Nov. 19, 2009

WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University women's basketball squad has a busy weekend ahead as the Hoyas head out on the road for three games at the BTI Classic in West Lafayette, Ind., hosted by Purdue University. Georgetown is 1-1 on the year and has yet to play a home game this season. The Hoyas will face Dayton (1-1), Seattle (0-2) and Purdue (1-0) in three challenging matchups. Sunday's contest against Purdue will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

The Hoyas are 1-1 on the season after falling to James Madison 79-76 Wednesday evening. Freshman guard Ta'Shauna "Sugar" Rodgers has led the team in scoring both games and is averaging 21.5 ppg as well as 6.5 rpg ranking her second on the squad. The Blue & Gray is an exceptionally young team with 10 underclassmen including three freshmen.

Defense has been Georgetown's strength so far this season forcing 45 turnovers in just two games with a stifling full-court press. GU is shooting over 40 percent from the field for the season and 42 percent from beyond the arc.

This weekend's tournament will be a test for the Hoyas who will have to play three games in as many days. It also marks Georgetown's third, fourth and fifth-straight road games as the Blue & Gray begins the season with six games away from McDonough Arena.

Dayton is one of the hottest teams in the nation as the Flyers are receiving votes in both national polls due to some big games this past week. UD defeated then-No. 10/10 Michigan State, 77-74, and followed that with a near-upset of No. 23/19 Louisville. The Flyers are led by senior Kendel Ross who is averaging 15.5 ppg and sophomore Casey Nance with 9.0 rpg. This will be the first meeting between the teams, Georgetown is 34-37 against the Atlantic-10 all-time with 31 of those meetings coming against George Washington.

Seattle is 0-2 on the season with losses to UC-Davis and Concordia (Ore.) to open the 2009-10 season. The Redhawks are coming off their most successful season in 16 years with a 20-9 record and a perfect mark at home. This season SeattleU has been led by sophomore Maggie McCarthy and senior Ashley Brown who have led the team in scoring in the first two games. This will be the first meeting between Georgetown and Seattle.

Purdue opened the season with a 70-37 victory over Western Illinois last Sunday with a career-high 23 points from sophomore guard Brittany Rayburn. Purdue was 25-11 last season and 13-5 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers received a bid to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to Oklahoma, 74-68. This will be the second meeting for Georgetown and Purdue with the Boilermakers holding the advantage winning 81-67 during the 2000-01 season. Georgetown is 3-9 all-time against the Big Ten.

Sunday's contest is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Mackey Arena and will be televised on the Big Ten Network. It will be Georgetown's first appearance on the network.

Friday and Saturday's games are both scheduled for 7 p.m. Live stats will be available for all three contests at www.GUHoyas.com.