WASHINGTON – Sugar Rodgers scored 30 points, including a falling-down driving layup with 50 seconds to play, as No. 19 Georgetown topped No. 8 West Virginia 65-60 Tuesday night for the Hoyas' second win over a Top 10 team this season.
Rodgers' acrobatic shot gave Georgetown the lead for good, capping a turnover-filled, come-from-behind win for the Hoyas (16-5, 4-3 Big East), who earlier this year topped then-No. 4 Tennessee.
The Hoyas won despite committing 28 turnovers, although that made them only marginally more careless than the Mountaineers (19-2, 5-2), who had 23 in a game that had more total turnovers (51) than made field goals (40). Georgetown won by outrebounding West Virginia 32-17 and overcoming an eight-point deficit in the final 8:40.
Rodgers was one of two Hoyas with seven turnovers, and Monica McNutt had 13 points and six turnovers for Georgetown. The Hoyas shot 51 percent against a Mountaineers team that entered the game ranked No. 2 in the country in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot an average 31.2 percent.
Liz Repella had 20 points, and Sarah Miles had 14 points and 11 turnovers for West Virginia.
Madina Ali's putback of a Mountaineers missed free throw tied the game at 60 with 2:46 to play, but back-and-forth turnovers kept either team from taking the lead. Repella finally missed a 3-pointer, and Rodgers made her layup at the other end to make it 62-60. Rodgers then sank two free throws with 19 seconds remaining, and Asya Bussie made one of two in the final seconds.
The game clashed the Hoyas' uptempo, high-risk, high-reward attack against one of the best defensive teams in the country, so it was hardly surprising it was so ragged.
Georgetown nearly ran West Virginia from the opening whistle, using a fullcourt press to take a 10-0 lead. The Mountaineers' first four possessions ended with a blocked shot, missed layup and a pair of turnovers. Georgetown led 35-28 at halftime.
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