Georgetown Wins Great Alaska Shootout Title

Georgetown University took home the Great Alaska Shootout crown, beating the University of Alaska Anchorage women’s basketball team 92-78 in the championship game.

After the game, both coaches had similar ideas on the deciding factor of the tournament.

“As Mike Tyson said, ‘Everyone has a game plan until the first hit,” Georgetown head coach Jim Lewis said. “And you have to be able to be flexible and adjust on the fly, if you will.”

Though UAA head coach Ryan McCarthy spoke to the same general topic, his outlook differed.

“To play a team like Georgetown that’s as athletic as they are, there’s no way we can simulate that in practice; or, there’s no way you can game plan for a team that is that athletic,” McCarthy said. “I mean, at our level we just don’t see teams like that – ever.”

In the Seawolves’ first game of the tournament, they were able to overcome a 14-point halftime deficit against UC Riverside and win in a double overtime thriller, but Georgetown’s 12-point lead going into the half was too much for UAA to overcome.

Coach McCarthy said after Tuesday’s game, the Seawolves were mentally exhausted.

“Your team has a tank of emotion and once it’s empty you can’t refill it, and I think that we used up a lot of that emotion – I mean, a double overtime game where it’s just I think emotionally just absolutely drains you,” he said.

Senior forward Kylie Burns said despite the championship loss, there are some things the team can learn from and bring into the regular season.

“Mental toughness, just because you’re down, doesn’t mean you can’t ever come back,” she said. “Energy is a huge thing, too, because that can get you going, and it’s not even a basketball skill.”

UC Riverside took third place, beating Nicholls State 74-64.

The men’s tournament continues through Saturday.

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