Georgetown University: School of Foreign Service in Qatar

The women’s basketball team from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar traveled to Bahrain on 22 November to compete in the inaugural Bahrain International Basketball Tournament sponsored by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Medical University of Bahrain. Playing in their first competition of the year, the team arrived with little fanfare, but left with the bronze medal and high expectations for the upcoming season.

“In all honesty, we came more for the experience than the opportunity to win a medal,” said interim assistant coach Nalani Still. “I am thrilled by the way the girls played.”

The two-day tournament included teams from Bahrain and three schools from Education City – Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon and Virginia Commonwealth University. Georgetown sent a young squad, featuring sophomore captain Ashley Littleton, Hala Al Souk, Tarah Makarem, Zainab Elfil, Noor Al Suwaidi, Lua Eijsink, and Brittany Collins.

Georgetown, led by Ashley Littleton’s twelve points, opened the tournament with a resounding 38-0 victory over VCU. “We came out a bit sluggish but really found our groove in the second half,” said forward Lua Eijsink (SFS ’10), who paced all players with six rebounds.

In their final two games of the day, the Hoyas beat the New York Institute of Technology in Bahrain 20-13 before dropping a heartbreaker to RCSI-MUB 13-9.

On the tournament’s second day, the Hoyas played a rematch against NYIT. The Hoyas jumped out to an early lead but NYIT surged back to within one with under a minute to play. “You could cut the tension with a knife,” said interim coach Ben Zulauf. But once again the Hoyas bunkered down on defense, forcing NYIT into a difficult shot, which rattled out as the buzzer sounded, sending Georgetown into a semifinal matchup against RCSI-MUB.

Falling behind early, the Hoyas staged a rally late in the game, only to see their comeback bid fall just short. “We would have loved to have won the gold,” admitted Eijsink, “but the bronze medal is a fantastic accomplishment.”