The Hoya: The Guide: February 28, 2014

the guide FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2014

THIS WEEK

Allathe Right Notes cappella groups vie for top talent

LIFESTYLE

The ESCAPE Experience

Senior ESCAPE leaders look back on the popular retreat and the effect it has had on their time at Georgetown. B2

Women Set to Run the World

Georgetown University Women in Leadership board members anticipate their upcoming Own It Summit. B4

FOOD & DRINK

Belgian Classics Delight

Belgian restaurant B Too gains popularity for classic dishes with successful, modern twists. B5

REBECCA GOLDBERG/THE HOYA

Current Chimes Epus Tom Lane (COL ’14) performs a solo in Gaston Hall for the annual D.C. A Cappella Festival.

PAT CURRAN

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Hoya Staff Writer

‘Non-Stop’ Thrills

The Liam Neeson action film impresses with suspense and a clever plot. B6

From West to East

Seattle duo My Goodness, a blues-rock group, gains fans through a national tour also featuring Augustines. B7

THEHOYA.COM/ THE-GUIDE @thehoyaguide

Four years ago, David Hanna (COL ’14) decided he wanted to sing in a collegiate a cappella group.

A relative latecomer to a cappella — he hadn’t participated in any singing group until joining an all-male outfit during his senior year of high school — Hanna nevertheless knew upon selecting a college that he wanted to continue his newfound hobby. One might imagine that, given his all-male-group background, he would be drawn instantly to the famed Georgetown Chimes.

But a funny thing happened on the way to Gaston Hall: Hanna didn’t even audition for the Chimes.

The blue-and-gray striped ties of the university’s oldest a cappella group do create a certain appeal to many young singers. For Hoya alumni of the past half-century, the Chimes’ barbershop arrangements go hand in hand with the toll of Healy bells and the clink of Tombs mugs — the soundtrack to

the Hilltop.

The group, founded in 1946 by Frank Jones (LAW ’48), separated from the university in 1950 while still maintaining its presence as an establishment of the Hilltop.

And becoming part of the tradition is more exclusive than getting into Harvard. Not only do potential members have to audition, they also have to reach out to alumni and learn over 120 songs.

“You make your best friends in this group because it is so attuned to harmony in its essence,” Chime #226 Michael Luckey (COL ’13) said to THE HOYA in January 2013.

“The more you sing, the more you build trust, the more you build harmony, and that builds true friendship. As Chimes, we are always there for our brother Chimes.”

But with the demand for a cappella growing by the minute, several groups — many with a more casual, modern feel — are staking claim to talents like Hanna.

“I feel like the Chimes are kind of pushed to the wayside a little bit because of the type of music that we sing. I think we’re looking for ways to make barbershop cool

again,” Chime #234 Tyler Holl (COL ’13) said to THE HOYA in January 2013.

A cappella performance has become a bit of a national obsession in recent years.

Fox’s “Glee” garnered massive ratings in its first few seasons; NBC’s “The Sing-Off” has brought the fad to reality TV; even dramas like Netflix’s “House of Cards” have worked a cappella into their scripts.

And, as The Washington Post’s Jenna Johnson noted in a 2010 piece set primarily at Georgetown, college campuses have been no exception to the craze. The ancestral homes of this art have elevated the singing groups to celebrity status, and the proliferation of a cappella factions over the last few decades has brought a new level of competition to the audition process.

Old-school groups like the Chimes and Yale’s storied Whiffenpoofs still serenade many campuses, but at Georgetown, less traditional outfits have formed a niche for themselves of late.

And that niche attracts some of the See SINGING, B2

THEATER REVIEW

Drama Jumps Into the Deep End Nomadic Theatre explores vulnerability and artistic jealousy in ‘pool (no water)’

LINDSAY LEE

Hoya Staff Writer

“Pool (no water)” is a contemporary play by Mark Ravenhill about a tightknit group of artists struggling with issues of creative jealousy, guilt and addiction. The production

by Nomadic Theatre untraditionally takes place in a townhouse living room on 37th Street that can only hold an audience of 11 members per night. The fourth wall comes down, and as an audience member you feel as exposed to the actors as they are to you.

This was no small endeavor for the creative team of producer Jack Cassou (COL ’15) and director Hannah Hauer-King (COL ’14), who are both more familiar with the traditional theater setting.

“It’s really been untraditional from the get-go,” Cassou said. “We picked the script before we picked the site, and the site was kind of an ongoing process. After months of searching we found this townhouse through the university.”

The production staff had originally planned for a house of 40 to 50 audience members a night and was forced to add six additional previews to its already busy dress rehearsal schedule to mitigate the 11-person audience.

The Ravenhill script is rather unconventional in the fact that it is written as one large chunk of text with no set characters: The director is given license to divide up the lines as he or she wishes, meaning that no two productions of “pool (no water)” will be exactly alike.

Hauer-King opted for six cast mem-

bers as the friends in “The Group” and had one of these six shift slowly into the role of the seventh character they are telling the story about.

“I was really interested in this idea of ‘The Group’ and creating this group. I was trying to find the voices in this script, and when I went into callbacks I tried a variation with six and it just flowed. … I started identifying personalities and that sense of six became really clear,” Hauer-King said.

As the production went on, the audience could note a spectrum of emotions and styles of diction within the actors. On one end, there were the performer types, who have a legata, sultry speech pattern and an affinity for trying to evoke some philosophical reaction from the audience. On the other end were “the conversationalists,” the ones that made you feel like you were sitting with a close friend telling you the vulnerable secrets behind their stories.

Greyson Ullman (COL ’16) was the consummate performer on the first end of the spectrum. His long drawl was reminiscent of his most recent role as the Tragedian in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” — one of those characters that says crude things to makes others uncomfortable, just to watch them squirm. Characters on the conversationalist end could be easy to overlook, given the fact that they are rarely loud and have fewer artistic and heavy monologues, but they are necessary to offset and balance the performer types.

See POOL, B3

CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA

Shannon Walsh (COL ’15), left, and Amanda Weise (COL ’16), right, take on challenging and provoking roles in Nomadic Theatre’s latest production, which is taking place in a townhouse on 37th Street.

B2

the guide

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, february 28, 2014

FEATURE

For Hilltop Singers, an Eclectic Lineup SINGING, from B1 Hilltop’s best voices.

-------------------------------------------------Superfood, founded in 1995, appealed to Hanna primarily for its modern repertoire.

“I loved being in a guys group, and it was something I was looking into,” he said. “But I wanted to sing more contemporary music, so I decided to go in a different direction and go coed.”

A trip to one of the Superfood’s Gaston Hall performances — or, for the less social crowd, a trip to the group’s YouTube channel — serves as compelling evidence to Hanna’s initial impression. At last year’s Spring Sing, they performed Rihanna’s “Stay” with two male leads and their arsenal contains Lauryn Hill, Avril Lavigne and everything in between.

“We like to think of ourselves as a progressive a cappella group,” Hanna said Hanna appreciates Superfood’s casual atmosphere, repeatedly referring to it as a “family” and speaking fondly of his relationships with fellow singers.

“We aren’t just a singing group,” Hanna said. “We’ve made a lot of music over the last few years, but we don’t just define ourselves as singers. We each do so many things around campus, but we’re really just a collection of friends” Despite its friendly atmosphere and fun repertoire, Superfood frequently finds itself playing second banana in the recruitment process to the Georgetown Phantoms, a 25-yearold coed group that has taken the lion’s share of talent in recent years.

“The Phantoms get the best talent,” Hanna said. “[Superfood] is right behind them, for kids that want to sing coed.” This past fall, Superfood accepted five new members, three of which chose the Phantoms and one of which chose the Saxatones. They then had to pull a pool of alternates to round out the group of new members.

Like Superfood, the Phantoms embody a versatile approach to a cappella shows. They’ve definitely got the classics down, sure — their Motown medley from last year’s D.C. A Cappella Festival lasted more than eight minutes — but they’ve pushed the envelope as much or more than any Georgetown group. The aforementioned DCAF performance featured a creative rendition of Radiohead’s alt-rock anthem “Creep” that nearly brought down the roof of Gaston.

The internal structure of the Phantoms is also rather unconventional.

Everything from which songs they’re going to arrange for DCAF, to who gets which solo, to who will lead the group for the following semester is decided by a unanimous vote after a group discussion. This mutual understanding and dedication to the group as a whole allows the members to connect and trust each other on a deeper level.

Hanna credits a combination of talent, practice and creativity for

a certain degree of rivalry among them, especially as they recruit top talent from the freshman halls every year. Almost everyone who has seen “Pitch Perfect” knows that the college a cappella scene is basically Sharks vs. Jets minus (most of) the hair grease.

Except, it’s not.

-------------------------------------------------Sure, there are natural rivalries Of course, some singers still favor a between similar groups. But they’re single-sex group environment. That’s friendly, and for the most part, tenthe case for Maggie Wardell (SFS ’14), sions dissipate when the new talents whose older sister Becky Wardell have committed themselves.

“There’s informal, casual, joking (COL ’11) recruited her to Georgetown’s oldest all-female group, the rivalries — the most rivalry we have GraceNotes (the other being the is with the Chimes, just because international-themed GU Harmony). they’re another all-male group” After three-plus years in the group, Laposata said. “We may disagree the younger Wardell is convinced she with each other’s musical styles, but made the right call — and not just to there’s no serious rivalry.”

According to Hanna, the closest continue the family legacy.

“GraceNotes has been the best the groups get to serious rivalry is thing I’ve participated in during my during the recruiting season. With four years,” Wardell said. “I think seven a cappella clubs at a midsize that as an all-female group, we are school not particularly known for its extremely close. … We challenge our- arts programs, a strong talent is likeselves to choose songs that aren’t typ- ly to be courted by several groups.

“For the size of our campus, there ical of all-female groups, and I think are far too many a cappella groups,” that sets us apart.”

Hanna said. “There aren’t enough great singers to go around. So for the first couple weeks of each semester, you’re trying to sell your group and it gets competitive.”

Wardell sees the flagship a cappella shows — DCAF, Cherry Tree Massacre and Spring Sing — as opportuniDAVID HANNA (COL ’14) ties for groups to bond. But Joseph Laposata (COL ’16) chose the GraceNotes are becoming more the all-male Capitol G’s for their proactive than that, organizing smaller events specifically designed “fun” factor.

“I’ve been singing since I was 12, to get to know other groups.

“In terms of the a cappella comso I knew I wanted to sing in some capacity,” he said. “The [Capitol G’s’] munity here, I think we’re becomvibe is very fun, very personal and ing closer,” Wardell said. “In recent years, we’ve been making more of an that’s what I was looking for.”

The Capitol G’s are the polar op- effort to foster intergroup bonding posite of the Chimes in many ways. events and whatnot.”

Founded in 2008, they stake claim to -------------------------------------------------the title of youngest group on campus. They dance on stage with reguWhere does the a cappella explolarity. A “throwback” for them refers to a song from the 1980s, not the sion leave the blazer-clad frat boys of 1880s. Where the Chimes are but- the Chimes?

It’s complicated. They’re still oldtoned up, the Capitol G’s take pride in remaining a bit rough around the school, but as they round out their seventh decade, they’ve interspersed edges.

“My favorite song is our drinking decidedly modern hits with the medley. It’s ‘Cowboy Boots’ by Mackl- folk songs and jazz standards cusemore, ‘Cheers’ by Rihanna, ‘Buy tomary of a classic Chimes perforYou a Drank’ by T-Pain and ‘Closing mance. Old Crow Medicine Show’s Time’ by Semisonic. The choreogra- “Wagon Wheel” pops up alongside phy is exactly what you’d imagine,” “Ave Maria” and “Runaround Sue” on the group’s most recent album; Laposata said.

While the group’s relative youth last year’s Cherry Tree performance can be an obstacle — the Chimes, for featured an impressive rendition of example, have alumni funding that Mumford & Sons’ “I Will Wait.”

College a cappella wouldn’t reyounger groups couldn’t dream of — Laposata believes the Capitol G’s’ ally be itself, of course, without the lack of both mandated institutional barbershop pop the Chimes bring. knowledge and fraternity culture But the rise of other, less traditional groups has allowed a historically can actually be a draw.

“It’s fun because we don’t have to stuffy stage to take on an edgier feel adhere to any esoteric traditions,” he — without a major drop in perforsaid. “If you’re not necessarily into mance quality.

“Dubstep beatboxing in Gaston the fraternity thing, you would not be interested in joining the Chimes.” Hall? That hadn’t really happened before last fall,” Hanna said.

“I’ll remember years from now -------------------------------------------------that in my college experience, I was With so many groups — some miming things I won’t want shown with undeniably overlapping styles at my wedding on the stage at Gas— it would be reasonable to expect ton Hall,” Laposata said.

Superfood’s improvement — a trend he’s seen in his own group over the last two years.

“It’s been a positive feedback loop.

You sound better, you take your music more seriously and you get better talent,” he said.

“Dubstep beatboxing in Gaston Hall? That hadn’t really happened before last fall.”

The Chimes

Founded: 1946 Gender: All-male Sings: Barbershop, Classic Pop Flagship Event: Cherry Tree Massacre Don’t Miss: “Fight Song,” “Georgetown Girl,” “Loch Lomond”

The gracenotes

The phantoms

SUPERFOOD

Harmony

the saxatones

the capitol g’s

Founded: 1980 Gender: All-female Sings: Variety Flagship Event: DCAF Don’t Miss: “The Chain,” “Feeling Good,” “Grenade”

Founded: 1995 Gender: Coed Sings: Variety, emphasis on pop Flagship Event: Spring Sing Don’t Miss: “Stay,” “Too Close,” “Boondocks”

Founded: 2003 Gender: Coed Sings: Oldies, pop Flagship Event: Spring Sing Don’t Miss: “Bottom of the River,” “I Knew You Were Trouble”

Founded: 1988 Gender: Coed Sings: Variety Flagship Event: DCAF Don’t Miss: “Creep,” “Love on Top,” “Counting Stars”

Founded: Approx. 2002 Gender: All-female Sings: World music Don’t Miss: “Waka Waka,” “Winter Song,” “Bad Romance/ The Boys Mashup”

Founded: 2008 Gender: All-male Sings: Modern pop Don’t Miss: “Drinking Medley,” “Roses,” “Hey Juliet,” “Walk Away”

center stage

On Final Retreat, Seniors Reflect on the Great ESCAPE Kshithij Shrinath Special to The Hoya

ESCAPE has a reputation on campus as being the one freshman opportunity you don’t want to miss. And for Chloe Forman (COL ’14) and Adrian Prado (COL ’14), being involved in the retreat this year has been a formative part of their time at Georgetown. Despite being involved in multiple activities, the two seniors returned to the event that shaped their college experience by becoming ESCAPE leaders. With their last retreat this weekend, Forman and Prado reflect on their experiences leading the program.

COURTESY GEORGETOWN ESCAPE

ESCAPE leaders Chloe Forman (COL ’14) and Adrian Prado (COL ’14) work with freshmen on making the most of their time at Georgetown.

What motivated you to apply to be an ESCAPE leader?

Chloe: I just felt like on my trip, the leaders seemed to be having the most fun. I had fun too, but the leaders were definitely really enjoying it. They seemed really bonded.

I actually missed the application sophomore year, and I’m so grateful that I didn’t (apply then). As a senior, I like Georgetown a lot better than I did as a sophomore, and I feel like I have a lot more valuable experience to offer to the freshman experience.

Adrian: My friends who were leaders were like, “I think this would be something that is really good for you; I think you would really enjoy it.” I figured, why not? I might as well try it. I really like working with freshmen: I was an RA for two years with freshman, and I’m not this year. This gives me another opportunity to help guide them through this first year at college.

What will you take away from the experience of being an ESCAPE leader?

Chloe: I think for me it’s changed with every ESCAPE, because senior year is a very rapidly changing experience; I’ve been at a different point of my senior year experience every time. Knowing it’s my last one will be a little bit sad and weird. There will be a lot of thoughts about the future and overall a reflection of what these four years have been for me.

Adrian: For me, the relationships

I’ve made, because I’ve met a lot of freshmen in this past year, and I think as someone who’s leaving this year, it’s really heartening for me to see these people that are taking over this campus, and seeing where they’ve come from and where they’re going to go, feeling like I’m leaving this campus in good hands. Also, with the ESCAPE leaders, I’ve bonded really well with all the leaders; I didn’t know most of them going into this year, and I consider most of them really close friends.

Can you describe the talks that you give during ESCAPE? What prompted them, and what do they focus on?

Adrian: So I usually think that my talk is pretty depressing. I’ve had a lot of things happen to me at Georgetown. I’ve dealt with depression; I’ve dealt with a couple deaths in my family; coming out — a lot of different things. I approached the talk: I’ve had a lot of stuff happen to me, but without all of that, I wouldn’t be where I am today. My final message is along the lines of, “No matter how difficult things get, we can’t stop fighting, because it’s all going to be worth it some day.” Even the smallest things can feel like huge tragedies at the time.

I think it’s something that people need to know.

Chloe: I wasn’t sure at first where I wanted to go with my talk, so I ended up using this theme of moments, and I just highlighted a

bunch of moments that I felt defined my Georgetown experience.

I never really verbalized before this year how much I really didn’t like Georgetown, and I had a really hard time finding a place where I belonged. I talked about that, with all these moments, how they sort of got me to where I am. I realized at the beginning of this year that I am happy in this place because I realized that despite all these things that I didn’t like about it, I could still be my own person within that and not have to conform to anything that I didn’t like.

What would you say is your favorite part of ESCAPE? Adrian: My favorite part is the bedtime story they read every ESCAPE, and it never gets old and I’ve heard it seven times now, and I feel like it might be a bedtime story I tell my kids when I’m older.

Chloe: I don’t think I physically am able to tell it to my kids, but I do love the bedtime story. I don’t know. I’m a big fan of the singing.

What is your favorite song that you sing with the freshmen during the retreat?

Chloe: Oh god. I’m going to go with “Country Roads.”

Adrian: I was actually going to say the exact same thing. Because it’s always sung on the second day as we’re about to go home.

Chloe: It’s also really about where we are at the time, which is kind of cool.

the guide

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2014

THE HOYA

B3

EXHIBIT REVIEW

TECH TALK

Henry Parrott

Facebook Knows What’s Up

I

n the last decade there has been a movement away from communicating via SMS, which we call texting. Although unlimited texting plans are universal in the United States, in other countries, rates for texting are very high and it is an unpopular system. Enter WhatsApp, the international texting app with over 450 million users. The app lets you send unlimited text and picture messages anywhere in the world.

The service is free for a year, and then charges $1 per year, putting its revenue at about $300 million last year alone. Despite its global popularity, the world was pretty surprised last week when the company that manages the app announced that it would be acquired by Facebook for $19 billion.

That figure, needless to say, turned quite a few heads. It is an awfully high price for an app that didn’t generate that much revenue. To help put things in perspective, that price places it above companies like Southwest Airlines. It truly is symbolic of a new era when a mobile app that charges only $1 per person and serves only to send messages, is valued higher than a company that blasts people to different countries in enormous flying machines.

By conventional business logic, the deal seems more than a little bit crazy. Perhaps Facebook intends to integrate WhatsApp with Facebook messenger and try to apply its advertising strategy to the app.

But the owner of WhatsApp has already stated that there will be no changes to the app at all, including its price and lack of ads, and that it will still be managed by the same team. So what does Facebook want from them, and what does it mean? Facebook has been experimenting with monetizing for some time now.

The company is always trying new strategies to generate income from its services, yet most of us have never paid a dime to them. So clearly, value is being measured in a more abstract way with digital and social media businesses. The simple fact is that WhatsApp is a popular service that is a huge hit in two key areas where Facebook has consistently struggled: adapting the movement towards mobile devices and maintaining popularity with both young people and those in the developing world. In Facebook’s case, its value comes from the mere fact that hundreds of millions of people use it every day. And with all that activity comes a lot of data. So what could it gain from the purchase?

With the world at unprecedented levels of connectivity, big data is frequently pointed to as “the next big thing.” With WhatsApp, Facebook greatly expands its user base, and obtains access and ownership to all that data that is sent every day. With modern data analysis tools, this information can become a gold mine. The company could hypothetically continue to expand the reach of WhatsApp to top a billion, as well as gain access to an enormous supply of data to sell to marketers. This is all assuming, of course, that Facebook can find a way to make that data useful. Only time will tell if the fact that people text each other about pizza means they are more likely to notice an ad for a local pizza delivery service.

With all this in mind, it is impossible to make a definitive statement about the buy. It is certainly wildly risky, but it is not as insane as it may appear.

Unlocking the possibilities of data is something that Facebook has done successfully before, but it remains to be seen how much useful data you can really get by analyzing people’s conversations or if people will even be willing to use a texting service that sells their private data for profit.

Henry Parrott is a junior in the School of Foreign Service.

TECH TALK appears every other Friday in the guide.

SOFIA LAYANTO FOR THE HOYA

Clockwise from left: Allen Tucker’s “The Rise,” Gifford Beal’s “The Fish Bucket” and Rockwell Kent’s “The Road Roller” are featured in a new exhibit of 19th- and 20th-century expressionist American art, “Made in the U.S.A.,” at The Phillips Collection.

American Art Uncovered Phillips Collection exhibit showcases modern abstractionist pieces NICOLE JARVIS Hoya Staff Writer

It may be surprising to many a patriotic Hoya that, in the field of art history, the United States has traditionally lagged behind. It wasn’t until the 20th century — after WWI wiped out the major artistic populations of Europe — that the United States was able to come to the forefront and dominate the global art scene. The newest exhibit at The Phillips Collection, “Made in the U.S.A.,” seeks to emphasize the fantastic creative outputs of American art in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

The exhibit is one of the largest I’ve ever seen from the Phillips. Featuring 202 works by over 150 different American artists from the personal collection that Duncan Phillips amassed until his death in 1961 (and slightly beyond that, since his wife continued to make purchases in his name after his death), the exhibit presents a curious and revealing cross section of American art in the 20th century.

The exhibit is divided both thematically and chronologically, with 12 sections ranging in subject matter from the power of realistic depictions of nature to cityscapes to disillusionment with modern life. The

collection of abstract expressionist modern art is undoubtedly the centerpiece of the exhibit. These works are not usually on display — unlike the museum’s renowned Rothko Room — but they represent an amazing cross section of masters of American abstraction that may not get such prominent billing in art history textbooks as Stuart Davis and Morris Louis.

What makes this exhibit really special is the balance of renowned with less-familiar artists. Phillips made many of his purchases when artists’ careers were still on the rise.

In most cases, he had no idea whether they would prove significant in the long run or if their fame would fade and their works would lose financial and historical value. As a result, both the permanent collection at the Phillips and “Made in the U.S.A.” serve to bring out under-recognized artists who deserve to be considered in the canon of American art history, especially female artists, first-generation immigrants and people of color. Many of the paintings by artists like Edward Hopper and Milton Avery were the first of their works purchased for museum collections. In the case of early realist master Thomas Eakins, Phillips considered him the forefather of American art in the 20th century and actively sought out his

works for purchase for his collection. No one else held Eakins in such high regard and his paintings, now highly sought after as examples of American realism, were passed over by other institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago.

Phillips clearly had a knack for recognizing not only artistic talent, but also value and significance as well.

A new innovative feature that sets “Made in the U.S.A.” apart from the pack is the new uCurate feature and website. First designed for the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, the technology suite and companion website allows visitors to design and customize their own dream exhibition using 52 of the paintings featured in “Made in the U.S.A.” If you’ve ever dreamed of curating an exhibit, this is a great and easy way to dip your feet into the art world. The website also allows you to adjust the painting locations and wall colors.

This modern twist added to a fairly traditional, retrospective exhibit shows that the Philips Collection isn’t just hung up on its past. It is clear that it is equally dedicated to moving into the future and continuing to present its collection of American art in innovative and groundbreaking ways.

THEATER REVIEW

Experimental Show Startles POOL, from B1 Nick Phelan (SFS ’16) played a crucial role in grounding the show in that sense. Phelan never said anything too matter-of-factly and, during his moment of vulnerability he was curled up on the couch.

“That was a really interesting difference. Usually when people are in shows they have to use their theater voice but if you’re just in a room with a bunch of people, I can talk like I’m talking right now and it’s an entirely different style of acting,” said Phelan.

Ben Prout (COL ’15) portrayed a character in the middle of these two extremes. He was passionate when the moment called for it and allowed the words to speak for themselves when a dramatic inflection was unnecessary. Shannon Walsh (COL ’15), who arguably had the most difficult job of the six, pulled off a similar performance: She was the actress that had to slowly transition into embodying the seventh character, who flows in and out of the script because of her hospitalization. Walsh pulled this off fantastically. She is wholly believable and intelligently portrayed vanity and resentment at the same time. Hauer-King toyed with the idea of using a doll or an inanimate object to represent the seventh member, who Hauer-King calls “Eve” for simplicity.

“We had the idea of having some-

one who felt very comfortable with her slowly becoming her or putting her on. I slowly start to embody her, and as I do that more and more I start becoming her,” said Walsh.

The production as a whole was an ambitious venture. It is the first sitespecific show that Nomadic Theatre has done in many years, the script had no firm structure and the subject matter was heavier than usual.

This was a difficult undertaking and Hauer-King did an excellent job given the time constraint. She made many stunning directing choices involving flashlights and the way in which certain lines were echoed. Phelan thought that HauerKing’s handling of the character development process was what made the show so successful: “Hannah developed these characters after we had been cast so she made them with us in mind, so there’s a lot of us in them.”

The set design by Sasha Elkin (COL ’14) in the house was spectacular. Everything from the contoured figure drawings hung on the wall — many of which were done by Elkin herself — to the candles in empty wine bottles were well thought out and well executed.

If you can find a ticket, since all are currently sold out, or luck into a standby spot, this is a production that is absolutely worth your time and the countless hours you’ll spend thinking about it afterwards.

CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA

Clockwise from top: Grayson Ullman (COL ’16), Amanda Weise (COL ’16) and Shannon Walsh (COL ’15) star in the emotional drama.

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the guide

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2014

APPS Women Leaders Look to Future LIFESTYLE FEATURE

JESS KELHAM-HOHLER Hoya Staff Writer

D

espite only being recognized by the Student Activities Commission this semester, Georgetown University Women in Leadership, a group whose motive is to advance undergraduate women personally and professionally, is powering full steam ahead and proving just what women can achieve. Its upcoming Own It Summit on April 14 features speakers ranging from the vice president of Google[x] to a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist to an astronaut, and it promises to be an impressive and inspiring event.

Describing the speakers that summit co-chairs Helen Brosnan (SFS ’16) and Kendall Ciesemier (COL ’15) have managed to bring together for this event as impressive is an understatement. Brosnan and Ciesemier admit they’re both still in shock themselves.

“We started with people we knew and went from there. We’ve been really surprised by finding out how many of these people know each other and how excited they are to bring together their friends,” Ciesemier said.

The enthusiasm with which the speakers have responded to the event reflects exactly the sort of attitude that the summit seeks to promote. Ambassador Melanne Verveer responded to the organizer’s email within one minute, and other women not only promised to be there, but to bring along some prominent friends as well. As a

result, the summit will feature the likes of Richelle Parham, chief marking officer for eBay; Norah O’Donnell, co-host of “CBS This Morning”; and Judy Smith, who inspired the “Scandal” character Olivia Pope.

Even more surprising is the fact that more than half of these prestigious women are Georgetown alumnae, or at least connected to Georgetown in some way. Brosnan pointed out the disparate contrast between the recognition of male alumni who work in politics and the many female alumnae who have gone on to do amazing things.

“People don’t even realize that they are part of our alumni and didn’t realize that they had access to them,” Brosnan said.

Brosnan and Ciesemier both noted the importance of getting women from a wide range of industries to be involved in the summit.

“The top engineer from Google is coming, and there’s no reason for her to come at all,” Brosnan said. “No one here is an engineer — we don’t have an engineering school — but she has such an interesting career life story that someone can sit in the audience and listen and get inspired.”

While the summit is focused on empowering women, instead of acting as a forum for discussing women’s issues such as concerns over body image or facing sexism in the workplace, it will emphasize showing female students how they can better improve their leadership skills.

“People have a serious misconception that GUWIL is this uber-feminist group where we only talk about women’s issues,

COURTESY KENDALL CIESEMIER

From left: Helen Brosnan (SFS ’16), Kendall Ciesemier (COL ’15), Alana Snyder (COL ’16) and Ava Arroyo (SFS ’16) planned a conference set to inspire.

or on the other side, just see us as being super professional and [businesslike] when that’s not the case at all. It’s really about leadership,” Brosnan said.

She highlighted that the mission behind the summit is to acknowledge that while women may face these barriers and hardships in their careers, they can look past them and see how they can work to the best of their ability despite these challenges.

“With the summit, we’re saying: Let’s assume that all the women in this room are going to be CEOs — how can they be the best CEOs they can possibly be?” Ciesemier added, “This is definitely not a whining conference.”

As part of the summit’s mission to foster leadership skills among female Hoyas, the day will feature opportunities to connect with the speakers in a variety of formats during breakout sessions. Part of GUWIL’s goal is to make the summit interactive, as well as to combat the issue of “the boy’s club” with a stronger, more welcoming women’s alternative. With a choice of office hours, workshops and more general breakout sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to get valuable advice and learn how to connect with professional women who can inspire and support.

The structure of the summit therefore directly addresses issues that the GUWIL leaders and the professionals they contacted have recognized as key problems for women climbing the career ladder. Surprisingly, a lot of them are about problems between women in the workplace. One of them is the issue of mentorship.

“It’s so hard, but so important, to have a woman in power who you can relate to and have access to, and with whom you can build a relationship that’s not looked at as inappropriate, as with older men and younger women hanging out. That mentorship component is a real challenge,” Ciesemier said.

The creation of this event is hugely important for both GUWIL and the university in general. Many students and faculty members were surprised to discover that such an event didn’t already exist. On a campus that encourages its students to be leaders, the summit will place significant emphasis on strengthening women’s ambitions to assuming powerful roles.

“GUWIL has large ambitions to ensure women make it to senior positions, and so much of that starts with providing the supportive ecosystem in the undergraduate years — and even earlier, if possible,” said co-President Ava Arrayo (SFS ’16).

Rather than dwell on the problems that can hold women back from their career aspirations, the summet will inspire the brilliant women who make up Georgetown’s community to take the initiative to become the next generation of female leaders.

Tickets for the summit are available for purchase starting Feb. 28.

NEW IN TOWN

Asian-American Students Celebrate Cultural Identity

W

hen I lived in Myanmar, I went to an Chinese language. Often, these organizations international school comprised of collaborate and co-sponsor with each other. students from all over the world. This Most recently, the CSA, Korean Student Associaexposure helped me to embrace the world’s dif- tion (KSA), Taiwanese American Student Associaferent cultures as well to learn how to be proud tion (TASA) and VSA all worked with each other of my own. Because of this experience, I began to hold a Lunar New Year celebration with food to hold my racial identity and ethnicity as one that differing groups brought from their respecof my defining characteristics. Today, I embrace tive cultures as well as performances from dancmy Burmese ethnicity and all the culture that ers and singers. Attendance to the event was goes along with it. high; students and representatives from many As I grew up and moved to America, I became organizations from all different parts of Georgemore and more fascinated about what it meant town as well students from other D.C. area to be Asian, especially in different contexts. I schools and the University of Maryland there in went to the Bronx High School of Science, which attendence. I am proud to be part of a university in 2012 had a student body that was 63 percent where different ethnicities are well represented Asian. On the other hand, in 2010 and strive to educate the whole stuGeorgetown had a student body that dent body about their cultures. was 62.3 percent white and only 8.8 In fact, many of the same student percent Asian. Despite the lack of repleaders that are the heads of these orresentation of students who either ganizations also advocate for Asian or identify as Asian or Asian-American Asian Pacific Islander rights outside in the student population, diversity of Georgetown. This past weekend, and culture are very much a vibrant I helped run the East Coast Asian part of the Georgetown experience.

American Student Union 2014 ConIn my two years at Georgetown, I Eng Gin Moe ference. The ECAASU annual conferhave come to find many friends in ence is the oldest and largest studentthe Asian community and in members of Asian run Asian-American conference in the United organizations such as the Asian American Stu- States. For the 2014 ECAASU conference, student Association (AASA). dents from Georgetown University, American AASA is a multi-faceted organization; it is an University, George Washington University and education, culture and advocacy group that the University of Maryland all banded together aims to promote the Asian-American Pacific to work either as part of the conference comIslander community’s achievements and ex- mittee or as volunteers to help over 1,200 regamine the issues that they face. Its main com- istrants have a great time. This year’s theme mittees include the Programming Committee, of “Mission Ignition: Champion Your Cause” Political Awareness Committee and Professional aimed at empowering the AAPI community Development Initiative. Its Programming Com- with the opportunity to engage in discussion mittee puts on a variety of events including Taste about what affects AAPIs and the necessary of Asia, which is intended to highlight the cui- tools to address these issues. Through worksines of different Asian ethnicities, and AsiaFest, shops, powerful speakers like Secretary of Edua performance showcase. As part of its Political cation Arne Duncan and former State LegislaAwareness Committee, I had the chance to or- tor Mee Moua, and engaging entertainers such ganize thoughtful discussions over tea. Topics as Jen Kwok and US, this year’s ECAASU was a ranged from mental health to “yellow fever,” the great success. phenomenon of fetishizing Asians.

It would not have been possible for D.C. to In addition to AASA, there are other Asian hold such a large and amazing conference withorganizations on campus that represent many out the support of student leaders in the Asian different ethnicities, such as the Chinese Stu- community on campus. These people were dent Alliance (CSA), the Vietnamese Student willing to spend countless hours in addition Association (VSA), and Club Filipino. They all are to schoolwork and on-campus extracurricular very active on campus and host a wide variety of activities to advance the rights of the AAPI comprograms and events, which often include sam- munity. pling delicious food from a plethora of countries. The CSA frequently has language dinners Eng Gin Moe is a sophomore in the School in which where students can bond together over of Foreign Service. NEW IN TOWN appears good food while learning the complexity of the every other Friday in the guide.

DIY TIP

WALK-FITNESS $2.99

From the makers of the popular “Zombies, Run!” comes this brand new, quirky way to get you motivated to exercise. Disguised as an interactive adventure, The Walk lays out a scenario where you are on the run as an unwitting suspect after a bomb goes off on a train, and makes you follow a make-believe map. In the real world, you are persuaded into walking hundreds of miles to complete the challenge. The journey is long, featuring 13 hours of audio and 65 chapters of narrative, but it promises to be engrossing enough to make you enjoy exercise for once.

DISNEY MOVIES ANYWHERE Free No matter how old you get, Disney and Pixar movies will always hold a special place in your heart. With this app — which utilizes a cloud-based digital movie service — you can download your favorite films, from classics to newer releases like “Frozen,” onto your phone for immediate viewing, even when offline. The app features a library of the best of Disney/Pixar movies, old and new, as well as exclusive free Disney content including neverbefore-seen videos and cut scenes. While Disney Movies Anywhere is free, you do have to pay a small fee for each movie you download.

NCAA SPORTS Free The NCAA Sports app has been entirely redesigned to provide the most up-to-date college sports information, right at your fingertips. Featuring exclusive live video coverage of over 65 NCAA championship events, live scores for NCAA championships, regular football season games and regular season men’s basketball games, the app is a perfect way to stay aware of what’s going on with your sports teams during your busy schedule. It also allows you to personalize the experience by letting you select your top three schools and get scoring alerts sent straight to your phone.

SODA TAB HANGERS

buzzfeed.com The transition from winter to spring brings with it the massive seasonal shopping spree, and with that, the sad realization that all of your new things won’t fit in your tiny dorm closet. Get the most out of your space by hanging multiple hangers connected by soda (or Natty) pop tops. Pluck off the metal pop top from your used can, hook it over the hanger’s hook and use the second hold on the top to hook on another hanger. Easy, yet brilliant.

VIEW FROM PIER 39 | SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA

the guide

friday, february 28, 2014

THE HOYA

B5

RESTAURANt review

Refined Dishes Polish a Rugged, Patriotic Concept Teddy & the Bully Bar

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1200 19th St. NW Cuisine: American $$$$ KARL PIELMEIER Hoya Staff Writer

Compared to its sister — presidentthemed restaurant Lincoln — Teddy & the Bully Bar is very quiet. Teddy patrons are still chatty, and the Alan Popovsky-owned restaurant that pays tribute to the 26th U.S. president still exudes bright, vivacious energy. Yet, compared to Lincoln, things here are much more relaxed. It fits. After all, it was Teddy Roosevelt who said something about “speaking softly.”

But, he didn’t say anything about moving slowly. No one immediately greeted me when I walked in the door, and only after an awkward minute did a harried bartender frantically explain that I would be seated shortly. A moment later, a languid hostess arrived to escort me to a table. No one asked me about dietary restrictions or special requests, and no one explained the full concept of the restaurant. (At Lincoln, they did both. And there, the floors were made of sparkling pennies.)

That isn’t to say the design at Teddy & the Bully Bar is lacking. The interior, designed by Maggie O’Neill, is crisp and sleek. Gaslight fixtures make the ambiance nothing short of electric.

One wall is covered by a clever, textured Mount Rushmore replica. Another boasts ultra-modern moose heads — a contemporary nod to Teddy, America’s favorite big game hunter. Theodore Roosevelt himself even makes a few appearances: a portrait here, a painting there, an enlarged Saturday Evening Post cover over yonder.

Teddy, however, makes more of an appearance in the food than on the walls. “He was a conservationist,” the waitress said — one of the few things she did explain. “For that reason, everything is locally sourced and made fresh in-house.” Like Lincoln, Teddy & the Bully Bar is a free-flow kitchen, serving small plates. Two or three are sufficient per person.

The kitchen achieved its finest moments when it captured the exuberant essence of Teddy — the succulent, rambunctious mix of grit and great, of cowboy and president, of rugged and refined. The onion rings ($7) were flaky and fantastic, but it was the French onion soup base that made the rings magical. The spaghetti squash risotto ($13) was lovely, but when combined with smoked Gouda and kale pesto, it became something otherworldly. Teddy himself would have smiled a Rough Rider grin at

the clam chowder ($11) — the clams within came shells and all.

Some plates — the ones that didn’t achieve such robust Rooseveltian character — weren’t as special. The scallops ($14) cut like butter, but with only some pureed celery root and cauliflower beneath them, the dish was forgettable. The short rib ($15) was enjoyable, but the blackberry horseradish sauce was unnecessary and horseradish-less; the accompanying bed of kale seemed haphazard, and in the end, things were only saved by the fried pickles.

Like Teddy, the meal charged on, however, culminating with a s’more sundae ($10) fit for a president. The toasted marshmallow fluff tasted like a wonderful wilderness campfire; the chocolate ganache served as a reminder that this creation, though, was far more restaurant than rural.

Ultimately, Teddy is not as puttogether as its counterpart Lincoln.

The service is a bit rocky and the menu needs some tweaks. However, like its namesake did at the turn of the century, Teddy must fight on to achieve its own legacy. Not everything has come together for Teddy & the Bully Bar, but it is nonetheless off to a great start.

KARL PIELMEIER/THE HOYA

Teddy & the Bully Bar fails to live up to the ambience of its sister restaurant, Lincoln, but it nonetheless delivers high-quality, traditional dishes.

RECIPES

RESTAURANT review

spicy spinach dip with pine nuts

SOPHIE SAGUIL FOR THE HOYA

B Too specializes in unique preparations of mussels. The standout favorite, B Too Mussels, is served with double-fried frites and a special garlic aioli sauce, and it makes this popular Belgian restaurant a must.

Contemporary Twist on Belgian Classics Keeps Restaurant Fresh B Too

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1324 14th St. NW Cuisine: Belgian $$$$ SOPHIE SAGUIL Special to the Hoya

Among DC locals and Belgian natives alike, B Too has garnered remarkable popularity for serving up traditional Belgian favorites with a contemporary twist. Located on 14th Street corridor, B Too is just one of the many culinary hotspots that have recently risen to prominence on this newly transformed city block.

B Too is headed by Belgian-born chef Bart Vandaele, a native of Roeselare who started his culinary career at the age of 12 (the young chef attended culinary school and interned at various Michelin-starred restaurants in Belgium). In 1997 Vandaele moved to Washington, D.C. to be the executive chef to the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States, and he has since been most famous for heightening the popularity and prominence of Belgian cuisine in the metro area. Not only is Vandaele regarded a master of both traditional and modern Belgian cuisine, but the chef has also been knighted under the order of King Leopold II. He serves as a brand ambassador for popular Belgian beers such as Stella Artois and Hoegaarden and has been honored by the Master Cooks of Belgium. In more recent news, Vandaele competed on the 10th season of

foodandwine.com This delicious twist on a classic appetizer dip is the perfect dish to have at your Oscar-viewing party on Sunday. Not only is the preparation quick and easy, but this spicy spinach dip can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for future snacking. Serve it with pita chips or toasted baguette slices with a drizzle of olive oil. The dish is diet-friendly, as one serving has less than 100 calories. Not a fan of spicy foods? Leave out the chili powder and Cayenne pepper for a dip with a milder flavor.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/2 small sweet onion, minced 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. pure chili powder Pinch of Cayenne pepper One 10-oz. package frozen whole-leaf spinach, thawed Salt

Scoop the yogurt into a paper towel-lined strainer set over a bowl.

Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. You should end up with a 1/2 cup yogurt.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the pine nuts and minced onion and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened and lightly browned and the pine nuts are golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, chili powder and Cayenne and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Scrape into a clean bowl.

Using your hands or a potato ricer, squeeze the spinach until very dry, then coarsely chop it and discard any stringy pieces. Stir the spinach and yogurt into the onion mixture and season with salt.

Bravo’s Top Chef. B Too is Vandaele’s second restaurant in D.C., and the restaurant’s popularity proves Vandaele’s success in putting Belgian cuisine on the city’s culinary map.

Walking into B Too, the first thing that strikes you is the open kitchen where you can watch chefs prepare your food, which features a Spanishdesigned Josper oven for charcoal grilling — the only one of its kind in the District. The decor is cozy and comfortable, yet sleek and modern, with enough Belgian interior design influences to make any visiting Belgian feel right at home. Dark lighting and heavy wood floors add to the fine dining vibe, yet the friendly staff continuously serving up draft beers from the restaurant’s impressive bar mixes in a more casual kitchen atmosphere. One of B Too’s most popular dishes is the variety of traditional Belgian mussels served with frites, mussel sauce and, most importantly, a modern twist.

As recommended by the waiter, I ordered the joint’s most popular mussel dish, the B Too Mussels, which are Josper-cooked with Saison beer, spring onions, bacon, shiitake mushrooms, celery root and thyme ($24).

The broth was light with a strong beer flavor, yet not overpowered by the heaping portions of bacon and mushrooms served atop the mussels. The frites were served Belgian-

style, double fried to an extra crispy golden brown, with “mussel sauce,” a garlic aioli providing a spin on the more typical Belgian fries dipped in mayonnaise. Some of my personal favorite mussel dishes served at B Too included the more traditional garlic mussels (cooked with butter, celery, cream and lots of garlic, $20) and the eccentric curry mussels (cooked with green apple, celery, garlic, onion, curry and cream, $20). The ever-creamy and garlicky garlic mussels pay homage to more traditional Belgian fare, while the curry mussels challenge more typical Belgian cuisine by adding an exciting and extremely flavorful South Asian twist. More personal favorites include the fall-off-the-bone tender Le Steak Royal Belge met Frietjes, a slow-cooked beef tenderloin served with salad and Belgian frites ($29), as well as a side of Spruitjes, perfectly pan-fried brussel sprouts, cooked in duck fat and topped with crispy duck confit ($10).

Fancy enough to take your parents to, yet moderately priced enough to enjoy on a weekend with friends, B Too provides a refreshing spin on traditional Belgian dishes and is sure to keep hungry customers coming back for more. Come in for happy hour (every day from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.), which features $5 draft beers and wine, $7 specialty cocktails and bar bites ranging from $6 to $11.

‘the wolf of wall street’ cocktail

cookindineout.com This drink, named for the recent film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is sure to get your Oscars party started. With vodka and dry vermouth giving it most of its alcoholic content, it also calls for green chartreuse for a colorful kick.

Sweeten it up with powdered sugar and garnish with a lemon twist for a little bit of fanciness that’s fit for the red carpet.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 oz. vodka 1/2 oz. green chartreuse 1/2 oz. dry vermouth

1/2 oz. lemon juice 1 tsp. powdered sugar Lemon twist (garnish)

Combine vodka, green chartreuse, dry vermouth, lemon juice and powdered sugar in a shaker with ice.

Shake until cold and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Sauvignon Blanc

ninetypluscellars.com Pour yourself a generous glass of white wine to go with your spicy spinach dip and you’re ready for the Oscars. We recommend the Craggy Range Te Muna Road Vineyard sauvignon blanc ($22). This classic New Zealand sauvignon has a light herbal undertone that will complement the creaminess of the dip while maintaining its own acidity. Its hints of dry fruitiness are reason enough to drink on a Sunday night.

B6

the guide

THE HOYA

Helios

music review

Special to The Hoya

With the release of its album “Scars and Stories” in 2012, The Fray seemed bent on sticking with its well-known musical style. Mixing the soft tones of piano with mellow rock, the band continued to mirror the genre that allowed earlier singles like “How to Save a Life” and “Over My Head” to quickly become great hits. The recent release of its fourth album, “Helios,” reveals an effort towards experimentation that breaks away from its predecessors. Although several songs offer a new variety of sound that The Fray has not tried before, they fall short of success. Instead, the songs closest to the band’s original style are the ones with the most potential.

The album opens with “Hold My Hand.” It is the epitome of The Fray’s

EPIC RECORDS

The Fray experiments with different rhythms and styles in “Helios.”

movie review

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The Fray

Hannah Kaufman

trademark formula: soft piano tunes and soothing vocals interspersed between the harsher sounds of rock and passionate singing. It’s the message of pleading, persevering love that most of The Fray’s fans have come to intimately know. What separates this from other songs is the chorus of singers that appears halfway through, which helps to fill the track with a powerful originality. Although some may say it’s too similar to the work The Fray has done in the past, its varied melody, lyrics and chorus provide a freshness that captures the listeners’ attention.

The next few songs break away from The Fray’s original sound, beginning a more fast-paced section of the album. However, this is arguably the weakest section of the album, as it takes away from The Fray’s image and experiments in waters that probably should have been left untouched.

“Love Don’t Die” was released as a single in October 2013, and it justifiably faded from the public eye. The track attempts to be fun and upbeat, but it never quite cracks the shell of banality. The next song, “Give it Away,” further strays from The Fray’s beloved emotional tunes. It adds a disco-pop element that leaves the audience wondering exactly what kind of genre The Fray is aiming for.

The album ultimately returns to more familiar ground with the song “Keep on Wanting.” It brings the music down to a slower pace and stronger beat without the confusing electronic sounds that seem to distract listeners throughout other songs. Relying primarily on percussion and guitars, the admired and commanding voice of lead singer Isaac Slade is able to shine once again. The emotion and lyrics take center stage, which works largely in the band’s favor.

The instrumental experimentation that hurts earlier parts of this album is most contrasted with the

EPIC RECORDS

song “Wherever This Goes.” There is a strong drum beat, vocals from Slade — the group’s lead vocalist, main songwriter, pianist and co-founder — and little else. A harmonizing chorus is quickly added to the mix, but the song is stripped of most other sounds.

It is dominated by a rawness that is at once the familiar passionate journey that The Fray has always promised and a new, barer side that sets it apart from the rest of the songs on the track.

“Helios” closes with “Same as You,” which incorporates more African-style drums into the slow-paced rhythms of the second half of the album. It is a soothing, although unfortunately altogether unremarkable finish. In one section, Slade chants in a monotone voice while a transcendent chorus sings, but this experimentation again falls short of anything spectacular.

The Fray is a band known for its emotional piano rock rhythms and its songs are meant for those surreal moments of summer highway driving and close-eyed ponderings on free afternoons. “Helios” experiments with a range of instruments, trying to instill many of its songs with a balance of electro that rock bands like The Killers have successfully achieved, yet this attempt falls short. The band should pride itself on the distinct sound that gave it fame in the first place while trying to add a freshness to its songs that doesn’t depart from its signature style. Although admirable originality shines through with standout tracks like “Where This Goes,” it’s evident that The Fray’s overall identity is stretching in two opposite directions.

GIRL MEETS WORLD

Spoiler Alert: Suspense is Overrated

Y

esterday, my friend texted me a pretty big “House of Cards” spoiler. It wasn’t malicious; he just thought I had finished all the episodes. While a lot of people would be extremely upset if a major plot point had been spoiled for them, I can honestly say that I didn’t care. In fact, I often go out of my way to find spoilers.

When I read the sixth “Harry Potter” book, I flipped ahead to see who died. When I watched “Donnie Darko” last week, I pulled up Wikipedia to read about the ending. I’ve read extensively online about most of the things that happened in “A Song of Ice and Fire,” the book series “Game of Thrones” is based on, and I tend to read recaps of shows before I watch them.

My strange habit is partially vindicated by a study from UC San Diego that found people enjoy things more when they already know what’s going to happen. This lines up well with Alfred Hitchcock’s theory of suspense: He believed that it was much more terrifying for the audience to know what was coming in his movies.

This makes sense to me. Reading “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” knowing that — spoiler alert — Snape kills Dumbledore made me more attentive to the way J.K. Rowling was building up to that plot point. The tragedy of the loss was more intense as I saw Harry and Dumbledore’s relationship grow, knowing that Harry would be left on his own so soon. My foreknowledge frequently makes watching “Game of Thrones” incredibly intense and occasionally unbearably sad.

This isn’t only applicable to shows with more dramatic and over-thetop plot points. The first episode of “The Office” I ever watched was Jim

Friday, february 28, 2014

and Pam’s wedding. The knowledge that it would all work out for those two crazy kids made all their interactions a little sweeter when watching previous episodes.

Some works are upfront about how they’ll end from the very beginning. At the start of “(500) Days of Summer,” we learn that it’s not going to end with the duo together. It’s a testament to the movie’s power that I still thought their relationship might work out. Similarly, “How I Met Your Mother” makes it

Victoria Edel clear that Ted will marry someone, but that his wife will not be Robin, the ex-girlfriend he can’t get over.

Both use the knowledge of the characters’ fates in intriguing ways.

If spoilers really ruin a plot, then it wasn’t very good to begin with. After all, the best books, movies and television shows are the ones that can be enjoyed multiple times. One of my friends is currently watching “Friday Night Lights” for the first time and knowing what happens to Coach, his wife and the town of Dillon has only heightened my enjoyment in watching the series with her. They say and do things that I know they’ll regret later, but not yet.

I’m not discounting the value of a truly shocking moment. I didn’t know about the twist in the first episode of the second season of “House of Cards,” and screaming about it with my roommate was fun. But I think we’ve become too obsessed with guarding ourselves from plot

points. And if more television moves toward the Netflix model, anti-spoiler decrees will become untenable.

When is it appropriate to talk about “House of Cards” without a massive SPOILER ALERT warning?

With the traditional model, after a week, you can be sure that almost everyone knows what happened.

Then again, my argument about spoilers making things more enjoyable might just be an excuse for my impatience. I may have sped through “The Hunger Games,” but I couldn’t go fast enough to quench my thirst for plot. I want to know what happens as soon as possible, even if the traditional method will only take a few hours; or if I’m watching a movie, even less. Perhaps it’s because I’ve gotten so used to a world where limitless information is at my fingertips. If I want the weather, there’s an app for that. If I want the plot to “Lord of the Rings,” there’s an app for that, too.

I also might just be uncomfortable with uncertainty. When I like the characters, I want to know that they’re going to be OK, the same way that I worry about my friends — and myself — in real life. The only difference is that I can’t google my friends to make sure the boy they’re chasing will eventually return their feelings or that they won’t get murdered by a conniving politician.

In the meantime, I will probably keep embracing spoilers. To help you do that too, here are a few spoilers: Frank Underwood becomes supreme dictator of North America, Sansa Stark steals Daenerys’ dragons to become queen of Westeros and Walter White was Gossip Girl.

Oh, and Snape killed Dumbledore.

Victoria Edel is a senior in the College. GIRL MEETS WORLD appears every other Friday in the guide.

BEST BETS

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Liam Neeson takes on another big role in “Non-Stop,” an airplane thriller that fails to impress despite its star quality.

Non-Stop

 

Starring: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra Charlotte Glasser Hoya Staff Writer

We’ve seen Liam Neeson take on the role of wounded, brooding hero many times. He was the sage Qui-Gon Jinn in the “Star Wars” franchise, the griefstricken stepfather to Sam in “Love Actually” and the coolest ex-CIA operative father ever in the “Taken” franchise. In the new suspense film “Non-Stop,” Neeson plays the role of alcoholic, ex-cop turned air marshall to perfection. He nails all the soulful glances at the couples exchanging heartfelt goodbyes in the airport, he masterfully demonstrates that it is possible to smoke in an airport lavatory without setting off detectors and, like a pro, manages to stop any annoying passengers in their tracks with just one glance.

“Non-Stop,” directed by “House of Wax’s” Jaume Collet-Serra, starts out beautifully. It’s not one of those suspense or action movies that immediately throws out gratuitous violence; instead, it’s primarily concerned with character development and setting the scene.

Nancy the flight attendant is played by Michelle Dockery of “Downton Abbey.” She sheds all of the proper reserve she maintains in “Downton Abbey” and takes on a more assertive role in the film as she becomes integral to stopping murders on the transatlantic flight. Alternating between sweet, strong and sarcastic, Nancy is one of the best characters in the movie. She is the voice of reason when Air Marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) reaches the height of his paranoia, she puts the lives of her passengers ahead of her own and somehow she does it all in heels. Jen, played by Julianne Moore, is just as much of a power character as Nancy and Marks, if in a more understated way. She somehow maintains a calm state at all times, and her support of Marks is integral to the plot line.

“Non-Stop” is surprisingly humorous, especially for a movie about a plot to kill airplane passengers if $150 million isn’t deposited into a particular bank ac-

count. In the opening there are some laugh-out-loud, hilarious scenes that anyone who has been to an airport within the last 10 years can sympathize with. The interactions among the flight crew are genuine and realistic, as are those among the passengers.

The highlight of “Non-Stop” is undoubtedly the plot. It starts out unobtrusively, with Marks receiving ominous texts on a secure network, but then it picks up in intensity as an unknown aggressor threatens to kill a passenger in 20 minutes if the $150 million isn’t deposited into a bank account. As Marks hunts down lead after lead, the intensity continues to escalate. The way the camera zooms in and tightens on certain faces makes the audience feel like anyone could be the attacker who is pulling the strings. Anyone could be the enemy. “Non-Stop” does suspense better than most recent films of the same genre, as the audience is left to question what is really going on. Is there a security threat? Is the situation a figment of Marks’ paranoia or is its scope bigger than anything we can imagine?

Only two aspects seem too jarring in “Non-Stop.” First, Neeson’s character spends far too much time in the airplane lavatory.

Does no one notice he’s missing for hours between his combined smoke and drink breaks and the fight scenes that take place in the lavatory? Secondly, while “Non-Stop” starts out with great promise, at the end it takes on a totally fantastical element. Liam Neeson does fight scenes like no other, but it seems unlikely that even he, while fighting off several assailants, would be able to catch a knife’s handle as it was falling through the air. “NonStop’s” exposition was amazing and captivating — it’s a shame that the end was given over to such scenes of gratuitous, fantastical violence.

Other than the unrealistic characteristics of specific scenes, I thoroughly enjoyed “Non-Stop.”

It was a prime suspense movie, and fans of Liam Neeson and other airplane suspense movies such as “Flight Plan” or “Snakes on a Plan” will love it, too.

ON CAMPUS

BATTLE OF THE VOICES

taste of vietnam and movie night

the 411 of marketing agencies

FREEDOM — WHAT IS OUR ROLE?

WHERE: Gaston Hall WHEN: Friday, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

INFO: botv2014.com PRICE: $10 student/$12 general

WHERE: Alumni Lounge When: Friday, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

INFO: facebook.com/GUVSA PRICE: Free

WHERE: Rafik B. Hariri 150 When: Monday, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

INFO: guevents.com Price: Free with RSVP

WHERE: Copley Formal Lounge WHEN: Tuesday, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

INFO: guevents.com Price: Free with RSVP

Georgetown’s Black Student Alliance is hosting the first Washington metropolitan collegiate singing competition. The competition will feature five of the best vocalists from University of Maryland, George Washington University, Trinity University and Howard University, as well as Georgetown. Funds from the battle will be used to purchase and donate materials for the Duke Ellington School of Arts.

As part of its second general body meeting, Georgetown University Vietnamese Student Association is hosting a movie night with the promise of some delicious Vietnamese treats, including banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches). A great way to get involved with Georgetown’s diverse campus, this is a good opportunity to experience one of the many cultures that make up our student body.

The Georgetown Advertising and Marketing Association is hosting a panel for marketing agencies in D.C. and Virginia to answer all your questions about life in the ad agency world. In particular, they will be focusing on how to find the balance between creativity and strategy. The representatives bring experiences from working for MTV, Disney and the U.N., among other big companies.

The Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies is bringing Jaroslav Zajíek, deputy chief of mission from the Embassy of the Czech Republic, to Georgetown to give a seminar on freedom. It will include a short documentary about the sacrifice of Jan Palach, who committed suicide as a political protest at the end of the Prague Spring.

the guide

friday, february 28, 2014

THE HOYA

arts & entertainment feature

MUSIC

New Releases

Rock Duo Takes Act Coast to Coast Bisi Orisamolu Hoya Staff Writer

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ased out of Seattle, bluesrock group My Goodness has recently embarked on its first national tour.

However, the group is not entirely new to the stage: My Goodness first took the stage three years ago but has gone through some serious changes since its inception. At its first performance, current guitarist and lead singer Joel Schneider and his former bandmate dubbed the band “My Goodness” because they thought they were only ever going to play one show. The name was meant to represent the band’s good fortune at having the opportunity to perform. After receiving a great reaction from the crowd, Schneider and his ex-bandmate decided to keep making music. Differences caused them to separate along the way, but Schneider went on to team up with current member drummer Andy Lumand Cody Votolato, a longtime member of another Seattlebased band called Black Brothers.

Surprisingly laid back and soft spoken for a rock and roll musician, Schneider grew up with an affinity for music, although maybe not the kind that he is making now. He grew up in a very conservative Christian household and was forbidden from listening to secular music, although his parents did allow him to have a guitar, and he learned to play through performing with his church group. The ban on secular music was one of the reasons that Schneider ended up moving out of his parent’s house when he was in high school. During this period he took a break from merely playing guitar in or-

der to write songs as well.

Although the duo is just starting to make their name known nationally, they did have the opportunity to play at Capitol Hill Block Party, an annual music festival and block party held in Seattle. The experience of performing at such a popular West Coast festival has also been one of their most proud moments to date, especially because the crowd was so receptive to their music.

“The experience was gratifying,” Schneider said.

My Goodness’ Seattle roots have meant it has had a lot of exposure on the West Coast but hasn’t had much experience playing anywhere east of San Diego. It is currently on a nationwide tour with the band Augustines that will take it to East Coast venues for the first time.

“What’s so great about it is that nobody from these arenas has seen us yet, so the show will be a new experience for everybody,” Schneider explained.

The band is excited to share its music with a new group of listeners. The excitement is mutual, and the New York and Boston venues have already sold out.

While My Goodness is definitely enthusiastic about its tour, it’s not getting ahead of itself with grandiose plans.

“I just hope that we’re still playing and we’re still having a good time and still progressing. You have to take it slow and not expect for it to happen overnight,” Schneider said of where he hoped the band would be in five years.

My Goodness is still discovering and defining itself as a band. The members want to take baby steps

Oxymoron Schoolboy Q Ogechi Nwodim Special to The Hoya

Those familiar with Schoolboy Q are aware of the raw physicality in his lyricism, his aggressive beats, his role as a Top Dawg Entertainment signee and his signature bucket hat.

But apart from hardcore hip-hop fans, Schoolboy Q is relatively unknown. He has only one radio hit and his music gravitates towards a particular crowd.

He is the second member of the rap group Black Hippy to release a solo album. And after Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d. city,” it’s easy to see why comparisons are often drawn between the two artists. Schoolboy Q attempts to reach the expectations the public has set for him in his new

‘show me what you got’ G.R.L   

COURTESY AUSTIN GRISWOLD

The laid-back musical pair from Seattle is taking its blues-rock sound across the country and enjoying its unexpected success. and give themselves the opportunity to experiment with different sounds. Schneider hesitated describing the band’s sound, throwing out phrases like “aggressive music,” “blues and soul, but a little bit heavier” and finally settled on labeling it “blues-y rock.”

Although they may not have labeled their genre yet, Schneider doesn’t think that’s integral in attracting who comes to their shows.

“We hope our audience will be people into live music and who

want to have a good time and dance,” Schneider said, adding that My Goodness has a lot of fun performing: It wants to share that experience with its audience. “We have a lot of energy on stage.We want people to feel what we put in to the music.”

Brimming with passion and a desire to please people with its music, My Goodness has the potential to garner a large fan base as it makes its way across the United States in the coming months.

MUSIC Review



album, “Oxymoron.”

However, “Oxymoron” is no “good kid, m.A.A.d. city.” While both albums are autobiographical, “Oxymoron” articulately delves into the conflict between the pleasures and dangers of the gang-banging world. While Lamar uses his words to paint vivid and sensual reenactments of his life, Schoolboy Q rather plainly lays out both the ugly and beautiful aspects of his experiences. Nevertheless, his straightforwardness and somewhat blase attitude about his dangerous life resonate in the listener’s mind.

As a former gang member, Schoolboy Q gives actual insight into life as part of a California gang. His album opens with a line in the song “Gangsta” from his young daughter Joy as her

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sweet voice confidently says, “Hello?

Hello? My daddy’s a Gangsta.”

The song immediately continues with Q’s brash, incessant voice, hypnotically chanting “Gangsta, Gangsta, Gangsta.” On the one hand, Schoolboy Q sees himself as a hardened man who is simply the product of his environment. On the other hand, his daughter is a consistent reminder of the man that he can and ultimately wants to be. This moment sets up the tone for the rest of the album as his daughter continuously interjects instrumental lines in his story.

“Los Awesomes,” “Hoover Street,” “The Purge” and “Grooveline Night” create a distinct manifesto of the life of a gang member. Each track has a powerful beat that drives the lyrics along. In these songs, he seems to laud the reputation, sex and power that being a gang member provides.

However, in “Hoover Street,” he also gives an honest portrayal of the effects of this lifestyle. He tells the story of his drug-addicted uncle, his love for his grandmother and his loss of inno-

INTERSCOPE RECORDS

Schoolboy Q’s new album, “Oxymoron,” deals with a number of his difficult life experiences, such as his time as part of a California gang, but it is unlikely to appeal to a large audience.

With a boring tune and uninspiring pop lyrics, this debut single from G.R.L. is less than impressive. The track is reminiscent of the early Pussycat Doll days but doesn’t manage to be nearly as catchy. The lyrics of the song are so painfully unimaginative, for example, “Hey boy tell me if you’ll be there when I need you,” that it’s hard to take it seriously. But it has to be the strange cat-like screeching featured in the chorus that makes it almost unbearable. While the single is slightly redeemed by its more experimental beat, it remains severely lackluster.

‘supernova’ ray lamontagne   LaMontagne proves that he fully deserves his fame for his folk singersongwriter music with the release of the title track from his upcoming album, to be released in early May. “Supernova” is a beautifully gentle, laid-back single with a powerful underlying beat that builds throughout the song. In it, he perfectly delivers his unique vocals, similar to those of Tim Buckley and Van Morrison, making the track an instant success. It’s just what good folk music should be — authentic and well delivered. It’s a song you want to set aside time to listen to.

‘CAN’T REMEMBER TO FORGET YOU’ SHAKIRA FT. RIHANNA 

INTERSCOPE RECORDS

cence when he was inducted into the gang world.

He states, “Gangbanging was a ritual and Grandma would help / She should’ve never left her gun on the shelf / This little piggy went to market / This little piggy carry chrome.”

The use of the popular nursery rhyme as a metaphor for his loss of innocence creates a jarring and unsettling image. While Q tends to have an ambivalent view on gangs as a whole, he does not question the negative effects of abusing drugs and alcohol. “Studio Nights” explores the consequences of using drugs in a sexual relationship. In “Prescription,” he offers a poignant recounting of his catastrophic fall into drugs and its effect on him and his daughter. Still, the most emotive part of maybe the whole album comes from his daughter.

At one point she says, “Daddy, Daddy? What’s wrong? You tired? You mad? Okay, I love you daddy.”

This soft voice heard over the hard beat and after Q’s rant about his inability to connect emotionally to his daughter’s pain creates a tragic and bone-chilling scene. No doubt, “Prescription” is his most effective attempt in the album to contrast his harsh persona with the love he has for his daughter.

Overall, this 17-track album does not appeal to a very wide audience.

Except for “Collard Greens” and “Hell of a Night,” there are no clear songs on the album that would have radio appeal. However, he has a created a decent album that not only maintains the caliber of Black Hippy, but also puts an end to comparisons.

This single is set to be 2014’s first big chart-topper. A month after its online release, the track received nearly 11 million YouTube views and over 10 million Spotify streams, and it’s already gaining international success. And it’s not just because it features two of pop’s most powerful women.

The track is actually pretty good: powerful with a strong beat and heavy instrumentals and a catchy hook. Ideal for studying or getting ready for a night out, it’s sure to satisfy Shakira’s global fans.

‘MUG SHOT’ MAX SCHNEIDER  Showing that his talent goes well beyond his days on Nickelodeon’s “How to Rock,” Max Schneider’s latest single successfully shows off his vocal ability. It’s big band meets modern pop, and it works pretty well. The song is different from a lot of the more mainstream pop currently being released, and it’s generally well produced. Upbeat and with a slight edge, it is a pleasantly energizing track. The range of his vocals and the tone of the song are reminiscent of Bruno Mars, which is not a bad thing. While definitely not a hugely exciting track, it’s nonetheless worth a listen.

AROUND TOWN Washington national opera

Tapas: spanish design for food

prescreening of oscar nominees

Carioca

WHERE: John F. Kennedy Center WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

INFO: kennedy-center.org PRICE: Starting at $25

WHERE: Former Spanish Ambassador’s Residence (2801 16th St. NW) WHEN: Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

INFO: spainculture.us PRICE: Free, RSVP required

WHERE: William G. McGowan Theater WHEN: Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.

INFO: archives.gov/dc-metro/events PRICE: Free

WHERE: Tropicalia (2001 14th St. NW) WHEN: Sunday, 6 p.m.

INFO: tropicaliadc.com PRICE: $5

If it’s on your Hilltop bucket list to dress up for a fancy night at the opera, this Friday is your chance. Get a group of friends together or grab a date and head over to the Kennedy Center to see “Moby-Dick,” an opera written by Jake Heggie and based on the classic tale by Herman Melville. Leonard Foglia directs a talented cast in a production that is sure to impress.

This exhibit displays Spain’s recent avantgarde experimental blending of design and food. Guests will get an up-close look at an impressive Spanish kitchen, table and meal.

A taster menu of tapas will also be available.

Awards season seems to be wrapping up, but candidate films for the 2014 Academy Awards have already been selected. Get ahead of the curve and be the most cultural one at the party by attending one of the National Archives’ prescreenings. “The Square,” a film about the Egyptian Revolution, will be rolling Friday at 7 p.m.

Spring break is finally on the way, so kick off your last week in D.C. with a fun Brazilianthemed night at Tropicalia. The event, named for the citizens of Rio de Janeiro, includes a live band and a DJ starting at 8 p.m. Arrive at 7 p.m. to take advantage of free Samba lessons and show up whenever you like for the $5 caipirinhas.

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Sports

THE HOYA

women’s basketball

Friday, FEBRUARY 28, 2014

The Sporting Life

English Premier League Losing Luster W

FILE PHOTO: ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Senior forward and co-captain Andrea White leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points a game. Saturday’s game against Providence will be her last at McDonough Arena.

Bottom Dwellers Face Off

Matt Raab

Hoya Staff Writer

After illustrious careers, which included two NCAA tournament appearances, senior co-captains guard Samisha Powell and forward Andrea White will play their last game at McDonough Arena on Saturday. The Georgetown women’s basketball team (9-19, 3-12 Big East) will play host to the Providence Friars (7-20, 2-14 Big East) on Senior Day. With two games left to play, Georgetown will look to earn one last home win before travelling to Big Eastleading DePaul to close out the season.

Providence has struggled since conference play began in the beginning of January, only managing to win two games. It is also coming off a win against Xavier that snapped a 10-game losing streak. The Friars’ only other Big East win came against the Hoyas on Jan. 15.

While the Hoyas have also struggled in conference play, winning only three games, Head Coach Jim Lewis is confident his team has improved since it last took on the Friars.

“We are expecting to be at our very best,” Lewis said. “All the factors now, the learning, the adjustments … all that has to happen now, we can’t wait and expect it to grow. It has to be grown and ready to reach its fruition.”

As the Big East tournament approaches, Saturday’s game gives both teams the opportunity to better prepare for postseason play.

“When are you approaching

this time of the year you want to be playing your best ball, and you also want the hunger to be as strong as any other point in the season,” Lewis said. “You really have to want it badly because everyone wants it, and it’s a matter of will when you get to these precious few games.”

Although the Hoyas have lost nine games since they last played the Friars, two of those losses were by single digits, including a one-point loss to Seton Hall on Feb. 12. Additionally, they downed then-No.22 St. John’s. The Hoyas must now turn their attention back to the Friars, hoping to continue their strong play.

“There’s anticipation of playing a team that beat us,” Lewis said. “We don’t use any harsh words like revenge, we’re not saying that. We just want to make sure we do a better job than we did before.”

For the seniors on Georgetown’s roster, the Friars will be the last opponents they face in McDonough Arena. The group includes Powell, a consistent presence on the floor who leads the team in assists, and White, team leader in points and an allaround critical presence for the Hoyas throughout the season.

“This will be the very last time that this group of individuals, players and coaches alike, will be together on this floor, competing in a basketball game, and that’s the bittersweet part of college athletics,” Lewis said.

“We’re hoping and expecting to continue to play beyond the Big East tournament as the Big East champion. Saturday’s game is the last time we’ll be together

as a group on this home court.”

Lewis expressed the importance of the presence of the two co-captains with the team as an essential part of the Hoyas’ development throughout the season and the obstacles it included.

“Our two senior co-captains … have just been tremendous leaders in a time of transition and a lot of change,” Lewis said. “They have been a steadying force because the internal leadership of any good team depends on the captains, or the seniors or the true individuals who understand how they can lead, and those two have been two of the finest leaders and two of the finest captains I’ve ever been associated with.”

Saturday’s game will be a final lead-up for the Hoyas before they begin their quest for the Big East championship, according to Lewis.

“We’re making the point that we still have so much left in our season, so many seconds, so many minutes … and we put it all into six games because that will allow us to reach our goal which is to be Big East champions,” he said.

Although the Hoyas are currently seventh in the Big East rankings, Lewis does not believe their record is indicative of the team’s potential.

“Teams can get hot, and we’re playing very competitively,” Lewis said. “We need to finish the regular strong … but we’re concentrating everything into a six-game package.”

Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m., preceded by a short ceremony for the seniors on the team.

hen it comes to professional soc- club level. But the past few years have seen cer, one league stands above the cracks grow in the foundation of the EPL. rest. For the better part of two The league’s depth is still unparalleled, but decades, the English Premier League has the elite are falling behind the pace set by the towered over the rest of Europe thanks to a dominant Spanish and German giants Barcecombination of international marketability lona and Bayern Munich.

Chelsea may have been surprise Champi—increasing revenue streams and attracting wealthier and wealthier owners— and an in- ons League winners two years ago, but last season saw an unprecedented turn of events: flux of foreign talent.

The result has been a league that domi- The top league in Europe failed to secure any nates on every level. Not only have the best representation in the Champions League teams in the EPL been as good as any clubs in quarterfinals. the world, but the EPL has also featured more Despite seeing all four of its teams through elite teams than any other league. Perhaps qualifying, the events of the past week suggest even more impressive has been the league’s that this year’s Champions League may be top-to-bottom depth; while German and Span- even more disastrous for the EPL. The league ish leagues have featured one or two super- received another difficult draw with Arsenal powers beating up on little sisters of the poor, facing favorites Bayern Munich and Mancheseven relegation-threatened ter City drawing Barcelona.

English clubs are capable of Both Arsenal and Manchesstealing points away from ter City had the chance to the league leaders. seize initiative at home in However, all of this has the first leg of their ties, come at a cost and the inbut both went down to 10 flux of foreign talent that men and fell 2-0, all but the EPL has used to gain ending their campaigns. a competitive advantage More discouraging were Darius Majd is starting to have adverse the performances Tuesday effects on the state of footby Chelsea and Manchesball in Britain. Other Euter United. Chelsea looks in The English Premier position to secure advanceropean countries, such as Italy, Spain, Germany and at home in a second League’s reliance on ment France have fostered preleg, but an away draw for dominantly homegrown foreign talent hurts the EPL leaders to inferior talent in their leagues, and Galatasaray is alarming.

British players. in doing so have carved out Manchester United, which a national identity — a phihas declined sharply follosophy, if you will — when it comes to soccer. lowing Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, fared The Italians employ brilliant defensive even worse in a 2-0 loss to Olympiakos — one tactics; the Germans counterattack with ag- of the weakest teams in the knockout field. gression and the Spaniards suffocate their The English Premiere League is at a preopponents with precision, tiki-taka passing. carious point in its history, and cautious steps England, on the other hand, looks aimless need to be taken to continue to capitalize on and unseasoned on the international stage. the marketing advantage it has over the rest The country’s talent is not experienced or of Europe. Manchester United is perhaps the fully developed because foreign stars are fill- biggest brand in the sport, and the strength ing so many spots in Premier League lineups, of the league is dependent on the Red Devils and in the process, they are fostering depth in recapturing their former strength. their own nations as lesser players develop in The league also needs to manage its their domestic leagues. foreign intake more carefully. The league The large collection of foreign talent in the doesn’t need to cut out foreign stars comPremier League is also preventing England pletely — it was only two decades ago the from developing its own brand of soccer. In league was an also-ran in European soccer recent tournaments, the English team has because it featured too much domestic tallacked a clear plan of attack. All too often it ent in its lineups. finds itself on its heels playing defense, but A better approach would be to put a cap unlike the Italians there is no threat to move on foreign players in starting line-ups. This forward with the ball. The result is a team would ensure that English players are dethat can force extra time against superior veloping, and perhaps lead to the spread of teams, but there is always outplayed in the foreign talent to more teams in the league, knockout rounds of major tournaments, in resulting in even more competition. which it is routinely defeated because of an One thing is for certain: the English Footextraordinarily consistent lack of composure ball Association needs to strike a balance to in penalty kicks. maintain strong standing on the club level To fans of English international soccer, while re-establishing the strength of English this development may have been troubling, international football. but for owners and die-hard fans of the club teams, it has been an acceptable drawback Darius Majd is a junior in the College. to ensuring dominance in Europe at the THE SPORTING LIFE appears every Friday.

Women’s lacrosse

track & Field

GU’s Last Chance for NCAAs morgan birck

Special to The Hoya

The men’s and women’s track and field teams will travel to Boston on Sunday to compete in the Boston University Last Chance Meet. This is the final opportunity for Hoya runners to qualify for the upcoming NCAA championships in New Mexico on March 14 and 15.

Both the men’s and women’s 800-meter teams and the men’s distance medley relay teams are expected to compete. Because of weather issues earlier this season, some of the runners were not able to compete at the Iowa State invitational, and will now have the opportunity to get the times needed to enter the NCAA championships.

“We had several people that were scheduled to run at Iowa State, and due to the inclement weather they weren’t able to travel out there, so they didn’t really get to post up a really fast time this season,” Director of Track and Field and CrossCountry Patrick Henner said.

“So in those cases we’re taking some of those people to Boston this weekend to give them a shot at running those fast times.”

In the men’s distance medley relay, Henner said the biggest

challenge will be consistency.

“In the men’s [distance medley relay], just getting all four runners to perform well on the same day,” Henner said when asked about the biggest obstacle the teams will face this weekend. “I think we have potentially one of the best teams in the country, but we’ve got to get it done at the qualifying first, so I think that’s the biggest challenge in that.”

Henner also noted that the athletes will need to stay cool and collected during their races in order to post the needed qualifying times. “[We need] to get the men and women to run for the first half of the race at a fast pace but still be mentally and physically relaxed,” Henner said. “If they can do that, then I think they’re going to be able to post some great, fast times.”

After a second-place finish for both the men and women at this past weekend’s Big East Indoor Championships, the teams are confident moving forward. Villanova’s women’s team just barely scraped by Georgetown by 2.5 points, while the Villanova men’s team also took first, edging out Georgetown by 32.5 points.

Coming off a strong performance in the Big East, the Hoyas are poised for success at the Boston University Last

Chance Meet, though a quick turnaround from last weekend could prove to be trying for the runners.

“You have a big challenge,” Henner said. “We just came off the Big East and a lot of people ran multiple races, so some of them are still a little bit sore and beat up.”

This season Georgetown has performed strongly in the middle distance. In the Big East championships, freshman Amos Bartelsmeyer and senior Billy Ledder grabbed second and fourth place respectively in the 1000m. Sophomore Ahmed Bile won the 800m race with a time of 1:50.85. For the women, freshman Sabrina Southerland took first in the 800m and set a meet record with her time of 2:04.85.

“I think right now we’ve got a very confident men’s and women’s middle-distance race, so I think their confidence is really high right now,” Henner said.

The Hoyas hope to build upon these performances in the middle distance races, and maintain their relay and short distance success as well.

After this weekend, those who won’t be competing at the NCAA championships will compete at the ECAC and IC4A Championships in Boston on March 8 and 9 as the indoor season enters its final stretch.

JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA

Senior co-captain midfielder Hannah Franklin scored a goal in Georgetown’s 1410 loss to No. 15 Towson. The loss was the first of the season for the Hoyas.

McMunn and Princeton Pose Challenge to Defense PRINCETON, from B10 unanswered in the first half after Rutgers recorded the first goal of the game. of the game.

McMunn, who has played a central role in the Tiger offense so far this season, will be a player to watch. She is the reigning Ivy League Attack of the Year and has already tallied four goals on the season in addition to five assists in just two games. Last season, McMunn notched a team best of 40 goals and 29 assists. Not only is she a natural scorer, but she is also excellent at distributing from behind the net. “[Princeton] has some really good athletes. Their midfield is very strong, they have good-sized kids that can get up and down the field” Fried said. “Erin McMunn is their playmaker and point guard from behind the cage, so limiting her touches and her contributions and making sure we don’t let their athletes get to goal free and clear will be important.”

Georgetown will be focused on playing solid defense in order to dominate

the possession game. Since the Tigers are usually evenly matched with opponents on the draw control, the Hoyas’ offense and defense alike will need to contribute to playing solid defense on all parts of the field. Additionally, the Hoyas are looking to see production from their main offensive threats.

Senior co-captain midfielders Hannah Franklin and Kelyn Freedman are expected to lead the team this Saturday.

The veterans are two of Georgetown’s leading scorers with five and four goals, respectively. Additionally, sophomore attack Corinne Etchison, who has six goals, and junior attack Caroline Tarzian, with four goals, will be looked upon for offensive production.

“Coming off the game we just came off of, [a strong start] is even more critical. I think we’ll show up that way because we’ve had that experience,” Fried said. “Hopefully with the veteran team we have, we’ve learned from that and will prepare differently. That will give us a little more confidence and as long as we stick to our guns and play our game, we can control our own destiny.”

sports

FRIDAY, february 28, 2014

THE HOYA

B9

baseball

softball

Success Hinges on Status of GU’s Ace Unknown Plate Production Tony Baxter

Special to The Hoya

Juliana Zovak Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown softball team will be travelling to North Carolina for its third tournament of the 2014 season this weekend, where it will participate in UNC-Charlotte’s 49er Invite Tournament.

The Hoyas (3-6) will first face the Liberty Flames (2-10), the same team they opened their season against with a 4-3 victory only three weeks ago.

“We have to compete against the game and not necessarily the team you’re playing,” Head Coach Pat Conlan said. “We’ll know what they’re about, which I think helps, they’ll know what we’re about, which isn’t always good. But I think both of us are probably better teams than we were a few weeks ago, so it should be an interesting matchup.”

The Flames have not had a lot of success since the teams’ last meeting, winning only two games while losing nine more.

In their first meeting, Georgetown junior Lauren O’Leary pitched for the Hoyas and will likely get the start again. O’Leary is 1-3 but with an ERA of only 1.86 so far this season.

Junior Megan Hyson, the Hoyas’ other starting pitcher, has been solid from the mound as well.

Hyson has compiled a 2-3 record with a 2.77 ERA, which earned her a mention on the Big East Honor Roll this past weekend. Hyson is also having success at the plate, batting .273 and leading the team with six RBIs. “All I ask of our pitchers is for them to give us an opportunity to win,” Conlan said. “Overall, I think the pitchers are doing a really good job of having presence on the field and taking care of those things were asking them to do.”

After the Liberty game, the Blue

FILE PHOTO: ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Senior outfielder Elyse Graziano is batting .320 this season.

and Gray will take on Stony Brook (0-5). Colan emphasized that the Seawolves’ lackluster record will not affect the Hoyas’ preparation.

“I don’t think [the record] is relevant. I think anything can happen on any given day, it is early in the season,” Conlan said. “I’m not really sure that’s a good measure for anything, and we try not to look at that. We just focus on the things they’re doing and how we can prepare our team to compete against them.”

Georgetown will also face tournament host UNC-Charlotte (5-5).

Conlan acknowledged that homefield advantage would be a factor in the outcome of the game.

“I think anytime you play on your own field that you’ve been practicing on and you get kind of a your home field crowd, that always plays a role,” Conlan said. “I think people just find comfort. They kind of know the nuances of the field and things like that and that just gives a different level of confidence.”

UNC-Charlotte does, however, have a losing record at home, going 3-4. The 49ers’ lineup is anchored by a couple of strong power hitters including junior catcher Jackie Kleinsmith, who is hitting .552 on the season, and three other players batting at least .400.

Meanwhile, Georgetown is led by senior outfielder Elyse Graziano, who is batting .320, followed by Hyson. Conlan is confident their offense is starting to come along.

“We’re still working on trying to put quality at-bats together as a team throughout a game, although we’re far better than we were our first weekend out,” she said.

The Hoyas — who have committed 12 errors in nine games — will be working this weekend on tightening things up defensively.

“We’ve got to clean up a few things on defense,” Conlan said.

“I think some of our players have to get used to playing with each other, we’ve got to work a little bit more on communication on the field.”

Despite the early season kinks that the team is still working out, Conlan is happy with the direction in which her team is headed and their spirit, which for her is a valuable asset.

“We are a never say die team.

That has been a trademark in the past and this particular group is carrying that on,” Conlan said.

“We might not win every game, but we’re going to make sure that people work very hard to get that victory against us. I think that characteristic of our team is going to help us pull out those close games as the season progresses.”

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Trade and Buyout Improves Playoffs HOFF, from B10 about every year, there are always those that oppose it, and with fair reason.

Suddenly, a random contender gets a quality player without having to do anything, simply because the Philadelphia 76ers would actually rather have bad players than good ones because they’re season is already lost. When one looks at it like that, these buyouts just seem fishy.

Maybe they are, but again, they’re not new. In 2010, the Cavaliers traded fan favorite Zydrunas Ilgauskas and his expiring contract (along with other rebuilding pieces) to the Washington Wizards for Antawn Jamison. Ilgauskas resigned with the Cavaliers only 30 days later and well in time for the playoffs, which meant that he wasn’t really ever traded at all. The 2005 Boston Celtics traded Gary Payton to the Atlanta Hawks, but he was back with the Celtics only a week later after getting a buyout from Atlanta.

The most recent NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, agreed upon in 2011, states that teams can no longer resign a player that they had traded dur-

ing that season, meaning that Granger can’t resign with the Pacers. Although the Pacers can’t resign Granger and undo any of the damage that comes from trading him, these transactions still have their opponents, for the simple reason that the process admittedly just seems a little bit wrong in your gut.

That being said, I would keep the rule that’s in place now. I wasn’t a fan of players like Ilgauskas or Payton going right back to their former teams, meaning that the teams really didn’t give up anything to get a new asset. Now that someone like Granger can’t return to the Pacers, I’m OK with it.

Some of the criticism of the rule misses the point. I’ve heard some say that if a team like the 76ers are receiving an asset, then it isn’t fair that another team gets to benefit from that asset without giving up anything in return. But this feeling ignores the fact that Danny Granger was not an asset to the 76ers.

No, his salary was.

Bad teams, like this year’s Sixers, will take back expiring salaries like Granger’s because they balance the incoming and outgoing salaries to a roughly equal number, which is a requirement in NBA

trades for teams over the cap. If the Pacers are going to receive two players like Turner and Allen, whose salaries equal about a combined $10 million, they must give up a sizeable salary in order to fulfill the NBA rules. When looking at it from the 76ers’ perspective, it becomes clear that a team that’s attempting to rebuild is really not forfeiting an asset by buying out Granger, because his on-court play was never an asset for them to begin with.

There is one final simple detail that explains the NBA’s willingness to allow these transactions to stand: They make the playoffs better. Sure, it seems weird that a good player could be a member of three different teams in two weeks — two of which don’t want him — right near the playoffs, but it will help the NBA’s product in the postseason to have a player like Granger on a contending team rather than wasting away on a lottery team. If Granger moving to a contender improves the best part of the NBA season, I won’t complain about it.

Tom Hoff is a junior in the McDonough School of Business. Down to the Wire appears every Friday.

HOFSTRA, from B10

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little bit, especially since that first matchup against Wake Forest. Hitting has progressed for the Blue and Grey, but their pitching staff has been facing more difficulties. UNC-Greensboro has proven the ability to score a lot of runs, and Georgetown is currently dealing with injuries, so the pitching will need to step up for the Hoyas to succeed.

Coach Wilk will stick with the right-handers for starting pitching this weekend.

“We’re going to start Matt Smith, [junior] Will Brown, and then we are going to read it. Not sure who is going to go in game three,” Wilk said.

This will be the first of 12 road games for the Hoyas, who will not be playing another home game until March 18. It is critical to get off to a strong start on the road for the Hoyas.

Hoyas Take on Daunting Defense 1 4

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Senior first baseman Steve Anderson hit a grand slam last weekend.

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After poor field conditions led to the cancellation of its scheduled Wednesday game, the Georgetown baseball team is eager to return to the field.

This weekend, it will head to North Carolina to take on UNC-Greensboro in a three-game series.

“We just need to play. We haven’t had a practice on a baseball field yet.

So anytime outside and on a field is important to us at this point,” Head Coach Pete Wilk said.

The Hoyas enter this three-game series with a 3-3 record. Georgetown lost the first three games of the season, but bounced back last weekend with a three-game sweep of Hartford.

The Hoyas enter the weekend with a 4.34 team ERA and a team batting average of .225. While their team ERA is a little high and their team batting average is a little low, the Hoyas have been more successful of late.

Wilk has been frustrated with the weather and believes it might be a reason why they have struggled early.

“We need to get out on the field more. This wind has kicked our butts,” Wilk said.

Georgetown showed resilience against a tough Hartford team, however, and swept the three-game series, winning two games out of the three on walk-off hits. The Hoyas will need to show a similar tenacity against the Spartans, especially considering that they will be playing this series on the road.

After struggling in the first series, Georgetown’s bats finally came alive against Hartford for Georgetown. In the three games, the Hoyas combined to score 21 runs. Senior first baseman and co-captain Steve Anderson led this revival, hitting .500 and a grand slam.

Wilk expects the hitting to build off the strong performance against Hartford.

“I think we are a pretty talented offensive team. I wasn’t surprised with what we did against Hartford.

I thought if we had did that the first weekend we would have come home with two more wins. We had a slow start, but we are a talented offensive club,” Wilk said.

In the first game of the series, freshman pitcher David Ellingson had a strong performance in relief of the red shirt junior pitcher Jack Vander Linden. Ellingson surrendered only one run, which was unearned in 6 2/3 innings of work.

Vander Linden, the ace of the Georgetown pitching staff, left the game after one inning of work because of an elbow injury. “[Vander Linden] is going to the doctor [Thursday]. We don’t know anything yet,” said Wilk.

The Hoyas will certainly have a tough task replacing their ace if Vander Linden misses an extended period of playing time. Although Vander Linden struggled with control in the beginning of the season, walking seven batters in six innings of work and compiling a 4.50 ERA, he showed moments of brilliance, striking out 13 batters in just six innings of work.

Thus far, Anderson has led the Hoyas, batting .400 and hitting one home run in his first six games. On the pitching side, sophomore starting pitcher Matt Smith has started off well with an ERA of 1.64 over 11 innings.

Smith pitched very well in the second game of the Hartford series and was a big part of that victory.

Although UNC-Greensboro is only 2-5 this year, its two wins were impressive extra-inning victories over Duke and Wake Forest. The win over Wake Forest might make UNC-Greensboro a favorite in this series as the Hoyas lost earlier this year to Wake Forest.

The Spartans, however, have been sporadic this season. They started off their season with that upset victory over Duke, but then fell flat with a loss to UNC-Ashville and were swept by Georgia Tech in a three-game series.

Despite the young season, Georgetown’s play has already changed a

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take on their next opponent.

“Once we arrive to the stadium, it’s all about Georgetown versus Hofstra,” Warne said.

Hofstra is coming off of a 9-7 upset over No. 17 Fairfield on Tuesday. It was the Pride’s first win of the season, and it put the team back on track after dropping two close games to Marquette and No. 10 Princeton. Hofstra now has some momentum as it looks to notch its second win.

Last season, the Pride was renowned for having one of the strongest defenses in the country, ranking third nationally in average goals against with 7.79. Junior goalkeeper Chris Selva leads the unit after a breakout season in 2013, during which his save percentage ranked fourth in the country.

Despite Hofstra’s defensive prowess, Warne is confident that his offensive players can deliver points under pressure.

“I think when you handle adversity, you can either get stronger from it or fold,” Warne said. “I think our [offensive] guys are resilient enough now to understand what needs to be done and take away that emotion and that shock factor and just work through some good things and bad things.”

Although Hofstra’s defense anchors the team, its attack is also formidable.

Senior attack and co-captain Torin Varn returns as a dominant offensive leader after starting in every game and scoring 30 goals last year.

FILE PHOTO: JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA

Senior defender and co-captain Tyler Knarr is the faceoff specialist for the Hoyas. Knarr has won 34-of-56 faceoffs so far this season.

Maintaining possession of the ball will be a crucial part of the Hoyas’ gameplan. A key contributor in generating Georgetown’s offensive opportunities will be redshirt senior defender and co-captain Tyler Knarr, who has been a consistent and reliable faceoff specialist for the Hoyas since the 2011 season. During the past three games, Knarr has gone 11-of-19, 12-of-19 and 11-of-18 in the faceoff circle. Winning faceoffs, as well as having more suc-

cess in the clears, will put the Hoyas in a better position to face the Pride.

After taking the opportunity to learn from their recent loss, the Hoyas are confident that they have a better sense of how to adjust their game strategies and address weaknesses.

“We’re going to worry about Georgetown’s strengths, and we’re going to keep on working on the things that didn’t go well last time,” Warne said.

“We work on them every day.”

SPORTS

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Georgetown (9-19) vs. Providence (7-20) Saturday, 3 p.m.

McDonough Arena

FRIDAY, FEBR UARY 28, 2014

BASEBALL

TALKING POINTS

Georgetown will play in a three-game series this weekend against UNC-Greensboro.

See B9

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NUMBERS GAME

We may not win every game, but we are going to make sure people work very hard.

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Softball Head Coach Pat Conlon

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After Upset Loss, Tigers Up Next for GU MOLLY MALONE Hoya Staff Writer

For the second game in a row, the No. 14 Georgetown women’s lacrosse team will face off against a ranked opponent. After suffering its first loss of the season to No. 15 Towson (2-0), Georgetown (1-1) will return to the field Saturday against No. 19 Princeton

(1-1). In its second away game of the season, Georgetown will attempt to start the game quickly, something it was unable to do in its game against Towson.

Last season, the Blue and Gray took on the Tigers in their third game of the season eventually winning by a decision of 11-6.

They took an early 6-1 lead and never trailed in that game.

“First and foremost, the biggest thing that needs to happen is we need to show up from the opening whistle,” Head Coach Ricky Fried said. “We need to show up at game time ready to go. I think we need to play with a little more confidence; we questioned our shooting a little bit last game.”

Like Georgetown, Princeton has already lost a game to a ranked

FILE PHOTO: ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Senior midfielder and co-captain Kelyn Freedman has scored four goals and has two assists for the Hoyas this season. Georgetown faces its second consecutive ranked opponent this weekend.

DOWN TO THE WIRE

opponent, losing its first game of the season to No. 6 Loyola on Saturday by a score of 15-10. Despite the loss, the Tigers put up an impressive fight against the national powerhouse. They were lead by senior midfielder Sarah Lloyd and freshman midfielder Anna Doherty, who both scored three goals, and teammate junior attack Erin McMunn who tallied four points.

Princeton outshot Loyola 27-26 and led in groundball pickups 1311. Georgetown’s strong defense, especially against breakaway opportunities, will be sure to limit Princeton’s shooting chances. On the other side of the field, the Hoyas have to make the most of their shots on goal. Smart shots and accurate placement are essential to the success of the team, as Princeton’s defensive line is known for causing turnovers.

“The biggest thing with Princeton is they possess the ball really well. They really go hard on the offensive end, so it’s going to be critical that we play a good team defensive game. We need to limit their opportunities, and I think we really need to take advantage of our opportunities,” Fried said.

In Princeton’s most recent game against Rutgers (2-1) on Wednesday, it won 11-4. Junior midfielder Erin Slifer tallied four goals for the Tigers while McMunn had three goals and two assists. Senior goalie Caroline Franke had seven saves in the victory. Princeton scored eight See PRINCETON, B8

MEN’S LACROSSE

Tom Hoff

Buyout Rescues Granger L

ast Thursday, the day of the NBA trade deadline, the Indiana Pacers dealt small forward Danny Granger and a 2015 second-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for small forward Evan Turner and center Lavoy Allen.

Up until that point, Granger had played his entire nine-year career in Indiana, but he had become trade bait for a more talented backup like Turner — the real prize of the deal — because of his injuries in the past few years and his expiring salary. The move was a good one for the Pacers, but Granger was obviously saddened by having to leave the only team he’s known for a team that is starting such few quality players that they offered me a tryout last night.

Six days after he was traded, Granger agreed to a buyout with the 76ers. As of Thursday, Granger is a free agent, and he is free to pick from any team in the league willing to sign him other than the 76ers or the Pacers. Granger now has a laundry list of contenders that are reportedly interested in his services, including the Spurs, Heat, Rockets, Clippers, Bulls and Mavericks. The soon to be 31-yearold can sign on with a contender, hopefully win the title that has eluded him and boost his value going into free agency. Not a bad consolation prize for being traded from the team he loves.

When a trade and buyout like this one happens, as it does just See HOFF, B9

FILE PHOTO: JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA

Junior attack and co-captain Reilly O’Connor has had one goal, an assist and five groundballs in three games for Georgetown this season. The Hoyas will face Hofstra this weekend.

Hoyas Return to Fundamentals ELIZABETH CAVACOS Hoya Staff Writer

Since the beginning of the season, Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Warne has emphasized the importance of fundamentals and after men’s lacrosse’s 8-7 loss to Towson on Saturday their importance has been demonstrated.

Last Saturday, Georgetown (2-1) suffered an 8-7 loss at the hands of Towson. Despite a threegoal, fourth-quarter comeback, Georgetown ultimately could not overcome Towson’s sizeable lead.

The Hoyas struggled to create offensive opportunities off clears, with only 8-of-15 clear attempts ended in success.

“We did some good things defensively, but our inability to

clear the ball gave Towson some offensive rebounds,” Warne said.

“We ended up playing defense for a long time … and later in the game, in the third and fourth quarters, you get a little bit tired and you’re mentally not as sharp as you were, just from playing so much defense.”

The loss was the second close game that Georgetown has played in the young season — the first being a 9-8 overtime victory against Navy. However, Warne acknowledged that Towson’s energy and athleticism, as well as Georgetown’s heavy reliance on its defense, put a pressure on his players that they had not yet faced during the season.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys who haven’t been in that situa-

tion before, and the next time it happens we should be able to get better from it, and we’ll make sure we do,” Warne said.

Warne sees the Hoyas’ first loss as an opportunity for his team to learn from their mistakes. After analyzing the shortcomings that accounted for Saturday’s loss, Warne feels that his team is eager to make improvements.

“We were definitely stressed in the film sessions and on the field [during practice] on Monday,” Warne said. “I think the guys got the clue and they understand why those [fundamental] aspects of the game are so important.”

Setbacks addressed, the Hoyas are ready to move forward and

Visit us online at thehoya.com/sports

See HOFSTRA, B9

The number of Georgetown swimmers and divers named all-Big East.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

FILE PHOTO: CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA

Senior guard Markel Starks scored 24 points in Georgetown’s 75-73 loss at Marquette.

Rally Falls Short at Marquette PAT CURRAN

Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown pulled into Milwaukee on Thursday needing a win to keep its slim NCAA tournament hopes alive.

Jake Thomas and Davante Gardner made sure they didn’t get it.

Senior guard Markel Starks scored 24 points and sophomore guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 19, but both missed potentially game-tying layups in the closing seconds, and the Hoyas (16-12, 7-9 Big East) fell to Marquette (17-11, 9-6 Big East) 75-73. Senior forward Gardner scored 26 to lead the Golden Eagles, while senior guard Thomas added 22 on six three-pointers.

Georgetown enters the final two games of its regular season all but assured to miss its first NCAA tournament since 2009. With 12 losses already, two games remaining against top-10 teams and a likely sub-.500 conference record, the Hoyas would need to make an unexpected run in the Big East tournament to rekindle any hopes of making the NCAA tournament in March.

The latest botched game bore many of the trademarks of this season’s other frustrating losses.

Three of the Hoyas’ top four big men — senior forward Nate Lubick, senior center Moses Ayegba and junior forward Mikael Hopkins — racked up at least four fouls by the beginning of the second half, with the two seniors eventually fouling out.

The culprit was no mystery: Taking advantage of his opponents’ undersized frontcourt — and Thomas’ space-creating threepoint barrage from the wings — the 6-foot-8, 290-pound Gardner went to work in the paint all night. He shot 80 percent from the field and added 10 points at the line, methodically sending each Georgetown post man to the bench with foul trouble.

And with Head Coach John Thompson III reaching too deep into his rotation to realistically expect any frontcourt production, the scoring burden fell even more squarely on the shoulders of the Hoyas’ overworked starting guards.

Early in the game, the three-headed, backcourt monster carried the team admirably.

Junior guard Jabril Trawick scored 12 in the first half; and Starks and Smith-Rivera chipped in 10 and nine, respectively. Georgetown went up by as much as 11 in the opening minutes before Marquette clawed its way back to make it 40-37 at the half.

But as the starting men went down, the Golden Eagles zeroed in completely on the Hoyas’ high-scoring backcourt. Trawick and Smith-Rivera cooled off in the second half, and Georgetown’s once-formidable lead turned into a 54-47 deficit.

Still, the three guards had some fight left.

With an unexpected boost from little-used sophomore center Bradley Hayes, Trawick, Starks and Smith-Rivera all hit big shots to keep the Hoyas in the game until the final seconds.

Down two points with 10 seconds left and no timeouts, Smith-Rivera drove and tossed up a tough layup that hung on the rim a split second too long for a crashing Hayes to tip it in without risking a goaltend. The ball finally rimmed out, and Marquette escaped with the win.

Georgetown returns to Verizon Center on Tuesday night — the Hoyas’ senior night — to face off against No. 9 Creighton. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.