For most of the season, the Georgetown women’s basketball team has effectively used its zone defense to frustrate its opponents.

But with Georgetown’s 63-47 loss to Cincinnati Tuesday night – the Hoyas’ second defeat at the hands of the Bearcats this year – it looks like the Bearcats (17-8, 7-7) have found the antidote to the intense defense of the Hoyas (10-15, 3-11).

Enter junior guard Karen Twehues.

Coming off the bench, Twehues sank three treys to spark Cincinnati to an 18-3 run in the first half. That run turned Georgetown’s early 11-9 edge into a 26-14 deficit that they could not overcome for the rest of the game.

Twehues finished with a game-high 19 points – seven points more than the next highest scorer on either team.

“Well, Georgetown’s known for zone, and against a zone you’re gonna want her in, and she had a pretty good night tonight,” Cincinnati Head Coach Laurie Pirtle said. “She also played defense for us, too, and rebounded pretty well [five, three more than her average], so that was a nice combination of all three things.”

With a 32-26 score at halftime, Georgetown was still within striking distance of Cincinnati, but the Hoyas froze midway through the second half. The Hoyas missed seven shots in a row at one point, allowing the Bearcats to pile up a 15-2 run to bring the score to 61-39.

Georgetown finally found the basket with three and a half minutes left, but it would not be enough time to make up the 22-point deficit.

Rebounds were a decisive factor in Cincinnati’s win. The Bearcats, one of the Big East’s top rebounding teams, outpaced the Hoyas 42-28 on the glass, including a 20-13 advantage in offensive rebounds. Those boards gave Cincinnati a big edge in second-chance points, 25-6, as well.

Though January’s matchup between Georgetown and Cincinnati also ended in a lopsided victory for Cincinnati, 87-68, this time the Bearcats lacked the usual production of their top two scorers.

Junior guard Treasure Humphries, the team’s leading scorer with 12.8 points per game, had an uncharacteristically weak game, making only one of her 10 shots. She ended up with just four points, but she did help the offense with her eight assists.

“She was real aggressive, but she didn’t have her best day,” Pirtle said. “She’s going to get a lot of attention, and it’s gonna cause some days where she doesn’t shoot as well. . But I think she was aggressive in other ways, for us to make offense work, and just her intensity.”

Freshman guard Shelly Bellman, who scored 26 points a month ago against Georgetown, had to settle for six points on Tuesday’s game. Last week Bellman was named Big East freshman of the week.

For Georgetown, sophomore forward Kieraah Marlow had 11 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Bethany LeSueur and freshman forward/center Katrina Wheeler each put up 10 points and seven boards.

With only a couple of games left for each team in the Big East, it is crunch time for the teams still hoping to clinch one of three unclaimed spots left in the 12-team conference tournament. The Bearcats can breathe a little easier, though, knowing that their victory over the Hoyas secured their spot in the tourney.

“We’re excited to be a part of that in our first year,” Pirtle said. “It’s such a great league. It’s so hard to get wins, because even this game had some points in it when it still was a battle. Everywhere you go is a tough game.”

The Hoyas, meanwhile, are still on the bubble. Now in 13th place in the Big East, Georgetown must win its next two games and hope that both 12th-place West Virginia and 14th-place Providence drop their remaining matches to ensure a spot in the tournament.

An away game at ninth-place Villanova is next on the schedule for Georgetown. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.