The entire season came down to this game.

For the Georgetown women’s basketball team, a win on Saturday – and a West Virginia loss – would keep hopes alive for the final spot in the 12-team Big East tournament. If the Hoyas lost, there would be no postseason.

West Virginia went on to lose 56-66 to South Florida. But Georgetown handicapped itself with 23.1 percent shooting in the first half to fall at Villanova, 67-50, and with that, postseason hopes slipped from the Hoyas’ fragile grip.

Villanova jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the first four and a half minutes of the game. But Georgetown sophomore forward Kieraah arlow, who had that lone layup, put together her own run to catch up to ‘Nova. Marlow stepped up to score all of the Hoyas’ eight points over a five-minute period, bringing the score to 20-13, Wildcats.

Marlow’s effort could not last the entire half, though, as Georgetown would only make six of its 26 attempts. The teams went into intermission with Villanova leading 34-18.

The Hoyas came out hungry in the second half, sinking half of their first 16 shots in the first 10 minutes to make the score 46-32, Wildcats. But then Georgetown missed its next seven shots in a row, and Villanova used that opportunity to widen its advantage to 53-32.

The Wildcats would get as far as 24 points ahead with three minutes left. The Hoyas scrambled for two quick three-pointers from junior swingman Kate Carlin and, with a minute to go, layups from arlow and freshman center Katrina Wheeler. But the double-digit Villanova lead was insurmountable, and the game ended 67-50 in the Wildcats’ favor.

Marlow led all scorers with 22 points – 10 more than the next-highest total. Three Wildcats tallied a dozen points: senior forwards Liad Suez-Karni and Courtney Roantree and junior reserve forward Jackie Adamshick. As a team, Villanova shot 48.1 percent from the floor.

Though three Wildcat starters put up four points or less, Villanova Head Coach Harry Perretta had the luxury of putting 13 of his 17 players in the game. Georgetown has only eight players on its roster, and all of them saw time.

The Wildcats also beat the Hoyas on the boards, outrebounding Georgetown 41-34, though Villanova did have less offensive rebounds (7 to 13).

But it’s not all over for the Hoyas just yet. Georgetown has one final game tonight, and it is the senior day salute to guards Bethany LeSueur and Leslie Tyburski and center Christine Whitt.

Georgetown will face South Florida (18-10, 8-7), led by Jessica Dickson, the nation’s top scorer. The junior forward averages 22.7 points per game.

Tonight will be a busy night for the entire Big East, with seven games to finish off the season. If West Virginia defeats Villanova, then it will win the final berth in the conference tournament. If West Virginia loses, then Providence or Seton Hall could get the spot with a win. But even if Georgetown won and West Virginia lost, the Mountaineers’ win over the Hoyas during the regular season would break the tie.

Algebra aside, the Hoyas still hope to have a big crowd for their final game of the season. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. in cDonough Gymnasium.