Just 10 days after her game-winning three-pointer against Syracuse, junior guard Lesley Walker outdid herself as she hit a jumper at the buzzer to give the Georgetown women’s basketball team a 72-71 overtime win over Providence on Saturday.

The 531 fans in attendance at McDonough Gymnasium held their breath for five minutes as referees checked to see if Walker had released the ball in time.

But when the refs confirmed the call, the Hoyas had garnered their second straight Big East victory.

“Absolutely it was good,” Georgetown Head Coach Pat Knapp said. “The buzzer should’ve gone off correctly.”

The Friars entered the game with five conference losses and a sub-.500 overall record, but clearly looked like the better team early in the first half. Providence opened with a 17-2 run in the first nine minutes of the game. Jen Gombotz and Chrissy Vozab combined to hit five three-pointers during the run.

“They shot real well, and maybe we shouldn’t have zoned them,” Knapp said. “We committed too many turnovers and made miscues offensively.”

Meanwhile, the Hoyas struggled from the field, going 0 for 14. Both freshman forward Rebekkah Brunson and senior guard Katie Smrcka-Duffy missed their first four shots, and only Smrcka-Duffy’s two free throws provided Georgetown with points.

“We acted kind of tentative in the beginning, but we knew we had to pick it up,” Brunson said.

With 10:54 to go in the first half, the Hoyas got their first bucket on a Walker three-pointer and then proceeded to go on a 16-2 run of their own. Brunson had six points and Walker had five as they helped narrow Providence’s lead to one, 19-18, with 5:39 left. The Friars, however, managed to hold onto a 31-25 advantage at the end of the half. Eight of their 10 first-half field goals were from downtown, led by Gombotz and Vozab, who each had three. Georgetown shot very well after its initial drought, finishing the half with 8 of 14 shooting from the field. Both Brunson and sophomore forward Zsuzsanna Horvath had six points.

Providence refused to fold in the second half as it matched everything Georgetown had to offer. While the Friars extended their lead to as much as 10 throughout the half, the Hoyas did not let the deficit increase, helping them stay within reach. With 14:59 remaining, a three-pointer from Brooke Freeburg gave Providence a 43-33 cushion, but Georgetown came back with six unanswered points. For much of the period, the Hoyas could not get any closer than four points. Every time each team seemed to be making a climactic run, the other one would be able to stop it. Finally, the Hoyas put an end to this.

After a Gombotz three-pointer had extended Providence’s lead to 52-44 with 8:27 left, Georgetown countered. Senior guard Porshia Jones hit two free throws, Horvath made a jumper and Smrcka-Duffy nailed a three to make it a one-point game, 52-51, with less than seven minutes on the clock. At the 5:31 mark, the Hoyas took their first lead of the game, 55-53, on a Horvath turnaround jumper and looked as if they were on their way to sealing up a win.

But the Friars rallied, as Gombotz hit a layup to tie it and then Kristi Quinn stole the ball from Walker and made a layup to give her team the 59-57 lead. Smrcka-Duffy hit a jumper to tie the game only to have Providence’s Jenese Wilcox answer with a layup. Walker then provided a preview of what was to come, as she connected on a jumper to tie it 61-61 with 1:29 remaining.

What followed was an eventful yet unproductive drama in which neither team was able to take the advantage. Both Horvath and Jones missed chances to hit the game-winning shot.

As in the beginnings of both halves, Georgetown started the extra session slowly, allowing Providence to score five unanswered points and permitting a 71-66 lead with 1:43 remaining. But Brunson began the Hoyas’ final comeback with a layup. After a Friar turnover, Brunson put back a missed Smrcka-Duffy shot with 18 seconds left to shave the margin to one, 71-70.

With a little luck, Gombotz missed two free throws off a forced foul from Jones, which set up Walker’s heroics. After Brunson grabbed the rebound off the free throw miss, the Hoyas passed around for an open look. With one second left, Walker released the game-winner from below the top of the key. The Georgetown bench erupted and rushed the court only to have the referees interrupt the celebration in order to check the replay.

“I thought I got it off in time,” Walker said in reference to her buzzer-beater.

“I’m very proud of our effort to come back like we did and of the intensity to continue to pound it inside,” Knapp said. “Becky played well, Katie played her heart out and I give Lesley credit for bouncing back.”

Walker finished up with 14 points and 10 boards, while Brunson had 16 points and 17 rebounds. Smrcka-Duffy led the Hoyas with 18 points while Horvath contributed 14.

The Hoyas next face West Virginia on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at home.