INDIANAPOLIS (Interstat) — The Georgetown women’s basketball team used a dominant defensive performance to secure a decisive 63-46 road victory over Butler in a Big East Conference matchup Wednesday night at a sparsely attended Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Hoyas, improving to 9-6 overall and halting a two-game conference skid, never trailed after the opening minutes. They built their foundation with a stifling first-half effort that held the Bulldogs to just seven points in the second quarter and 23 total by halftime. Georgetown’s defense forced 21 Butler turnovers, converting them into 17 points, and consistently disrupted the Bulldogs’ offensive flow, limiting them to 12 points in the paint for the entire game.

Georgetown guard Laila Jewett led all scorers with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and added three assists in 36 minutes of action. Her backcourt play, particularly in orchestrating the offense during key stretches, was instrumental. Forward Brianna Scott provided a crucial interior presence with 11 points, while fellow post player Cristen Carter, a hometown product from Indianapolis, contributed six points, three assists and two blocks in just 14 minutes off the bench.

Butler, which fell to 7-9, was led by Anna Wypych’s 10 points. McKenna Johnson also scored 11 for the Bulldogs, but the team struggled to find consistent scoring outside of brief spurts. The Bulldogs shot poorly from the field and failed to mount a sustained challenge after Georgetown’s early defensive stand.

The most important sequence of the game occurred late in the first quarter, setting a tone Georgetown would maintain. Leading 11-9, the Hoyas forced a turnover by Butler’s Kennedy Langham, which led to a Destiny Agubata layup. On the ensuing possession, Carter secured a defensive rebound and found Jewett for a 3-pointer, capping a quick 5-0 run that extended the lead to 16-9. Butler never got the deficit back to a single possession, and Georgetown methodically increased its advantage throughout the second and third quarters.

The Hoyas established control early, taking a 20-16 lead after a fast-paced first quarter. They then locked down defensively in the second, outscoring Butler 12-7 to carry a 32-23 advantage into the break. Any notion of a Butler comeback was stifled in the third quarter as Georgetown’s defense again held the Bulldogs to single digits, limiting them to nine points. A 14-14 stalemate in the final period sealed the comfortable 17-point margin of victory.

Georgetown’s win, coming off a narrow one-point loss to Xavier last Sunday, provided a needed bounce-back on the road. Butler, which was projected as a slight favorite by advanced metrics, has now lost three of its last four games.

The announced attendance was 597.

Georgetown next travels to face DePaul on Saturday. Butler will visit Saint John’s on the same day.