Villanova Women’s Basketball Advances to WBIT Semifinals

Villanova Women’s Basketball now sits just one win away from an appearance in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament Championship game after knocking off Portland 71-61 at the Finneran Pavilion on Thursday, March 27.

Jasmine Bascoe dropped a game high 20 points and set a Villanova freshman record for steals in a season, notching four to put her at 65.

The Wildcats’ offense stormed out of the gate, attempting 20 shots in the opening period: nearly one-third of the 62 they took over the course of the game. After trailing 4-2 early, Villanova took control of the game with a 12-2 run that saw six points from Maddie Webber on a perfect 3-of-3 mark. The sophomore guard finished with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting that included a pair of threes.

After trailing 36-24 at the break, Portland began the second half on a 9-2 run that closed the Wildcats’ lead to five points. Villanova responded with an 11-0 stretch that lasted more than five minutes, eating up much of the third period. While Portland pulled within single digits at the end of the period, the Wildcats squashed any attempt at a comeback with eight straight points from Bascoe to open the final frame. A Ryanne Allen and-1 pushed the lead to 19 with less than five minutes to play and, although the Pilots’ shooting picked up, they didn’t have enough time to mount a comeback.

Villanova Women’s Basketball advances to face Belmont (25-12) in the WBIT semifinals at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Monday, March 31, with the opening tipoff set for 2:30 p.m.