Villanova Women’s Basketball Dominates No. 25 West Virginia 81-59

MORGANTOWN, W. Va— Villanova Women’s Basketball picked up their best win of the season on Monday, Dec. 1, taking down No. 25 West Virginia on the road in dominant fashion, 81-59.

Jasmine Bascoe (24 points) and Brynn McCurry (21 points) led the push for the Wildcats (6-2), who held West Virginia to a 32.8 shooting percentage on the evening as they won their fourth game in a row. Villanova won the turnover battle 16-14 against a typically-dominant Mountaineers’ defense, further exacerbating West Virginia’s shooting woes and preventing them from gaining an edge.

The Wildcats dominated in transition in the first quarter, punching West Virginia early with gutsy long range passes that broke up the Mountaineers’ full court press. Coupled with shooting struggles from West Virginia, which made just six of 20 shots in the first ten minutes, the Wildcats held an 11 point lead at the first quarter buzzer and kept piling on early in the second.

After going up 36-19 on a Ryanne Allen three-pointer with 7:58 to play in the first half, Villanova made just one shot from the field over the next 6:40 of game time. West Virginia’s shooting struggles continued, preventing them from closing within more than nine points, but a 7-of-10 clip from the charity stripe helped keep the Mountaineers alive. 

The Wildcats woke up late with a three, a steal and a layup from Jasmine Bascoe in one sequence. Brooke Bender nailed a three to make it 48-33 before a Gia Cooke layup at the buzzer. Villanova continued to inch ahead in the third period before pushing the game into blowout territory with a 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter. 

Up next, Villanova Women’s Basketball will travel to Georgetown for their Big East opener at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4.