Villanova Women’s Basketball Shakes Off Rust, Dominates Seton Hall

VILLANOVA, Pa.— Villanova Women’s Basketball overcame a slow start to roll over the Seton Hall Pirates 72-55 in their Big East home opener on Friday, Dec. 19.

Playing their first game in 12 days the Wildcats looked the part, missing 12 of their first 14 shots. Defense helped them weather those early struggles. Sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe led the effort with three steals and seven points in the first ten minutes. The Wildcats (8-2, 2-0 Big East) went on to force ten turnovers in the half; Bascoe finished with a game-high 20 points despite making just two of 12 shots from three-point range.

After trailing for more than nine minutes of the opening quarter, freshman Brooke Bender sank a three just before the buzzer to put Villanova ahead 12-11, a sign of things to come. The Wildcats caught fire from beyond the arc in the second quarter, draining seven of 12.

Five of those makes came from bench guard Ryanne Allen, who didn’t miss a shot in the frame and took the Wildcats into the half on a 12-2 run singlehandedly, finishing her night with 19 points. Villanova finished with 20 assists on the day, evidence of their success along the perimeter.

The Wildcats pushed their lead to 60-39 late in the third quarter via a 9-1 run capped with another Bender three seconds before time expired. Seton Hall recovered lost ground in the final frame, but not enough to prevent Villanova from coasting to victory. The homestand will continue at 12 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 22 when Villanova hosts St. John’s.