The Big East Tournament came to a close for the women Wildcats last Monday as they faced the Rutgers’ Scarlet Knights in Connecticut. The lady ‘Cats trounced Providence and Boston College in consecutive games earlier this month, with 67-39 and 41-37 wins respectively.

During ‘Nova’s game latest and ultimate Monday, the final score, 64-59, came as Rutgers more than doubled their first half shots during the second half.

By improving their shots from 32 to 52 percent, Rutgers turned the game around from the 31-20 lead the University held at halftime. Sophomore Jackie Adamshick led Nova with 19 points, including 4 out of 4 three-point shots, with sophomore Katia Levitsky following closely with 14 points.

Despite making 56 and 63 percent of their shots in each quarter, Villanova could not hold up against Rutgers’ top rated defense.

Altogether, Rutgers scored 25 points off of Villanova’s turnovers, while the ‘Cats only scored 13 from Rutgers. Rutgers, No. 9 at game time, went on to face Connecticut in a 51-67 loss the following Tuesday.

The Wildcats began their Big East competition with a big win against Providence on March 5th.

This will make the 11th year Villanova has played in the Big East quarterfinals; the victory also marked the 10th out of 11 primary games Nova has won for in the past 11 years.

A solid 67-39 win over the Friars was aided by Katia Levitsky’s career high of 11 points, the team high of 13 points from junior Liad Suez, and another 10 by Jackie Adamshick.

The halftime mark saw Villanova leading 31-16, with a remarkable 50 percent of shots taken over the 30.4 percent of the Friars.

The lady ‘Cats continued their upward streak, soon controlling the game with a 48-16 lead only halfway through the second half. Trying to counter ‘Nova’s offensive surges, Shauna Snyder gained 11 points for Providence, while Jill Furstenburg and Kris Baugh each scored 10. Nova trounced the Friars by shooting 52.6 percent overall over Providence’s 34 percent, while also scoring more shots off the rebound.

With one win under their belt, the Wildcats advanced to play Sunday’s quarterfinal game against Boston College.

The BC Eagles bid farewell to the Big East after March 6thts quarterfinals against Villanova, with a score of 41-37.

By intermission, the score pretty much determined a victory for the ‘Cats, who enjoyed a 23-9 lead due to continuous shots off the floor.

The Eagles could only get 20 percent of their shots against ‘Nova defense in the first half, a season low for BC.

They picked up their offense during the second half, outscoring Villanova but still unable to surpass them.

Wildcats Kate Dessart-Mager and Liad Suez scored 15 points and 11 points respectively.

Boston College has never been able to defeat Villanova in Big East competition; their 37-point finish made a new tournament low for the Eagles.

With the Big East play over, Villanova looks to its third appearance in the WNIT.

The Wildcats will challenge their 0-2 record at their opening game against Chattanooga this Monday at Chattanooga’s McKenzie Arena.