Following nine straight wins, Villanova fell to Seton Hall on Sunday afternoon, losing 72-60 on the road. 

Redshirt junior forward Maddy Siegrist recorded her fourth straight double-double with 31 points and 11 rebounds, while graduate forward Brianna Herlihy added 14 points and six rebounds. Herlihy and Siegrist combined for 15 of the team’s 22 field goals, including seven threes. 

The rest of the Wildcats struggled to find an offensive rhythm, shooting just 25% from the field and going 1-of-13 from beyond the arc. Five players came off the bench for the ‘Cats, but for the first time this season, none of them scored.

The Pirates were led by junior guard Lauren Park-Lane, who scored a career high 33 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Redshirt senior forward Sidney Cooks recorded an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. 

The teams were relatively even across the stat line with Villanova narrowly losing the rebounding battle, 38-35, but tallying 12 assists to Seton Hall’s 11. Both teams finished with nine turnovers in the game. 

The ‘Cats jumped out to an early advantage, leading 9-3 midway through the first and continuing the momentum to hold a 19-15 lead entering the second quarter. 

After shooting 50% from the field in the opening quarter, the ‘Cats went cold, scoring just 10 points on 3-14 shooting in the second. The Pirates opened the quarter on a 13-4 run to take the lead, and the Wildcats would never overcome the deficit. 

The offensive struggles continued for the Wildcats in the second half allowing Seton Hall to continue to build on its advantage, leading by as many as 15 with 3:13 remaining in the third. A 6-0 run to end the quarter brought Villanova back within single digits entering the final quarter as they tried to repeat their late-game success from Friday night. 

The Wildcats cut the deficit back to six with 8:05 left to play, but they were unable to string together enough stops to make up for their offense. The Pirates stretched the lead to 16 with three minutes remaining, burying the ‘Cats and securing the win. 

With the loss, Villanova falls to 17-7 on the season, including 11-4 in Big East play. The ‘Cats were in second place following their win on Friday night, but with another win by Creighton and an early season loss to DePaul, they now sit in fourth. Seton Hall improved to 13-10 overall, 8-7 in conference and is currently in sixth. 

After playing five games in 10 days, the Wildcats have a break this week. The team returns to action next Sunday, Feb. 20 as they host third place DePaul for Senior Day. 

The Blue Demons defeated Villanova 75-63 in their first meeting this season, but the ‘Cats were missing Herlihy in the matchup. In her absence, the team struggled in the post and on defense, as Herlihy averages 8.4 rebounds per game and handles the physical battle in the paint. 

Depending on results of other Big East games this week, the two teams will likely be competing for a shot at second place in the regular season, making for an intense, high energy matchup.