No. 11 Villanova closed its regular season by defeating Seton Hall in blowout fashion, 83-56, on Monday night in South Orange. Senior forward Maddy Siegrist, who dropped 50 the last time the Wildcats and the Pirates met, had 32 points in Monday’s victory. The win improves the Wildcats to 26-6 overall and 17-3 in Big East play. The team will be the two-seed in the Big East tournament starting Friday. 

Villanova took the lead early in the game and never let go. A strong run in the first quarter was complimented by some huge defensive stops, especially by sophomore forward Christina Dalce. The run was fueled by some crucial buckets from junior guard Maddie Burke. Dalce finished the game with an 11-point 11-rebound double-double, while also tacking on one assist, one steal and two blocks.  

Burke had the hot hand early on and her teammates were feeding her. Although she did most of her damage in the first half, she recorded 12 points, five boards and two assists.  

Sophomore guard Lucy Olsen got into foul trouble early so she did not play as much as she typically would, but she still produced nine points, five assists and one block in her 24 minutes. 

Siegrist started the game off sluggish by her standards. She missed a few shots and had some turnovers early on, but still managed to record eight points in the first half. The Wildcats held a 15-point lead going into the half with a score of 38-23, despite Siegrist’s slow start.  

Siegrist heated up in the second half, recording 24 points in the last two quarters to bring her total to 32 on the night. She was also able to add six boards, one steal, and one block.  

The blowout nature of the win allowed some bench players to get opportunities. Freshman forward Megan Olbrys recorded four points, four rebounds and one steal in 13 minutes of action. Sophomore guard Zanai Jones also had a solid outing, as she dropped five points and one assist in 12 minutes. This tied her season high in points.  

The next action for the Wildcats will come in the Big East tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. where they will be the two-seed. The Wildcats will receive a first-round bye and will face the winner of the game between seven-seed DePaul and ten-seed Providence. The Wildcats’ first game in tournament play will take place at 7 P.M. on March 4th. The game will air on Fox Sports 2.