Villanova returned to the Finneran Pavilion for the first time this season Sunday for a Big 5 matchup with Temple. The Wildcats outscored the Owls by 28 points for a 90–62 victory. The win improves Villanova’s record to 2–1.
Junior guard Lucy Olsen had a career-high 40 points. Her performance was the seventh 40-point game in program history. Olsen has been the ‘Cats’ top scorer in each of their first three games. Olsen’s previous career record for points was 24, which she set against Oregon State on Monday.
It was a record-breaking day for the Wildcats in more ways than one. Junior forward Christina Dalce totaled 18 rebounds, a career high.
Olsen instantly put the Wildcats on the board, sinking a three-pointer less than 15 seconds into the game.
“I just took what they gave me, read the defense, tried to play at a slower pace, and it all came together today,” Olsen said. “My teammates did a great job finding me, setting screens for me and getting open.”
While the teams stayed close in the beginning of the game, the Wildcats eventually found their rhythm and began building a lead late in the first quarter.
By the end of the first ten-minute period, Olsen had tallied 12 points on 2–3 shooting from behind the arc.
Villanova entered the second quarter up by five, and began to ramp up the pace. The ‘Cats went on a 7–0 run to push the score to 27–15, forcing the Owls to call a timeout.
Temple continued to struggle against a tight Villanova defense, going just 3–16 from the field in the second quarter.
The Owls’ performance on the defensive end was also ineffective, as Olsen continued to have a powerful presence on the court. In the final two minutes of the first half of play, Olsen landed a three-pointer and two-point jumper to reach 26 points.
Repeated foul trouble for the Owls interrupted some of the flow of the game. The Owls totaled 22 personal fouls throughout the game, including two technicals in the third quarter. The Wildcats committed just six fouls in the game.
“During timeouts we continued just to say to worry about us, stay connected, and don’t get caught up in the craze,” said head coach Denise Dillon. “We had to play our game and not Temple’s, and if we tried to, it could’ve gotten ugly early.”
The Wildcats’ lead surpassed 20 in the final minutes of the third period. As Dillon substituted Olsen with two minutes to go, the offensive contributions became more distributed across the roster.
Freshman Maddie Webber added six points in the third quarter, including a three-pointer. She would become the team’s second-leading scorer on the day, reaching double figures with 13.
Freshman forward Brynn McCurry made her home debut, adding four points on 2–2 shooting.
“Every one of our players works each and every day,” Dillon said. “I’m excited to see [McCurry’s] growth.”
The Wildcats outscored the Owls by seven in the fourth quarter to solidify the victory.
The Wildcats will have a one-day break before returning to the Finneran Pavilion on Tuesday, Nov. 21 for another home matchup against Holy Cross. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
