On Thursday, Villanova secured a commanding road win over La Salle, a fellow Philadelphia Big 5 team. The Wildcats topped the Explorers 74–60, their 15th consecutive victory in series history.
The win in the last non-conference game of the regular season improves Villanova’s record to 7–5.
Junior forward Lucy Olsen was the day’s leading scorer, tallying 23 points. Junior forward Christina Dalce also notched a double-double, scoring 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The ‘Cats quickly built a 6–0 lead in the first four minutes of play. Olsen, Dalce, and junior guard Zanai Jones each contributed to the early advantage.
The Wildcats ended the first quarter up by six.
The efficient Villanova offense was sharply contrasted by that of La Salle, who missed its first nine shots. The Explorers finished the first period shooting just 2–15 from the field and 1–7 from three.
The ‘Cats began the second quarter of play with an 8–0 run to increase their lead to 20–7. Five of those points were from Dalce, coming on two layups and a free throw.
The deficit increased to 21 with just under four minutes left until halftime. While the Explorers managed to tally eight more points in the remaining time, the Wildcats ended the second quarter still ahead by a wide margin, 37–20.
Villanova’s domination continued into the second half.
The ‘Cats went on a 12–2 run across the first four minutes of period three. A three-pointer from junior guard Kaitlyn Orihel put the Wildcats over the edge to more than double the Explorers on the scoreboard.
However, Villanova’s offense began to stall later in the half as La Salle decreased the deficit to 15, ending the third quarter with the score at 55–40.
In the fourth quarter, improved shooting from La Salle cut the Villanova lead to 11. The Wildcats kept the game out of the Explorers’ reach in the final four minutes of play.
The Wildcats maintained consistent shooting from the field throughout the game, shooting 50 percent or higher in the second, third and fourth quarters. There was less success from behind the arc, as the ‘Cats finished the day 2–11.
After a loss to St. John’s last weekend, the Wildcats will resume Big East play on Saturday, Dec. 30 with a home game against Xavier (1-9, 0-1 Big East). Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
