On Saturday, Feb. 10, Villanova claimed a statement 55-52 win over host Marquette.
The win leaves Villanova with an overall record of 15–8 and moves its conference record to 8–4, placing them in third place in the Big East.
Going into the game, Villanova looked to improve its record with its sights set on making the NCAA tournament. With Marquette’s (18-6 overall, 7-6 Big East) fifth-place rank in the Big East, it came looking to shake up the Big East standings.
The leading scorer for the Wildcats was junior guard Lucy Olsen with 19 points. Following closely behind her was senior forward Bella Runyan with 13 points. Junior forward Christina Dalce recorded a double-double for the day with 10 points and 10 rebounds along with five blocks.
In a first half composed of multiple momentum shifts and runs for the Wildcats and Golden Eagles, neither team could build a lead larger than six.
Despite a first quarter advantage over Marquette, the ‘Cats struggled to find their rhythm on offense and relied largely on Olsen to come up with a play. Their disorientation on offense translated into four turnovers for the ‘Cats and a 9-2 run for the Golden Eagles. By the end of the quarter, the Wildcats found their rhythm again as Olsen beat the first quarter buzzer with a sidestep around her defender.
With that shot, Villanova went into the second quarter with momentum. It went on an 11-2 run before Marquette was forced to call a timeout. Part of Villanova’s success came from its ability to share on offense.
Coming out of their timeout, the Golden Eagles went on their own 12-4 scoring run for the last eight minutes of the half to regain the lead as they drained their three pointers and dominated the offensive boards and in the paint.
Despite Dalce being the leading rebounder and shot blocker in the Big East, the Golden Eagles’ size played a major factor in their ability to exploit the ‘Cats on the boards and keep themselves in the game going into the locker room.
Coming into the second half, both teams matched each other bucket for bucket. Eventually, the Golden Eagles were able to pull ahead due to their defensive intensity and three-point abilities.
The momentum shift for the ‘Cats came largely from the defensive efforts of Runyan, whose ability to force a turnover or an offensive foul on the Golden Eagles helped keep her team fighting.
Junior guard Kaitlyn Orihel was able to give her team a three-pointer, although it was quickly met by two back to back threes from Marquette’s leading scorer, sophomore guard MacKenzie Hare.
Yet, Runyan and Orihel continued their efforts of keeping the Wildcats in the game. The combination of their work on offense and defense allowed the ‘Cats to regain the lead going into the final ten minutes.
The Golden Eagles were able to hang on and go on a 7-0 scoring run over the opening portion of the last quarter. This was only ended by Olsen, as she hit back to back shots and regained her team’s lead.
As the quarter progressed, the score remained tight with the edge going back and forth between VIllanova and Marquette. Similar to their last meeting on January 17, the game would come down to the last minute.
Coming out of head coach Denise Dillion’s timeout with 49 seconds left, the Wildcats were able to hang on and make their free throws as the Golden Eagles tried last-ditch efforts to regain the lead.
For its next game, Villanova will face Georgetown in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Tipoff against the Hoyas is set for 11:00 a.m.
