On Sunday, Nov. 24, Villanova matched up with its first ranked opponent of the season, No. 16 North Carolina, in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Tar Heels defeated the Wildcats 53-36, handing Denise Dillion one of her largest-margin defeats as Villanova’s head coach.
North Carolina graduate guard/forward Alyssa Ustby led all scorers with 14 points.
Meanwhile, sophomore guard Maddie Webber led the ‘Cats in scoring with 12.
North Carolina took an early 10-4 lead after forcing several Villanova turnovers.
In the quarterfinals against Texas A&M, freshman guard Jasmine Bascoe and senior forward Denae Carter had their best performances in a Wildcats jersey. Bascoe recorded 15 points and six assists, while Carter scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Against the Aggies the Wildcats had four players in double figures, but all initially struggled against Tar Heel defenders.
This season, the Tar Heels are led by graduate guard/forward Alyssa Ustby. In the Tar Heels win over Ball State, Ustby became one of eight active NCAA players with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
With 1:15 seconds left in the first quarter, Ustby scored her seventh point which matched Villanova total points in the game.
In the second quarter, the Wildcats continued to trail the Tar Heels.
With Carter, Bascoe and other Wildcats struggling, graduate forward Lara Edmanson was forced to step up. Edmanson scored eight points to trim the Tar Heels lead from 14 to 10.
Ustby continued to cause problems for the Villanova defense. With 2:11 seconds left in the first half, Ustby had already recorded a double-double with 11 of her 14 total points and 12 rebounds.
The Wildcats continued having trouble creating offense in the second half.
North Carolina’s defense was relentless, forcing several turnovers and careless errors that grew the lead back to 14, prompting Dillion to call a timeout.
Following the timeout, the struggles for the Wildcats worsened.
A fourteen point lead for the Tar heels quickly grew to 21 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter it became clear that a win for the Wildcats was close to impossible as the Tar Heels were leading by nearly 30 points.
Bascoe and Carter both continued their struggles from earlier in the game.
Bascoe and Carter both finished the game with just two points. Carter went 1-6 from field gal and Bascoe went 0-3.
Sunday afternoon was uncharacteristic for the Wildcats. Prior to Sunday, the team’s only low point this season was a nine-point loss to Princeton. The matchup with North Carolina was Villanova’s first true test. It was the first time the Wildcats faced nationally-ranked competition this season.
The Wildcats will leave the Battle4Atlantis falling short of a statement victory and two wins short of a trophy.
Up next for the Wildcats is the second Big 5 matchup of the season.
On Sunday, Dec. 1, the Wildcats will take the court at Saint Joseph’s after a week off from competition. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. on FloSports.
