Head coach Denise Dillon emphasized Villanova’s determination to play “championship basketball” after it routed Penn, 80-64, on Nov. 20.
With a Sunday night win over Saint Joseph’s (5-2), Villanova will advance to the championship game of the inaugural women’s Big 5 Classic, which will be played at the Finn on Friday, Dec. 6.
The contest against the Quakers was the Wildcats’s first test against a Big 5 pod rival. The second test resulted in another decisive victory, as Villanova downed Saint Joseph’s, 81-65.
The Wildcats significantly outshot the Hawks, despite coming off two losses against ranked opponents in last weekend’s Battle4Atlantis. Villanova finished the night on 50.8% percent shooting, while Saint Joe’s recorded just 31.0% from the field.
Freshman point guard Jasmine Bascoe was all over the court, recording a career-high 26 points, along with four defensive rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Bascoe also shot 3-3 from the long range.
Sophomore guard Maddie Webber also contributed 18 points to the victory, on 5-12 shooting from the field and 2-7 from three. She was flawless from the free throw line, completing 6-6.
The Hawks got off to a fast 11-4 start on their home court. But Villanova climbed out of the early deficit to tie the game, 13-13, at the end of the first quarter.
Strong defense was key to preventing Saint Joe’s from regaining its advantage. The Wildcats recorded all six of their blocks in the first quarter.
Junior forward Denae Carter led the defense with three blocks, six rebounds, and two steals across the game. The Wildcats began capitalizing on Hawks mistakes, scoring 12 points off turnovers.
With a fastbreak in the paint from Bascoe off a Carter steal, Villanova took a 26-20 lead in the second quarter and never looked back.
Bascoe added nine of her points in the second quarter to put the Wildcats up by six at the half.
Villanova went on a 7-0 run to control the game out of halftime. As the Hawks’ shooting faltered, the Wildcats climbed to a 17-point lead with 1:40 left in the third quarter. But Villanova committed three fouls in the remaining time, allowing Saint Joe’s to make it 54-43 going into the final ten minutes.
The Wildcats showed off some of their offensive depth as they closed out the win, keeping the lead in double-digits throughout the fourth quarter.
Graduate forward Lara Edmanson added five of her seven points on the night in the fourth quarter, along with two offensive rebounds and a steal. Carter gave Villanova a 19-point lead, its highest of the game, from the free throw line with 33 seconds left.
The Hawks completed three free throws to end the night.
With the loss, the Saint Joe’s will compete with Drexel (2-3) for third place in the Big 5 Classic.
Villanova will take on Temple (4-3) in the championship game at 8 p.m.
