Villanova hosted Creighton on Saturday, Feb. 8, falling to the Bluejays, 70-57, at the Finneran Pavilion.

Despite a strong effort through most of regulation, the Wildcats (13-11, 7-5 Big East) could not hold on against the Bluejays (20-4, 12-1 Big East) toward the end of the game.

“I think it’s just that understanding that you want to be great, you’ve gotta be consistent and solid for four quarters,” Villanova head coach Denise Dillon said.

The Wildcats were off to a strong start with a defensive stop and an and-one bucket from junior forward Denae Carter in the first two possessions of the game.

Villanova managed to go up five points to open the game. Creighton fought back with a couple of quick buckets. The Bluejays were also able to draw three fouls from the Wildcats in just two possessions. 

Carter was called for a charge in the remaining few minutes of the first quarter and exited court with a slight limp, but was able to come back after the timeout. 

“You’ve seen it throughout the year, Denae just continuing to improve and trying to give everything she can,” Dillon said. “Physically, she’s definitely worn down. But she came out with the fire we needed in the second half.”

Creighton began to knock down three after three, going on an 11-0 run that eventually ended with a Ryanne Allen long two. The Wildcats continued to struggle from beyond the arc, going 0-3 in the first quarter.

Villanova headed into the second quarter with Creighton up, 19-11. 

Graduate guard Maddie Burke added to the three-point effort, sinking the first of the game to cut Creighton’s lead to seven. Freshman guards Jasmine Bascoe and Dani Ceseretti helped to pick it up, both with strong layups to cut the deficit to five points.

“[Creighton] hit about 10 [three-pointers] a game, so if we could have kept them under around six or so, that would have given us a chance,” Dillon said.

 The Wildcats were able to get within two points of Creighton with about five minutes remaining in the half. Bascoe sank a three to get her to nine points in the game. 

Creighton gave Villanova a hard time on the defensive end as it failed to answer senior guard Lauren Jensen’s attacks in the paint. 

Villanova shot 37.9% from the field goal range and 30% from the three-point line in the first half. Creighton led Villanova, 36-31, at the half.

The Wildcats started the second half of the game strong with some fast-paced basketball. Some halftime adjustments were made, as they were able to grab several quick layups underneath, with Carter scoring three in a row.  

The Wildcats managed to get within two points but still could not catch the Bluejays. Villanova ended the third quarter down, 52-48.

Things started strong for the ‘Cats at the beginning of the fourth quarter but began to fall apart towards the remaining five minutes. Despite a hard effort from Bascoe, including a fast break layup and a pair of steals, the Wildcats could not keep it together long enough to get ahead of Creighton. 

Creighton went up by 12 points to take its largest lead of the game in the remaining few minutes.

Villanova finished the game shooting 41.% from the field and 23.5% from beyond the arc.

Bascoe led the Wildcats in scoring, picking up 21 points and four assists. Carter had 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

“I think that we rely a lot on [Bascoe] as a freshman,” Dillon said. “I thought she did a great job out there, just continuing to battle.”

Villanova will now travel to Chicago to face DePaul (11-14, 6-6 Big East) on Wednesday Feb. 12 (8 p.m., FloSports).