Sports

Villanova Tops Marquette in Big East Quarterfinal, 73-66

Burke and Bascoe each scored 18 points in the win

Casey Healey, Staff Writer

March 8, 2025

Graduate guard Maddie Burke led the Wildcats with 18 points, alongside freshman guard Jasmine Bascoe, against Marquette on March 8.

On Saturday, March 8, No. 5 seeded Villanova defeated No. 4 Marquette, 73-66, in the quarterfinal matchup of the Big East Tournament.

“We battled throughout the season, and then coming down a third time around here in the Big East tournament, couldn’t be more pleased with being able to continue to advance our play,” Villanova head coach Denise Dillon said.

The Wildcats will now advance to the semi final round against the University of Connecticut on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (FOX).

Graduate senior Maddie Burke put on a show, notching a season-high 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting from three. Burke sank one to put the ‘Cats up eight points with 53 seconds remaining, sealing the win.

“I’d been hitting threes all game, so I just let it fly,” Burke said.

Freshman guard Jasmine Bascoe recorded her first double-double of the season, tallying 22 points and 10 rebounds.

“[Bascoe] has a great basketball mind,” Dillon said. “She has a great work ethic. Those two things you can do a lot with, but the biggest piece is she’s a tremendous teammate.”

Villanova and Marquette went back-and-forth throughout the first quarter. The Wildcats were able to go up at the end of the quarter after a three-point play from senior guard Kaitlyn Orihel. Villanova finished the quarter up, 17-16.

After a quiet start in the second quarter, freshman Jasmine Bascoe turned it up and scored eight points in a row for Villanova to end the half with a 32-29 lead.

Marquette missed all eight attempts from the three point line in the first half, while Villanova went five for 11.

The Wildcats extended their lead to seven in the opening minutes of the third quarter, but were cut short as Marquette rallied back with a 7-0 run to tie the game. After managing to stay up by about two or three points most of the quarter, Villanova finished the quarter strong with a layup from senior guard Denae Carter to put the score at 48-44.

The Wildcats finished the game strong, as a basket from graduate guard Lara Edmanson and a Burke three-pointer helped solidify the lead. Villanova also went three-of-four from the foul line to end the game.

The Wildcats ended the game shooting 46.4% from the floor and 39.1%t from beyond the arc. Marquette shot 38.6 percent from field goal range and 23.1 percent from the three point line.

Find a full preview of the Wildcats semi final matchup against UConn here.

Donate to The Villanovan

$3830

$2500

Contributed

Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of The Villanovan with technological needs, training, etc!

About the Contributor

Dylan Johnson, Co-Sports Editor

Dylan Johnson is currently serving his first year as one of the two Villanovan Co-Sports Editors. He is currently pursuing a major in Communications with a specialization in journalism. Dylan is a sophomore from Philadelphia, PA. Dylan’s passion for journalism is driven by storytelling. At The Villanovan, he wants to discover and tell the stories that might otherwise go untold. Dylan is a hard worker who is always looking for the next article to write. He is a diehard Philadelphia sports fan and will never miss an Eagles game. He can always be found at a Villanova game, whether it be in a press box, on the sidelines, or in the stands. When he is not spending hours in the Finn’s media room, Dylan can be found enjoying runs around campus.