From an extended injury to start the season to a buzzer-beater on Senior Night, Villanova women’s basketball senior guard Ryanne Allen is coming off a successful first year with the team. Battling multiple knee injuries while still making an impact on the court, Allen’s adversity has prepared her for the crucial role she will play as a senior.
Allen entered the transfer portal in May of 2024 after playing her first two years at Vanderbilt. She eventually decided to come to Villanova and return to the Philadelphia area, where she played high school basketball. She earned the Miss Pennsylvania Basketball honor in 2022, marking her as the best women’s hooper in the state that year. Her 1,423 points rank second all-time in Archbishop Wood history.
“When I decided to enter the transfer portal, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Allen said. “A lot of people talk about the transfer portal and say how crazy it is. I was anxious about it, but I also knew that I wanted something different. I wanted to find my love for basketball again and be happy again in the sport. When Villanova reached out, it just felt right coming back home. Being close to home and being here, I definitely found my love for the game again. This coaching staff and this group of people, these past years have been great.”
In her first season with Villanova, Allen suffered an early knee injury that had her out for the first eight games. She made her debut as a Wildcat with limited minutes against Temple in the Big Five Classic on Dec. 6, 2024.
It wasn’t until her third game back on the court that Allen was able to play fully, dropping four points, one assist and one block in 24 minutes against James Madison University.
Allen considers herself a do-it-all guard, filling a role that every team needs. With three years of college basketball behind her, she has developed her own game and is confident in her abilities to help the team win.
“I would say I’m a shooter,” Allen said. “I like to shoot a lot of threes. I’m a big team player. I want to do whatever the team needs me to do in order to be successful and win games.”
She finished the 2024-25 season with 27 appearances, averaging 4.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.
Allen heated up towards the end of the season, tying her career high of 17 points against Boston College on March 20 in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT). She also dropped 12 points against Portland in Villanova’s quarterfinal win. Allen earned more minutes each game of the postseason.
Despite missing some early action, Allen finished fifth overall on the team with 40 three-pointers made, shooting at a 29.1% clip. The game against Boston College also proved to be her best shooting night of the season, as she made three of her six attempts from deep.
“I think it took me a minute to find myself again and who I was in basketball, in this new system,” Allen said. “So, I think the injury, getting over that, and trying to figure things out was hard for me in the beginning of the year. But I think towards the middle, I started to get going. I started to feel like myself again. I let the game come to me, instead of trying to do too many things, and I think that’s when my confidence built. I’m really excited just to be able to build off where I ended last season and take that into my senior year.”
The highlight of Allen’s season came from an electric buzzer-beater against Butler that secured a 56-54 Villanova win on Senior Night. With the clock winding down, Allen grabbed a tough offensive rebound and scored a put-back layup with less than a second remaining. It capped off a ten-point night for the guard and marked a turning point for her in the season.
From her injury struggles earlier in the year and adjusting to a new system, the buzzer-beater was a defining moment for Allen as a Wildcat. She won the game for her senior teammates and proved how far she and the team had come.
“Being able to pull out a win for the seniors at that point of the season, it was just fun,” Allen said. “We were all clicking. We were going in the right direction. It was just a fun night to celebrate them, and get them a win in that fashion.”
Now, entering the 2025-26 season, Allen is looking to build off her strong finish last year and help lead a Villanova women’s basketball team with NCAA Tournament hopes.
Allen suffered yet another knee injury in practice this past September that has stalled her preparation for the upcoming year. It will be a battle, both mentally and physically, to overcome the setback of another injury and resume the progress that she had made at the end of last season. But Allen feels that the patience she learned from her last injury will help her as she makes her way back to the court.
“It’s definitely tough,” Allen said. “Senior year, first day back, and obviously got hit with this injury. It sucks, but I think this time around I was a lot better mentally. Just understanding that it happened and you can’t go back. So, what can I do right now to be back later in the season? Staying engaged during practice, being there for my teammates, helping them from the sidelines, being vocal, and doing whatever I can physically, like conditioning.”
Dealing with an injury is especially disruptive at the start of a season. Allen experienced it last year and now faces it again. She credits her Villanova teammates for providing support and motivation as she reaches a full recovery.
“[My teammates] play a big role,” Allen said. “Especially when I first went down, they were there for me and telling me I’ll be back. [I’ve been] able to lean on them throughout the entire process of getting back.”
Despite the preseason setback, Allen is expected to return for the season opener against Lafayette on Nov. 3. She has high hopes for herself and the team as a whole as the new season commences.
“I’m excited about this season,” Allen said. “We have some new players. Kylee [Watson], who I played with growing up. Kelsey [Joens], who is now my new roommate, she’s been great. But I think we’re a special group. Personally, I think I just want to play to the best of my ability. It’s my senior year, and I don’t have much to lose, so I just want to play with everything I’ve got. With the joy that I now have, and as a team, I think we can go far with this group.”
The Wildcats have a tight-knit squad with a mix of veteran experience and exciting newcomers as head coach Denise Dillon enters her sixth season at the helm.
“Off the court, we’re so close,” Allen said. “We have each other’s backs in an instant. When you have that off the floor, on the court, anything can happen. So it’s just translating that. But this is a special group of people. You don’t have many teams where everyone gets along off the floor. I’m excited that I’m with them for my last year.”
Allen and the Villanova women’s basketball team will showcase its 2025-26 team in November. The Wildcats have hopes for a return to the NCAA Tournament this season, and Allen hopes to play a major role in their success.
