On Sunday, Jan. 18, Villanova women’s basketball returned to the Finneran Pavilion for its Girl Dad game, defeating Butler, 73-65.
Coming off one of the worst margins of losses in team history against the University of Connecticut, Villanova (15-4, 8-2 Big East) collected a conference win to remain in second place in the Big East standings. Villanova scored 29 points off 31 forced turnovers to contain a sharp–shooting Butler (8-11, 2-7). The Bulldogs outperformed the Wildcats from the field, shooting 60.5% compared to 43.5%.
“We’re very excited with a win here at home after a tough week,” Villanova head coach Denise Dillon said. “We used the power of defensive pressure that we needed in order to get ourselves on track and defense creates a lineup for us.”
Sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe totaled a team-high 22 points and six assists. Across the first five minutes of play, the Bulldogs went on a 13-4 scoring run. However, Butler had 10 turnovers during the first quarter, allowing the ‘Cats to capitalize by scoring 12 points.
To end the first half, Butler went on a 7-0 scoring run over two minutes. Villanova trailed Butler, 33-31, at halftime.
“I think we just acknowledged that we weren’t playing like ourselves in the first half, and to finish off the game right, we had to come out hard in the third quarter,” Bascoe said. “We drew up some plays, we intensified our defense and then it kind of just flowed from there.”
Junior forward Brynn McCurry scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds. Villanova has gone 14-2 since McCurry entered the starting lineup. Bascoe and McCurry returned to the court for the third quarter to make a 7-0 run for Villanova.
Despite suffering an aggressive scratch to the face late in the fourth quarter that required stitches, according to Dillon, senior forward Denae Carter put together one of the best performances of her season.
Carter managed to put up 15 points and four rebounds before her incident, leading to a fragrant foul on Butler’s Saniya Jackson. Bascoe made two free throws as a result.
“This is [Carter’s] final run, and I think when she realizes it, it just fuels her,” coach Dillon said. “Denae is one of our top defenders, and when she is going and disruptive, good things happen for us. Nothing is better for this group.”
Villanova scored 22-53 points off the bench. Over half was accomplished by senior guard Ryanne Allen with 12 points, going 4-4 from behind the free throw line. Sophomore guard Dani Ceseretti scored seven points while playing a career-high 32 minutes off the bench.
“As [Cesseretti’s] sophomore season continues, she’s getting more comfortable, more confident,” Dillon said. “She has it from her teammates, she has it from the coaches, but it has to be within, you know, having that confidence. And I think just the more experience she gets out on the floor, the more it’s generated.
Butler redshirt sophomore forward Mallory Miller scored a career-high 25 points. The Bulldogs shot 57.1% from beyond the arc. Entering the game, they averaged 32.1% on three-pointers.
Despite a conference win, Villanova shot 21% from beyond the arc. Before this game, the ‘Cats averaged 37% on three-pointers. However, the Wildcats made up points behind the free throw line, going 15-for-18 (83%).
“We’re right where we want to be right now, and so it’s just continuing to push through,” Bascoe said. “We have our bye week, and then we’ll get better from here on out. We played all these teams now, so it’s just adjusting and then finishing strong.”
The Wildcats are now off for a week and are scheduled to continue Big East play on Saturday, Jan 24. Villanova will travel to Queens, NY, to take on St. John’s (15-5, 5-4 Big East). The game will tipoff at 2 p.m. from the Carnesecca Arena (FS1).
