City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Saint Joseph’s rolled into Villanova hoping to make a statement, the unbeaten Hawks looking for a marquee win to add to the resume, not to mention match the best star in school history.

Instead, it was No. 25 ‘Nova who left a message, loud and clear to anybody watching: they’re still the top team in the Big 5. 

Denise Dillon’s Wildcats put on an absolute clinic from the floor, setting a new high-water mark for points in the Holy War rivalry with an 82-59 win at the Finneran Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.

“We were hoping to give them their first loss,” sophomore guard Lucy Olsen said, “but we really had to come out and play.”

All-American Maddy Siegrist hit the 30-point mark for the third time this season, finishing with 31 (and eight rebounds) on 11-of-20 shooting, a performance that’s become fairly standard for the senior wing forward. Olsen tied her career high with 20 as the Wildcats opened up blazing hot and never cooled down.

The lead was double digits within the first four minutes and change, and 20 points by the end of the opening quarter, a 28-8 onslaught that put St. Joe’s in a hole it couldn’t climb out of. Villanova hit 10 of its first 14 shots, an offensive clinic from Dillon’s squad, while St. Joe’s was just 2-of-13 in the opening 10 minutes.

“You can’t open up games like that on a team like this that has too much offense around and be able to come back,” Hawks coach Cindy Griffin said.

Though Siegrist eventually wound up with another big afternoon, it was the rest of Villanova (9-2, 3-0 Big 5) who got them off to a quick start. Christina Dalce scored the first five points, Maddie Burke then adding a couple triples, Siegrist not scoring until the 4:21 mark of the first quarter, a mid-range jumper to put them up 10. It was a positive sign for a ‘Nova squad that’s been reliant this season on Siegrist (27.4 ppg) and Olsen (12.8) to put up big numbers, the two combining for more than 50% of the Wildcats’ scoring total.

“It is so important for us to have everyone involved,” Dillon said. “We say it’s a continuity offense, equal-opportunity, but obviously with Maddy’s talent, she can make it look a little bit easier by getting some shots off. (St. Joe’s) schemed to not let her get the ball and our players were ready, willing and able to shoot the basketball, and I think Christina did a great job of screening, rolling to the basket and we found her. 

“It was a good tone-setter from the beginning (to) get everyone involved, and I’d like to see us continue to do that as the game goes on, not just in spurts.”

Villanova, which entered play Saturday shooting 31.4% from beyond the arc this year, was a season-best 13-of-20 (65%) from 3-point range. Burke, the Penn State transfer and Central Bucks West grad, paced Villanova from deep by knocking down all four of her 3-point attempts; Olsen hit all of her three, and Siegrist was 4-of-6.

Over their last three games, Villanova’s 32-of-69 (46.3%) from deep, bringing their season average up from 29% to 34.4% in that span; that stretch came after a loss to Creighton where the Wildcats shot 19-of-66 (28.8%), and 2-of-23 from 3-point range.

“Percentage-wise, I think they were really bothered and disappointed in themselves after that Creighton game, we shot so poorly — and you’re going to have bad shooting nights, but it can’t be across the board,” Dillon said. “The recognition of only having Maddy in the double figures in that game was really eye-opening and I think they took it to heart, they took it personally, and that’s what you want to see. It’s repetition, muscle memory, and just recognizing where shots are coming from, and knowing your teammates.”

St. Joe’s (9-1, 2-1) was playing without sixth-year guard Katie Jekot, sidelined due to a sprained ankle she suffered in the Hawks’ win over Rider on Wednesday. Sophomore guard Julia Nyström, who started 26 games a year ago, made her first start of the season in Jekot’s stead, playing 33 minutes and scoring eight points with four assists, though her plus-minus of -35 was by far the worst on the team; junior guard Olivia Mullins scored nine points in 23 minutes and was the only St. Joe’s player with a positive plus-minus (+2). 

“I think Liv and Jules did a good job, but I definitely think it would have helped us just to have that experience out there, to settle us down in some situational things, and just the passing, she’s a terrific passer, just getting the ball to where we need it to be,” said Griffin, who added that she expected Jekot to miss “a couple weeks, if that.”

St. Joe’s had been undefeated this year on the strength of its underclassman frontcourt, sophomore Talya Brugler and freshman Laura Ziegler. But the pair had trouble going up against Siegrist and Dalce, the latter’s 6-3 frame and reach making it difficult for every Hawks’ player who ventured near the hoop, at least until she fouled out in the final quarter after 23 minutes (9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists).

Brugler worked her way to 14 points and five rebounds, while Ziegler finished with seven points and four rebounds, but the pair were scoreless in the opening quarter, which disrupted the entire Hawk offense.

“Our coaches were on Chris and I all week, knowing that we would have the most possessions guarding their posts,” Siegrist said. “They’re two really great kids, they’re great basketball players, they play really really hard, just knowing that the possession’s not done, you’ve got to put a body on them and I think we were able to execute that for the most part today.”

Both teams now have somewhat extended breaks due to finals. 

St. Joe’s has 10 days off before hosting the Hawk Classic against Wright State (Dec. 20) and either Eastern Michigan or James Madison the day after, with all games in the afternoon on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Villanova has eight days off being a trip to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn., to take on 6-2 Iowa State, with only that and La Salle (Dec. 21) standing between them and the Big East.

“This is perfect timing,” Dillon said of the break. “The focus and attention is school, and finals, but [...] it brings it back to almost that traditional schedule, when we started in October, of the practice week, and we obviously are going to have their full attention with a great team in Iowa State next Sunday.”