City of Basketball Love

By Finn Courtney (@finncourtney_)
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Star guard Lucy Olsen often remarks ‘basketball is fun’ in interviews, on her social media and all over her merch. In a game that looked anything but fun for Villanova until the final 30 seconds, Olsen made that statement ring as true as ever as 37 points turned what looked like a loss into a major upset win for the Wildcats.

Against one of the most offensively-efficient teams in the nation, Olsen’s clutch buckets and free throws down the stretch buoyed Villanova (12-5, 5-1) in a thriller past No. 22 Marquette (15-3, 4-3), 66-63, marking six in a row for Denise Dillon and co.

“Through experience, you’re seeing that they’re definitely more comfortable and Lucy [just continued to go] and she looked, she waited, she didn’t force something and got to the rim for a [tough shot],” Dillon said, post-game, “and be honest, six or four weeks ago, we’re either taking a rushed shot or I’m calling a timeout in order for us to get set, so it’s really nice to see that understanding and growth come into play and for them to be rewarded for it. Never giving up six, down six mentality came back tonight.”

The 5-foot-9 guard, known for her All-American caliber scoring, continued what’s been an incredible season for the junior, able to drive, dish and steal for the full 40 minutes. Notching 24 points under her belt with over 15 minutes left to play, Olsen finished with the second-highest point total of her career (37 pts, 12-19, 2-3 3PA, 11-13 FT) to lead the Wildcats over Marquette, despite only having the lead for 29 seconds all game.

“We’re getting more comfortable out there, my pace was better today, I wasn’t trying to force stuff and I let the game come to me,” Olsen said. “We’ve been in these situations a lot this year, [and] I feel like even though we lost a few in the beginning, it’s really helped us learn that we don’t need to freak out, nice and calm and I feel like our communication is really good, we were keeping each other in check, not getting too overwhelmed or looking too far ahead.”

A year ago, 37 would have seemed unthinkable for the humble product of nearby Spring-Ford High School — 25 minutes down the road from Villanova — as she was overshadowed by former teammate and close friend Maddy Siegrist’s stardom. Olsen averaged just 9.7 ppg in her first two seasons and with a career-high of 23 points..

And yet, in a junior season where her points-per-game numbers (23.6) on the Big East record books would be fifth all-time behind only Angel McCoughtry, Aneesah Morrow and two of Siegrist’s legendary seasons, 37 almost feels commonplace. Right now however, she’s not focusing on that, simply saying she hasn’t thought about it that much and that sharing any category with Siegrist is ‘awesome’.

“I just don’t like to lose, so every game I’m going into, we’re just trying to get the win,” Olsen said. “Marquette’s a great team so it definitely helps us, but I’m not looking ahead too far, just one at a time.”

Despite the win, their fifth straight against Marquette, Villanova struggled on defense against the potent firepower of Marquette. The Golden Eagles did as they pleased for most of the day, shooting 53.6% in the first half (15-28, 5-9 3PA) showing why they are one of the nation’s best offensive teams.

And at the same time, even more noticeable was the resilience and grit on the Wildcat end, as they kept pace despite trailing by as many as five with under four minutes remaining in the game. The final 3:54, however, was all Villanova as tough, stout defense kept Marquette from being able to score whatsoever.

“[The stand] was huge, they’re the team that scores, they score efficiently at a high percentage, the awareness of that was great,” Dillon said, “I felt the group we had out there, as Lucy said, was connected, with the recognition of switching screens, keeping them in front and not bailing them out.”

In addition to Olsen’s firepower, forward Christina Dalce totaled another double-double, her eighth of the year, with 10 points (4-10), 14 rebounds and seven blocks. Dalce also played the role of hero for Villanova in the final four seconds as her final two blocks made that scoreless streak stand true as Villanova defeated Marquette, 66-63.

“We talk about the progression with your teams and your groups and it’s what we continue to remind this group of, everybody wants it and [...] players in new roles this year, embracing it and being ok and [Christina] is that prime example,” Dillon said. “It’s staying consistent with what you do great and [Christina] rebounds the basketball, she’s staying consistent with that and just continuing to add to her game [and] it’s so important for us, it’s important for her game to continue to grow and that obviously makes us better.”

Things looked bleak early for Villanova with three turnovers within the first three minutes, causing a quick timeout for Dillon and propelled an instant 7-0 lead for Marquette at the 1st quarter’s 7:34 mark. 

Post-game, Dillon remembered the timeout that spurred Villanova’s 37-minute rally to a thrilling finish, noting the toughness senior Bella Runyan (11 pts, 4-12, 3-8 3PA) showed from end to end. 

“Bella just had the sense of ‘this isn’t happening’, we were just trying to get our girls to recongize the importance of what needed to happen on the defensive end in order for us to get going,” Dillon said. “I think Bella really helped generate some of that from the beginning, taking that responsibility and knowing something needed to happen out there.”

Turnovers plagued both teams in the contest, with Villanova surrendering 13 (average 9.9 per game) and Marquette hitting their average at 15, with four of them costing the Golden Eagles dearly in the fourth quarter.

For Marquette, they were led by a stellar shooting night for sophomore sharpshooter Kenzie Hare (21 pts, 8-15, 5-10 3PA), but even her stellar stroke from beyond the arc couldn’t help the Golden Eagles against a furious Villanova drive to win.

And for a team that seemed to be on the outside looking in when it comes to a potential NCAA tournament berth, every win is critical, especially with two tough games against No. 21 Creighton this Sunday and a date surely circled in red ink against rival No. 9 Connecticut on Jan. 31. After this win against one of the nation’s best, Olsen and the team are looking to keep riding this wave of momentum.

“There are a few games we coughed up in non-conference and if you feel that and you continue to step on the floor to prove otherwise, the results will take care of themselves,” Dillon said. “You gotta step out there and put yourself in the best position possible, we did that with a tough non-conference schedule [and] we know every night in the Big East is going to be a battle, so to go up against those top teams, Marquette tonight and we got an even bigger test coming our way this Sunday.”