Villanova downs St. Joe’s to reach the Women’s Big 5 Classic championship
Jasmine Bascoe shot 10-for-16 from the field and poured in 26 points for the Wildcats, who will play Temple in the final.
Villanova earned a spot in the Women’s Big 5 Classic on Sunday with an 81-65 victory over St. Joseph’s at Hagan Arena.
The Wildcats (5-3) snapped a two-game losing streak and advanced to play Temple in the inaugural Women’s Big 5 Classic. Jasmine Bascoe scored a season-high 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting to lead the way.
“Well, really proud of our group for bouncing back from a tough weekend in Atlantis last week, and just got a great win over a really good, great St Joe’s team,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said.
Villanova ended St. Joe’s season in March when the two met in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament. This time, the Wildcats took away the Hawks’ hopes of defending their Big 5 title.
The Wildcats disrupted the Hawks (5-2) early with six blocks in the first quarter. Villanova limited St. Joe’s to 31% shooting from the field in the quarter, but the teams were tied at 13 after one. Guards Mackenzie Smith and Emma Boslet split the scoring for St. Joe’s, with Smith putting up seven points and Boslet scoring six.
“For us to be successful and to be competitive in games, we’ve got to play defense,” Dillon said. “If we stop doing that, then we don’t have a chance out there. And I think that’s generating some of our offense, just that intensity. So, yeah, disruption is a key when one-on-one action they can certainly take advantage in areas.”
Villanova took control in the second quarter on the way to a 32-26 halftime lead. Bascoe, a first-year guard, scored nine of her 11 first-half points in the quarter.
“It means a lot, but at the end of the day, this is a team sport, so I know I’m doing it for the other girls on the court, for Denise, for the rest of the coaches,” Bascoe said. “So numbers really don’t matter, as long as we’re getting the dub.”
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After halftime, the Wildcats began to salt the game away, extending their lead to as many as 17 points in the third quarter. Smith paced the Hawks with 18 points while senior forward Talya Brugler added 16. Junior forward Laura Ziegler posted her sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Maddie Webber scored 18 points for Villanova.
Said St. Joe’s coach Cindy Griffin: “We didn’t execute offensively. I think that was a lot to do with some of the looks that we were not usually getting. But on the flip side, I think defensively is something you always have control over, and I thought we just didn’t do a good job from that end. That’s just not like us. And we’re going to grow from it. We’re going to learn from it.”
Villanova will host Temple on Friday at 8 p.m. in the Women’s Big 5 Classic championship at the Finneran Pavilion. St. Joe’s will face Drexel in the third-place game at 5:45 p.m.