Villanova returns to winning ways at the expense of La Salle, but it wasn’t all bad for the Explorers

It has not been a fun couple of weeks for the La Salle women’s basketball program.

Entering Thursday’s game against Villanova, the Explorers were mired in a five-game skid, including Sunday’s loss to Temple in Big 5 play. Hosting the Wildcats next didn’t help, either, considering La Salle has beaten Villanova only nine times in the history of the series, with its last win coming in 2006.

But there was a silver lining. Villanova is still seeking its identity after scoring leader Maddy Siegrist left for the WNBA. As a result, the Wildcats entered Thursday on a three-game skid capped by a loss to St. John’s in their Big East opener.

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A big win would have sent La Salle into Atlantic 10 play on a high note, and, on paper, Villanova has struggled at times this season. But not Thursday.

Behind senior guard Lucy Olsen’s 23-point effort, Villanova cruised to a 74-60 victory in the Big 5 finale for both teams. Villanova led by 17 at the half and as much as 27 in the contest. The loss dropped the Explorers to 3-8 and winless in Big 5 action this season.

Villanova improved to 7-5 and presumably a second-place finish (3-1) in Big 5 play behind St. Joseph’s (4-0). La Salle will play St. Joe’s twice this season, but both games will be as part of Atlantic 10 play.

La Salle clawed at Villanova’s lead in the second half and even went on a run that brought it back to 10 points with 46 seconds left. But the Wildcats held firm to the final seconds, highlighted by a coast-to-coast drive from senior guard Bella Runyan for a basket and a trip to the line with just 20.8 seconds remaining. Runyan finished with 11 points.

It wasn’t all bad for La Salle. Molly Masciantonio scored the 1,000th point of her college career behind a team-high 15-point performance. The graduate guard scored the first 360 points of her career during her freshman season at Division II Holy Family.

She hit the mark with 3 minutes, 2 seconds remaining in the third, moving from the point and driving the lane from the left side, with a stop-and-pop from just outside the paint. Masciantonio has been one of the highlights in an otherwise tough start to the season for the Explorers. The pass-first point guard is averaging 8.5 points this season and holds the Explorers’ record for steals in a game (nine).

“She’s the heart and soul of this team,” La Salle assistant coach Jeryn Reese said postgame. “She’s given everything she has since she’s been here at La Salle, and I’m glad she got to score her 1,000th point before the Christmas break. Now, she can get locked in before the start of conference play and really get it going.”

It was a big day under the boards for the Cats, who outrebounded the Explorers, 38-23. They largely were fueled by 11 rebounds from junior forward Christina Dalce, who also added 13 points. As a team, Villanova averages 36.8 per game. The Wildcats also capitalized on turnovers with 19 points off 16 La Salle turnovers.

The game marked the end of nonconference play for both teams, who now get a respite before conference action.

For La Salle, that begins next Saturday on the road (6 p.m., ESPN+) against a George Mason team that won its first seven games of the season and is 8-2. Villanova also is off until Dec. 30 (2 p.m., FloSports), when it looks to return to .500 in Big East play in a home game against a 1-9 Xavier team that dropped its conference opener against DePaul on Thursday.

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