Villanova falls short as UConn takes Big East title, 67-56

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — No. 10 Villanova entered Monday night’s Big East Tournament women’s championship game with the opportunity to secure its spot in the NCAA Tournament and more significantly, all but guarantee a spot in the top 16.

The Wildcats competed for 40 minutes, but No. 7 UConn proved to be too much. Villanova fell 67-56 at Mohegan Sun on Monday night, losing to the Huskies in the title game for the second straight season.

“Tough battle,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said. “Extremely proud of our group for not quitting, certainly knew that was going to be the case and they would fight until the end.”

The result of Monday’s championship game is an interesting one in that it doesn’t hold great significance when it comes to NCAA Tournament seedings. A win would have likely clinched Villanova’s spot in the top 16, making it a host for the first two rounds of March Madness.

But, a loss? Probably doesn’t move much for the Wildcats. With Villanova sitting at No. 14 in the second top 16 early reveal, and moving up to No. 10 in the AP poll this week, the ‘Cats should have a strong enough resume to maintain their current position.

After Monday night, there are just two teams from the top 16 that still have their conference tournaments to play. Barring any crazy upsets by teams 17 through 25, it appears that the hosts could be locked in for this year’s tournament.

Villanova is in a much better position now than it was at this time last season. Following last year’s loss in the Big East Tournament finals, Dillon and senior Maddy Siegrist were asked about being a bubble team. This year, there is no doubt that the Wildcats will hear their name called on Selection Sunday this weekend (8 p.m., ESPN).

“We challenged [our team] from the start with an incredibly tough nonconference schedule,” Dillon said. “They stepped up to those challenges. And then throughout the Big East. The Big East was so strong this year, and for us to finish second, just finding different ways to win.”

“It makes you feel a little better,” Siegrist said. “This is going to sting. Stings tonight, stings tomorrow and then you have to move on and get ready for the next game.”

Siegrist led Villanova with 22 points and nine rebounds. Her streak of 20-point performances continues as she is now just one shy of Washington great Kelsey Plum’s NCAA record of 35 consecutive games with at least 20 points.

Sophomore Lucy Olsen chipped in 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, and fellow sophomore Christina Dalce added 7 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

UConn was led by Aaliyah Edwards with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Dorka Juhasz (16), Lou Lopez Sénéchal (14), and Azzi Fudd (11) were also in double figures.

For the first 10 minutes, the two teams appeared as evenly matched as they were in the first two matchups, both won by the Huskies, by five and nine points.

Villanova trailed by five after the opening quarter. The Wildcats took the lead in the second at 22-21, but a 9-0 run gave UConn a 34-24 advantage at the halftime break.

The UConn dominance continued in the second half with the lead ballooning to as many as 25 in the third quarter. The Wildcats seemed more competitive in the final quarter, but it was too little, too late.

The story of the game was Villanova’s lack of shot making. The Wildcats were getting the looks they wanted, and getting second-chance opportunities with offensive rebounds, but they just could not convert. Villanova started the game 6 of 25 from the field, including 0-for-10 from distance. With the missed opportunities, Villanova started to panic.

“It’s tough, but it shouldn’t dictate the other side of the floor,” Siegrist said of the poor shooting. “I think we let it [affect our defense], I definitely let it today. We came out really, really hard and we were getting everything we wanted. We didn’t really take advantage like we should have.”

Villanova finished the game shooting 30.0% from the field, including 17.2% from three.

“We tried to create too many shots on our own instead of sharing the ball and making some plays in our system,” Dillon said.

On the other end, UConn dominated inside. The Huskies scored 38 of their 67 points in the paint. Villanova matched UConn on the boards with 40 rebounds each, but the Wildcats were overpowered in the individual matchups.