Villanova women go 0-for-17 from deep in a loss to No. 21 Creighton
Lucy Olsen scored 29 points, but she was the only Villanova player to reach double figures.
Villanova’s shooters went ice-cold from long range Sunday in a 63-49 women’s basketball loss to No. 21 Creighton at the Finneran Pavilion. The Wildcats went 0-for-17 from three-point range as their six-game winning streak came to an end.
The Wildcats (12-6, 5-2 Big East) found themselves trailing for the duration of the game. This marked the first time in 20 years and more than 600 games that the team has failed to sink at least one three-pointer.
Creighton (14-3, 5-2) won its fourth straight.
The Wildcats’ poor shooting was not just limited to shooting from deep, but also on layups as they went 15-for-31.
“We’re not making layups, not making threes, not like they were giving us the mid-range game, but of course you miss a few shots, you get in your way a lot,” coach Denise Dillon said. “You have not only your opponent defending you, but you’re defending yourself as well.”
Overall, the Wildcats shot 32.8% from the field. Junior Lucy Olsen scored 29 points, but she was the only Villanova player to reach double figures.
The search for a second scorer to support Olsen is something Dillon said the Wildcats have been focusing on, especially with Bella Runyan, Maddie Webber, and Christina Dalce.
“It’s work” Dillon said. “It’s just continuing to see it. We can talk about it as coaches and work with them, but see it and the prepare it at practice, being put in those positions to score with our practice team and against each other.”
Creighton had three players score in double figures: Morgan Maly (24), Emma Ronsiek (19), and Lauren Jensen (12).
Fourth in the Big East going into the game, Creighton moved ahead of Villanova, taking over second in the conference behind first-place Connecticut. The Wildcats moved down to third.
Villanova will visit Providence on Wednesday and DePaul on Sunday. The Wildcats’ next home game will be against UConn on Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m.