Second-half collapse dooms Villanova in WBIT championship loss to Illinois

The Villanova women’s basketball team didn’t exactly get its fairy-tale ending to the 2023-24 season.

The Wildcats (22-13) concluded their season with a 71-57 loss to Illinois in the Women’s Basketball Invitation championship game on Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Junior Lucy Olsen had a team-high 22 points for the Wildcats, but shot 8-for-25 from the field, including 1-for-9 from the arc. She also led Villanova with six rebounds and five assists. Illinois’ Makira Cook, who finished with a game-high 27 points, including 5-for-6 shooting from three-point range.

“I want to congratulate Illinois on winning the first WBIT,” said Villanova coach Denise Dillon. “It was a tough night for us on the floor, but extremely proud of our group for the effort they put forth throughout the season, especially the run here in the WBIT.”

A seesaw first half saw the Wildcats take a 32-29 lead into halftime with an 11-1 run to end the half. The Illini (19-15) was limited to nine points in the second quarter by Villanova’s defense.

However, after Olsen opened the second half with a jumper that boosted Villanova’s lead to 34-29, the Illini answered with a 16-0 run to take a commanding 45-34 lead that the Wildcats couldn’t overcome.

Villanova ended the run on a three-pointer by freshman Brynn McCurry, but the Wildcats couldn’t close the gap to fewer than six points the rest of the way..

The Wildcats were held to 25 points in the second half while the Fighting Illini poured in 42.

Dillon and her Wildcats answered some questions this season, including who would fill the leadership void with Maddy Siegrist graduating to the WNBA. Olsen answered that question with flying colors.

The honorable mention All-American went from averaging 12.4 points per game as a sophomore to leading the Big East in scoring and ranking No. 3 in the nation at 23.3 points.

» READ MORE: The Wildcats have the resources to keep Lucy Olsen on the Main Line

Villanova will graduate two seniors in Bella Runyan and Maddie Burke.

Runyan made a splash in the postseason, finishing with 11 points in the WBIT final. She started in all 35 games this season, averaging 7.5 points and 4.7 rebounds.

Burke finished with eight points Wednesday night.

“The last few weeks in this tournament have been so fun,” Runyan said. “We felt so connected. This might have been the most fun I’ve had in my four years.”