Another game, another record-setting night for Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist

NEW YORK — Maddy Siegrist entered Wednesday night just 11 points shy of the City 6 women’s basketball all-time scoring record.

With just five minutes and nine seconds remaining in the second quarter, the Villanova star forward sank two free throws to reach 11 points in the game and 2,582 in her career. In doing so, Siegrist surpassed Drexel’s Gabriela Marginean who previously held the top spot with 2,581 points.

“I didn’t think after [Marginean] that you’d have somebody who could score at that pace or so efficiently,” said Villanova head coach Denise Dillon, who also coached Marginean at Drexel. “Lucky for me to get a chance to coach Maddy as well.”

Oh, and Siegrist finished with 39 points to lead the No. 14 Wildcats to a 73-57 road victory over St. John’s.

“[Siegrist] is so hard to stop in the flow of the game,” St. John’s head coach Joe Tartamella said. “I’ve been in the league 20 years … she’s as difficult to stop as anyone I’ve seen in my time here.”

» READ MORE: A rundown of other elite scorers in City 6 women's college hoops history

Siegrist, who grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY, just over 90 minutes from St. John’s drew a large crowd to the Carnesecca Arena.

“It’s not bad when you come into an opposing team’s gym and feel like it’s your homecourt,” Dillon said.

“It means everything,” Siegrist said of the support. “My family has been so supportive. That’s for sure something I’ll look back on the most and cherish forever.”

Siegrist added 11 rebounds to record her third consecutive double-double and 14th of the season. Wednesday also marks 12 30-point performances for Siegrist this year — the 29th of her career.

Sophomore Lucy Olsen was the only other Wildcat in double figures with 14 points to go along with seven assists. Fellow sophomore Christina Dalce added 11 rebounds and four blocks.

The first time Villanova faced St. John’s this season, the Wildcats rallied back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter. On Wednesday night, it was Villanova with the late advantage as the Red Storm threatened a comeback.

The No. 14 Wildcats, who have climbed 11 spots in the AP Poll since the first meeting, showed improvement on both ends of the floor, handling the Red Storm’s attack.

For the first few minutes of Wednesday’s matchup, the Red Storm’s defense flustered Villanova.St. John’s forced four turnovers within the first five minutes.

Villanova settled in, finding a rhythm on offense while holding the Johnnies to nine points on 23.5% shooting to take a 12-9 lead into the second quarter. The second saw more back-and-forth action, but the Wildcats were able to maintain their advantage and took a five-point lead into the half.

The Wildcats dominated the second half, leading by as many as 15 in the third quarter. The Red Storm threatened a late comeback, cutting the Villanova lead to nine in the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats held them off, ultimately coming away with the 16-point victory.

“We weren’t doing a great job switching and they capitalized and knocked down some big shots,” Dillon said. “But when it gets within 10, we just go right back to [Siegrist] and she makes a big play or gets fouled.

“It’s a great thing when you have a player who wants that and proves that the ball should be in her hands at crucial times.”

» READ MORE: Maddy Siegrist has Villanova’s scoring mark, and a special bond with Sister Rose Marie, the old record-holder

After holding a 29-24 lead at the halftime break, Villanova came into the third quarter looking to extend its advantage. Fueled by 19 third-quarter points from Siegrist, the Wildcats outscored the Red Storm 25-16 in the third to take a 55-40 advantage into the final 10 minutes. This run provided some breathing room for the Wildcats, as they withstood the Red Storm’s run in the fourth.

Villanova returns home to host No. 6 UConn (22-4, 14-1 Big East) on Saturday (2:30 p.m., FOX). The two teams met in January as the Huskies escaped with a five-point victory. With a win, Villanova puts itself in a position to win at least a share of the Big East regular season title.