Villanova holds off Penn State to reach the WBIT championship game against Illinois

Villanova held off a frenzied comeback attempt by Penn State on Monday to earn a 58-53 victory in the semifinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Nittany Lions (22-13) didn’t make it easy for the Wildcats.

Villanova held a 26-24 halftime lead and headed into the final quarter up 43-33. Villanova extended the margin to 45-33 before Penn State crawled its way back with a 10-0 scoring run, making it a one-possession game with just under 4½ minutes to go.

Junior Lucy Olsen ended ‘Nova’s scoring drought by draining a three-pointer with 4 minutes, 4 seconds remaining. Villanova (22-12) reestablished an eight-point lead, which Penn State clawed back into again, pulling within 51-49 on two Ashley Owusu free throws with 1:05 left.

From there it was a matter of Villanova running out the clock to reach the championship game on Wednesday. In the second semifinal, Illinois defeated Washington State, 81-58.

Villanova will face Illinois (18-15) for the championship at 7 p.m. Wednesday (ESPNU).

Christina Dalce made two free throws and Olsen added three more down the stretch. Kaitlyn Orihel sealed it with two more foul shots with 3 seconds remaining.

“I think that we tend to make games a little more exciting than we want it to be,” Olsen said. “But because we have done it so much during the season, we were prepared for it.”

Defense wins championships. Or at the very least, it gets you to the championship.

The Wildcats held Penn State to 27 points below its season average as the Lions shot just 29.1% from the field and 36.4% from deep. Villanova also had seven steals and tied a season-high for blocks with 11.

“Everything was one stop at a time,” Orihel said. “If something didn’t go our way on offense, we were determined to get it back on defense.”

However, Penn State’s Leilani Kapinus posed a problem for the Wildcats with a double-double, grabbing 13 boards and scoring 18 points, including 7-for-8 from the foul line.

Kapinus’ teammates followed suit as the Lions went 94.4% from the foul line, compared to the Wildcats’ underwhelming 68.4% (13-for-19).

» READ MORE: Villanova holds off Big 5 foe St. Joe’s to clinch spot in WBIT semifinals

On the offensive end, Wildcats put points on the board, shooting 38.5% from the field and 27.8% from behind the arc.

Olsen had 21 points, six rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Orihel had 13 points and five rebounds, and senior Bella Runyan chipped in with 10 points and five rebounds.

It was Olsen who made the difference. The Big East’s most improved player was on the court for all 40 minutes.

“To be playing in April is unbelievable,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said. “... Just bring it back to our young women who didn’t finish the year, regular season or conference tournament play as they wanted, and then having an opportunity to continue to play. They regrouped, they refocused and reconnected and showed up every day for us.”