Villanova coach Denise Dillon earns 100th win as Wildcats defeat St. John’s in Big East opener

Last weekend’s loss to James Madison didn’t sit well with Villanova. So the Wildcats returned to their home court in full force and claimed a 71-57 victory over St. John’s on Saturday to open Big East play.

Villanova’s offense centered on freshman point guard Jasmine Bascoe, who led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Graduate guard Maddie Burke, junior forward Denae Carter, and sophomore guard Maddie Webber each added 12 points apiece for Villanova (7-6, 1-0).

The victory also was Denise Dillon’s 100th win as head coach of the Wildcats.

The Wildcats outpaced St. John’s (10-2) from the opening minutes, as they got off to a 13-1 start. Bascoe sparked the early lead by scoring Villanova’s first six points. She made all five of her first-quarter shots.

Bascoe did more than score, too. After Burke pulled down a rebound, she dove for the ball and slid it to senior guard Jaliyah Green. Green then assisted a Burke three-pointer, which put the Wildcats up, 18-3, with 3 minutes, 39 seconds in the first quarter.

Villanova accompanied its fast pace with sharp shooting and went 19-for-27 from the field in the first half and 27-for-51 for the game. Meanwhile, St. John’s made 10 of 28 shots from the field in the first half and 19-of-57 overall. Lashae Dwyer led the Red Storm with 12 points, Ariana Vanderhoop had 11, and Skye Owen added 10.

Carter was missed against James Madison, as she was sidelined by an injury she suffered Dec. 11 at Delaware.

Along with her 12 points vs. St. John’s, Carter added seven rebounds and a season-high five assists. All five of her assists came in the first half.

Villanova outrebounded St. John’s, 41-25. Freshman guard Dani Ceseretti was impactful on the boards with career-high seven rebounds.

The Wildcats have struggled with letting go of their lead in previous games. Against JMU, Villanova committed costly fouls to lose in the final two minutes. Villanova was outscored, 41-28, in the second half of a three-point loss to Fairfield on Dec. 8.

But Villanova had much more room for error entering the fourth quarter against St. John’s.

While the Wildcats shot 3-of-11 from the field in the fourth quarter, they maintained a double-digit lead throughout the final 10 minutes.

The Wildcats will resume play on New Year’s Day against Seton Hall (8:30 p.m., FS1) at Finneran Pavilion.