As Villanova women gear up for Big East play, there is room for improvement on offense

The Villanova women headed into Christmas break on a high note after a road win over La Salle that snapped a three-game skid and wrapped up their nonconference slate on Dec. 21.

Conference play ramps up for the Wildcats (7-5, 0-1 Big East) with a matchup against Xavier (1-9, 0-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday and a visit to Seton Hall (9-3, 1-0) on Jan. 3. Here are three things Villanova needs to focus on for sustained success:

» READ MORE: Villanova returns to winning ways at the expense of La Salle, but it wasn’t all bad for the Explorers

Let’s start with the positives because Denise Dillon and her Wildcats are doing some things well, and defensive success is first on that list.

Villanova is giving up just 60.5 points per game and holding other teams to 39.5% shooting. The Wildcats also average just 9.8 turnovers compared to 14 for their opponents.

As for rebounds, it doesn’t exactly hurt when you have the 10th-leading rebounder in the nation on your squad.

Junior Christina Dalce has been a powerhouse under the basket for the Wildcats, averaging 11.2 rebounds and helping to contribute on both ends of the court. Dalce has 71 offensive and 63 defensive rebounds this season and posted a career-high 18 in Villanova’s win over Temple on Nov. 19.

While the defensive intensity is one element to keep, the Wildcats need to put in some work on the other end of the floor.

Villanova is averaging 66.8 points per game, which puts the Wildcats in a tie for sixth in the Big East. And the individual stats don’t lie.

The Wildcats are shooting just 41.1% from the field and 28.3% from deep. Villanova’s free-throw percentage is at 73%. Its star player, Lucy Olsen, is averaging 23.4 points, making her the fifth-leading scorer in the nation.

But when you only have one other player (Dalce, 10.5 points) averaging double digits, it’s going to be hard to win games.

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There are seven players in Villanova’s rotation who average more than 20 minutes, and yet the only two Wildcats scoring in double digits are Olsen and Dalce.

The Wildcats can’t rely just on Olsen to run the offense, especially since she’s usually the focus of the opposing team’s game plan. In times when Olsen’s shooting goes cold, Villanova needs other players to step up — which was exactly how the Wildcats beat Penn on Dec. 5.

Junior Zanai Jones, a current starter, matched a season high with eight points that game but is averaging just 5.0 on the season. The Wildcats’ other two starters, Maddie Burke and Bella Runyan, average 6.7 and 6.4 points, respectively, while up-and-coming freshman Maddie Weber is the team’s first option off the bench and third-leading scorer at 7.6 points per game.

If Villanova wants to keep the intensity rolling from tipoff, then the Wildcats need contributions from up and down the lineup.