Maddy Siegrist continues making history as she becomes the Big East all-time leading scorer

The milestones just keep coming for Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist.

With a career high 50-point performance, Siegrist passed the Villanova single-game record (45), the Big East single-game record (44), and became the Big East all-time leading scorer with 1,547 career points in conference play. Siegrist also became the first City 6 women’s basketball player to score 50 points in a game.

“Amazing performance by Maddy,” Villanova head coach Denise Dillon said. “We’ve seen her do some pretty incredible things on the court, especially here at the Pavilion. Today, her efficiency of her scoring, and what she made happen to just give the confidence to our team to get a much needed win.”

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The senior’s prolific scoring effort led the Wildcats to a 99-65 rout of Seton Hall on Saturday afternoon at the Finneran Pavilion. Siegrist’s 50 points came on a highly efficient shooting performance as the senior finished 20-of-26 from the field. Junior Maddie Burke was the only other Wildcat in double figures with 12 points.

Seton Hall threw multiple defenders at her, tried to force her off her line on drives and pressured her on the perimeter, but there was nothing the Pirates (15-10, 8-7 Big East) could do to slow her down. They were led offensively by Sidney Cooks (21) and Lauren Park-Lane (20).

“When you’re playing, you don’t even realize it,” Siegrist said of her efficiency. “But there was a point in the second half where one shot I threw up that I didn’t think was gonna go in, and it went in. I was just like, ‘All right, maybe some days are just your day.’”

The senior also added 10 rebounds for her 50th career double-double. Siegrist became just the second player in Villanova women’s basketball history to eclipse 1,000 career rebounds. Shelly Pennefather holds the record for career rebounds with 1,171, and Siegrist is 166 behind her with 1,005.

Siegrist leads the country in scoring with 28.2 points per game. With 22 first-half points, there was a sense that it could be a big day for the star forward.

Siegrist came out of the halftime break looking determined. She scored the first eight points of the third quarter to bring her total to 30 and stretch the Villanova lead to 24.

At this point, the “MVP” chants started. The crowd could feel the momentum Siegrist and the Wildcats were building and wanted to be part of it.

“It’s so much fun to see the atmosphere,” Siegrist said. “It helps everybody play like that, to the best of your ability. It feels great.”

Sitting at 37 points entering the third quarter, Siegrist was on the horizon of multiple records.

With a jumper at the 7:23 mark, Siegrist reached 44 points, passing her previous career high of 42 that she set last year at home against Marquette. On the next possession, she scored on a fast-break layup to reach 46 points and break each of the Villanova, Big East, and Big 5 single-game records.

Two possessions later, Siegrist broke her final record of the night.

Siegrist scored a layup off a backdoor pass from fellow senior Brooke Mullin to reach 48 points and break the Big East all-time record for scoring in conference games. Sarah Behn of Boston College previously held the record with 1,546 points. Siegrist is now at 1,550 with five regular-season conference matchups remaining.

Siegrist reached 50 points at the 5-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Dillon took her out on the next dead ball, and the Villanova fans rose to their feet. The “MVP” chants started again, but even more special were Siegrist’s teammate’s reactions.

Dillon greeted Siegrist with a hug as she exited the floor before sending her down the line to receive hugs and high-fives from each teammate and coach.

“It means everything,” Siegrist said of their support. “I wouldn’t be the player I am without them.”

“Their genuine love for every milestone that Maddy reaches is genuine, it’s real,” Dillon said. “I love it, there’s nothing greater. … It’s the love that they have for each other off the court and support for each other. It carries over.”

» READ MORE: Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist and Drexel’s Keishana Washington are among the nation's scoring leaders. Here’s why.

The success and national attention that Siegrist continues to draw only increases Villanova’s momentum as it approaches the end of the regular season.

“When you have a player of Maddy’s talent, it becomes contagious, and they feed off that confidence,” Dillon said. “Everyone being a part of both ends of the floor has been our biggest growth from the beginning of the year.”

Siegrist’s historic season has put Villanova in a position to clinch a share of the Big East regular-season title with wins in each of its last five games. The nation’s leading scorer also helped earn Villanova a spot in the top 16 NCAA Tournament reveal that was released on Thursday. A spot in the top 16 on Selection Sunday would give Villanova the opportunity to host the first two rounds of March Madness.

These two milestones are a few weeks away, but there is another record for Siegrist to break, potentially in her next game. With 2,571 career points, Siegrist is just 11 shy of passing Drexel’s Gabriela Mărginean’s City 6 women’s basketball record of 2,581.

With sights set on another record, Siegrist and the Wildcats (22-4, 13-2)travel to New York to take on St. John’s (18-5, 9-5) on Wednesday (7 p.m., FloSports). The first time the teams met this season, Siegrist scored 18 fourth-quarter points to help Villanova erase a 16-point deficit in the final 5 minutes, 28 seconds to beat the Red Storm, 64-61.