The Wildcats Fall 67 – 46 in Home and Big East Opener
VILLANOVA, PA. 12/2/2022 –
It appeared to be a big night for Villanova women’s basketball. The game raised the curtain on the home schedule, and the conference. A large and excited crowd attended. And Wildcats forward Maddy Siegrist stood poised to move up in the school record book. 25th ranked Nova started well, but the middle two periods saw Creighton score on the Villanova defense. And on the other end of the floor the Wildcats did not stop the Bluejays. The result was a 67 – 46 win for #13 Creighton in a battle of ranked and emerging teams in the Big East conference.
“A tough home opener, a tough Big East opener against a very good team, very disciplined, and efficient basketball team,” said Villanova Coach Denise Dillon. “We knew what they were capable of and they showed us that here at home.”
In front of 2,841 at the Finneran Pavilion the home team got off to a good start and lead 19 – 9 after one quarter. Then the Nova offense stalled while the Bluejays found their rhythm on their end of the floor.
Creighton Found the Range on Offense
Creighton posted 34 points in the middle two stanzas then posted 24 in the fourth quarter. After the first quarter Creighton was good on 22 of 42 field goal attempts and 8 of 15 three-pointers. They did so by isolating down low for baskets. When Villanova dropped down, the ball kicked back out for three’s. Guard Molly Mogensen led the way with 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting and 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. Fellow backcourt mate Morgan Maly scored 16 points, and forward Emma Ronsiek added 14 points on the inside.
Villanova Got Quiet on Offense
For the game the Cats were 19 of 66 (28.8%) and sank just 2 of 23 from three-point land. Siegrist scored a game-high 25 points. But little else offensive support came from the others. Forward Christina Dalce scored 9 points on 3 field goals and 3 foul shots. No other player who scored got more than one basket. Siegrist made 11 of 23 from the floor, but did not convert a three-pointer. The rest of the team went 8 of 43.
“We played ten players,” Dillon said. “Everybody had an opportunity. We were trying to find a rhythm. Trying to find somebody who felt they could knock down a shot for us, or get a shot for somebody else. But it didn’t go our way.”
Creighton got buckets, Villanova did not. A lethal combination for the Wildcats.
“Defensively, we went away from what we were supposed to be doing,” said Siegrist. “And offensively we didn’t run anything. We didn’t execute anything we were supposed to be doing.”
Siegrist Moves Up in All-Time Scoring List
Siegrist scored 12 of her 25 points in the opening ten minutes. Her short jumper in the paint with 2 seconds left lifted Siegrist into second place in career points scored in program history moving past Nancy Bernhardt. Siegrist stands at 2,032 career points. Siegrist describes moving up as always an honor, but will reflect on that at a later time.
Up Next
Villanova falls to 6 – 2, 0 – 1 in the league with the next game at Providence. Coach Dillon knows a better effort is needed in Rhode Island.
“We’ve got to be better. We weren’t good enough. I don’t know if we good enough against anybody tonight,” said Dillon. “That’s the beauty of the season, quick turn around. Back here tomorrow for practice, then get on a plane for Providence. For this group a gut check and want it a little more on Sunday.”
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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