The tournament run and season came to a close. At the hands of an intense rival no less. Villanova defeated Saint Joseph’s 67-59 in the quarterfinals of the WBIT. Thursday’s game at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion brought an end to what was a memorable and historic season for Cindy Griffin’s Hawks.
Possessions: 60- Basic grind it out tempo with teams running mainly if the opportunity presented itself.
Offensive efficiency: Villanova 115, Saint Joseph’s 95.
Denise Dillon’s Wildcats average a 99 offensive efficiency. Saint Joseph’s checks in at 101. Obviously this was Villanova’s night on both the offensive and defensive ends.
Four Factors:
eFG Pct: Villanova 48, Saint Joseph’s 37
FT Rate: Saint Joseph’s 30, Villanova 26
OREB Pct: Villanova 42, Saint Joseph’s 42
TO Rate: Saint Joseph’s 10, Villanova 11
Leading scorers:
Saint Joseph’s- Tayla Brugler 20 points
Villanova – Bella Runyan, Lucy Olsen 16
Records:
Villanova 21-12, Saint Joseph’s 28-6
The difference. A slow start. The Hawks missed their seven shots yet trailed by only 4 (9-5) heading into the first media timeout. In a game where Saint Joseph’s never led and spent the entire night playing catch-up, they fell behind by 13 in the second period. The visitors would not go away and in the fourth period it was a one possession lead for the Wildcats. Villanova then responded with a 7-0 run that allowed a bit of separation before they iced it from the free throw line.
Notes. Saint Joseph’s finished with a program record 28 victories. The Hawks tied for the most road wins in the country with 15 and this was the first time Saint Joseph’s and Villanova, Big 5 rivals, met twice in a single season.
Villanova moved on to face Penn State in the tournament semifinals Monday at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse. Illinois and Washington State will face each other in the other semifinal.
Interestingly, Villanova and Penn State were both charter members of the Eastern Eight, now Atlantic Ten Conference.
Tayla Brugler’s 20 points put her ninth all-time in Saint Joseph’s scoring.
While the offensive rebounding percentages were even, the host Wildcats enjoyed a 17-10 advantage in second chance points.
Bella Runyan’s 16 points tied her career high. Villanova’s main offensive threat Lucy Olsen was plagued by foul trouble and did not score in the first half. Runyan, a senior, did what seniors do by taking up the slack in Olsen’s first half absence.
Cold shooting was a problem for the Hawks as they connected on only 34% from the field, including 3-16 (19%0 from beyond the arc. Villanova finished with a 44% mark from the floor, 27% from three. The Wildcats were effective from the charity stripe hitting 12 of 15 for 80%.
