2025 Big 5 Women’s Classic: The stats that matter most from each game
Here are two stats that mattered most from each game of the triple-header.
The competition was intense amongst Philadelphia top basketball programs during the 2025 women’s Big 5 Classic, hosted by Villanova at Finneran Pavilion.
Villanova secured the the title on its home court, defeating Saint Joseph’s in a close battle, 76-70.
Between Penn and La Salle, it came down to timely scoring runs as the Quakers prevailed, 65-54, for fifth place. In the third-place game, Drexel came out on top, with a 59-52 win.
Here are two stats that mattered most from each game of the triple-header:
Penn vs. La Salle
18-8: The fifth-place matchup between Penn and La Salle was a game of runs, with the Quakers ultimately prevailing.
After a close first quarter ended with Penn just ahead, 11-10, the Quakers surged ahead. They outscored the Explorers, 18-8, in a dominant second quarter, led by sophomore forward Katie Collins.
But the Explorers responded with a 15-0 run in the third quarter to narrow Penn’s lead to 41-35. La Salle redshirt junior guard Ashleigh Connor facilitated the comeback with three assists and two layups during the run.
Penn took control back in the fourth quarter, dropping 10 unanswered points to create a double-digit deficit from which La Salle couldn’t recover.
3: Penn shared the wealth on offense as three players ended the game scoring in double-digits. Collins led the way for the Quakers with 20 points along with nine rebounds.
Junior center Tina Njike notched a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Thirdly, sophomore guard Ashna Tambe contributed 11 points for the Quakers off the bench.
Drexel vs. Temple
40: The duo of freshman guard Molly Rullo and junior forward Deja Evans carried the stat sheet for the Dragons, accounting for 40 of Drexel’s 59 points on the night.
Rullo had a career-high performance off the bench, leading the Dragons with 22 points along with five assists and four rebounds. Evans scored 18 points in the game and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
17: Temple narrowly led throughout the first and second quarters and capitalized off Drexel turnovers to keep the game close. The Owls scored 17 of their points across the game off 19 Dragons turnovers. Sophomore guard Savannah Curry’s aggression on defense was impactful for Temple, as she notched a team-high three steals. Meanwhile, Drexel was only able to gain nine points from Temple turnovers.
Saint Joseph’s vs. Villanova
8: Sharp shooting from outside the arc made a difference for Villanova in the tight contest against Saint Joseph’s.
The Wildcats stayed just ahead in the first half, with eight three-pointers and 50% shooting from three. Meanwhile, St. Joe’s was 4-for-9 from outside the arc.
Sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe, junior forward Brynn McCurry, and junior guard Kelsey Joens sank two three-pointers each for Villanova. The Wildcats went into halftime with a 35-32 advantage over the Hawks.
McCurry finished the night with a team-high 21 points for the Wildcats, tying her career high. She shot 6-for-11 from the field and 3-for-3 from outside the arc.
23: Rhian Stokes made a significant impact for Saint Joseph’s across the stat sheet, keeping the Hawks within striking distance of the Wildcats throughout the game.
She totaled 23 points on the night while dishing out six assists and grabbing four rebounds. Stokes’ sharp shooting made the difference for Saint Joseph’s, going a perfect 4-for-4 from three and 7-for-7 from the foul line across the game.