Villanova routs Seton Hall, 62-48, to set up a Big East tournament final rematch with UConn
Jasmine Bascoe, Brynn McCurry, and Denae Carter all scored in double figures as the Wildcats started hot and led throughout.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — A day after Jasmine Bascoe’s career outing propelled Villanova’s women to the Big East tournament semifinals, a teamwide effort carried the Wildcats to the title game.
Bascoe scored 15, Brynn McCurry tallied 16, and Denae Carter added 11 and seven rebounds in a 62-48 win for the No. 2 seed over No. 3 Seton Hall.
Villanova sprinted out to a 12-0 lead just over three minutes into the game, and it was 18-7 after the first quarter. The Wildcats’ lead grew again to 36-16 late in the second quarter, before Seton Hall closed the frame on a 9-0 run.
“That’s a really big energy boost, and kind of gets everyone’s confidence going,” McCurry said of the big start. “It’s obviously a little bit nerve-wracking stepping out on the court in this environment in such an important game. And we do have a young team, so trying to give the young ones the confidence they need to start off strong.”
‘Nova went right back to work to start the third, growing its lead to 51-30 just past the midway point. It was 51-37 at the end of the period, but 51-39 off the fourth quarter’s first basket was as close as the Pirates got.
The Wildcats advanced to face Connecticut, No. 1 in the Big East and the nation, in Monday’s championship game (7 p.m., NBCSN, Peacock). The Huskies steamrolled Creighton, 100-51, in Sunday’s first semifinal to extend their undefeated season to 32-0. Sophomore star Sarah Strong led the way with 23 points, seven rebounds, and six steals in just 25 minutes on the floor.
» READ MORE: A career night from Jasmine Bascoe led Villanova past Providence in the quarterfinals
UConn will be expected to win this game comfortably too. But both sides won’t have forgotten their last meeting, Feb. 18 on the Main Line. Villanova led 40-37 at halftime before the Huskies pulled away late for an 83-69 win — their third-smallest margin of victory this season, and by far the smallest in conference play.
Only Michigan (72-69 on Nov. 21) and Louisville (79-66 on Nov. 5 in the season opener) came closer.
“We weren’t very good at their place; we were better at our place,” Dillon said, referring to her team’s 99-50 loss at UConn on Jan. 15. “But you’ve got to be the absolute best to be in a position to compete against them, to beat them. It was a lot of work, but they had a taste of it — you’ve got to do it for four quarters, you can’t do it for a half.”
As of the start of Sunday’s action, UConn and Villanova were the only Big East teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament field by ESPN. The Huskies were the No. 1 overall seed, to no surprise, and the Wildcats were projected as a No. 8.
» READ MORE: What Villanova learned from running UConn close last month
Amusingly, ‘Nova was slotted in a game whose winner would face Dawn Staley’s South Carolina on the Gamecocks’ floor in Columbia, S.C. Staley’s squad lost the SEC tournament final on Sunday, 78-61, to Texas. Those two teams are Nos. 3 and 4 in the current Associated Press Top 25.
UCLA is No. 2, after winning the Big Ten regular season title. The Bruins added the conference tournament title on Sunday, taking their record to 31-1 with a 96-45 blowout of Iowa.