Maddy Siegrist scores 29 points as Villanova cruises past Providence, 79-54

In Friday’s loss to No. 13 Creighton, Villanova’s women’s team scored just 44 points. On Sunday, the No. 25 Wildcats scored 48 points in the first half alone as they cruised to a 79-54 victory over Providence on the road.

Senior forward Maddy Siegrist led Villanova (7-2, 1-1 Big East) with 29 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Lucy Olsen helped with 14 points and a game-high six assists, while juniors Bella Runyan and Maddie Burke added 10 and nine points, respectively.

Sophomore Christina Dalce contributed seven rebounds and three blocks. The forward averages almost two blocks per game this season.

Providence was paced by Janai Crooms, who finished with 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds. No other Friars finished in double figures.

After coach Denise Dillon said the ball was “dying in people’s hands on offense” on Friday night, the Wildcats adjusted, returning to their usual motion offense in Sunday’s matchup.

The ball movement helped Villanova, as the Wildcats shot 52.4% from the field, including 42.9% from three while holding the Friars to 39.2% and 30%, respectively. Villanova’s bench chipped in with 25 points.

The Friars scored the first two buckets of the game, but once the Wildcats got going, it was clear that Villanova was the better team on both sides of the ball. Providence did not have much success slowing down Villanova’s offense, which was firing on all cylinders, both inside the paint and beyond the arc.

Runyan and senior Brooke Mullin came up big on the defensive end, holding Providence’s star player, Crooms, to just five second-half points after scoring 11 in the first.

Trailing 4-0 just under a minute into the game, Villanova went on a 9-0 run fueled by two consecutive threes from Burke, followed by a third triple from Siegrist. The run set the tone for the rest of the game, giving Villanova the momentum it needed to settle in and come away with a bounce-back conference win.

The Wildcats will return home to play winless American on Tuesday (7 p.m., FloSports).