Maddy Siegrist’s historic performance catapults Villanova into the second round of the NCAA Tournament

As has been the case time and again this season, it was a Maddy Siegrist show Saturday at the Finneran Pavilion. The star senior scored 35 points and broke multiple records as she led No. 4 Villanova to a 76-59 win over No. 13 Cleveland State to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Siegrist became just the fifth player in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history to score 1,000 points in a single season. Siegrist now has 1,019 this year, which puts her in fourth place all-time for single-season scoring.

“It’s definitely something that I never even thought about,” Siegrist said of reaching 1,000 points. “I never thought that was an achievable goal.”

Her 35 points set a Villanova record for most points in an NCAA Tournament game, passing Shelly Pennefather, who scored 27 against NC State in 1987 at the Pavilion. Saturday also marked the 35th consecutive game that Siegrist has eclipsed 20 points, tying former Washington star Kelsey Plum’s record.

“She’s a great player,” Siegrist said of Plum. “So just to have my name in the same category as someone like that is such an honor.”

While a spot in the top 16 felt important throughout the season, until game time on Saturday, it was unclear how much of an effect home court would have.

As soon as the ball tipped, it was obvious.

In just the third game that Villanova has hosted in NCAA Tournament history, Nova Nation packed the Finn, with empty seats few and far between. The student section, which has been lacking at times this year, was filled with rowdy Villanova students who started their chanting and heckling early during pregame warmups.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” junior Bella Runyan said. “We had this type of crowd at our UConn game at home, but to see support grow for the women’s side is a really cool experience. I’m never gonna forget this game and the next one with the full crowd.”

Siegrist and her teammates fed off the energy to take an early lead. The Wildcats led by 12 at the end of the first quarter, and the Vikings never got closer than 10 in the remaining three quarters.

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While Siegrist had the hot hand, her supporting cast was just as vital to the Wildcats’ victory. Sophomore Kaitlyn Orihel got the Villanova offense rolling early with two threes in the first quarter and finished with nine points. Runyan provided a spark off the bench, scoring 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting to go along with five assists. Sophomore Lucy Olsen chipped in nine points while fellow sophomore Christina Dalce finished one rebound shy of a career-high with 16.

“[Dalce] rebounded the heck out of the ball early,” Villanova head coach Denise Dillon said. “She just continued that to give us some extra possessions.”

Villanova’s offense was firing on all cylinders, but the Wildcat defense created the early advantage. The Wildcats held Cleveland State to 28.6% shooting, including 23.1% from three in the first half while converting eight Viking turnovers into 10 points. Villanova also used its height as an advantage on the boards, outrebounding Cleveland State, 30-12, in the opening 20 minutes.

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The Cats continued to have offensive success in the second half, but with the comfortable lead, there was a visible drop in defensive intensity, something with which head coach Denise Dillon was not pleased.

During a dead ball on a Wildcat possession in the middle of the fourth, Dillon yelled to her team “I don’t [care] what’s going on down here, our defense is terrible right now.”

Cleveland State scored 38 points in the second half, compared to 22 in the first. The Vikings also shot 19 free throws in the second after shooting just three in the first.

“The message is always ‘Play this possession; be involved,’ and it’s not really easy when you see the scoreboard at that number,” Dillon said of the defense when Villanova was up by almost 30 points. “It’s just about ownership. When I saw that they felt that and they were looking at each other, I felt OK. I knew we’d be OK moving forward.”

The Vikings were able to chip into the Villanova lead in the final minutes, but it was too little too late.

Villanova moves on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. The Wildcats will face No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast on Monday as the Eagles upset No. 5 Washington State in Saturday’s first game at the Finneran Pavilion.