Villanova hits historic heights in win over Florida Gulf Coast, advances to Sweet 16

Since the first practice in the fall, the goal within Villanova’s program has been to improve on last year’s showing. While they had arguably done that already, Monday night’s game presented an opportunity to officially achieve that goal with a win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

In front of a loud, packed Finneran Pavilion, the No. 4 Wildcats came away with a 76-57 win over No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 20 years.

“What a great night here at the Finn,” Villanova head coach Denise Dillon said. “Our girls came ready to play and got the job done. Couldn’t be more excited to head to the Sweet 16.”

Villanova will face No. 8 Miami, which defeated No. 1 Indiana, 70-68, on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in Greenville, S.C. The game will be shown on ESPN.

Not only did the Cats advance, but they did it in a historical way.

Monday was Villanova’s 30th win of the season, which passes the 1981-82 AIAW Final Four team for most wins in a single season. The victory also marked head coach Denise Dillon’s 400th career win, including her 17 seasons at Drexel.

With her 31-point performance, senior Maddy Siegrist passed Washington’s Kelsey Plum for most consecutive 20-point performances to start a season in the last 20 years with 36 this year. Siegrist also reached 1,050 points this year and is just five points shy of third place all time for points in a single season.

To go along with her 31 points, Siegrist added six rebounds, four blocks, and four steals. Sophomore Lucy Olsen joined Siegrist in double figures with a career high 23 points along with 10 rebounds and seven assists for her second career double-double.

“We know what Lucy is capable of doing,” Dillon said. “She is someone who never cuts corners, never skips steps. We’re just going to continue to see her grow.”

Senior Brooke Mullin did a little bit of everything for the Wildcats as she finished with seven points, four rebounds and five assists.

“Brooke makes a difference on the defensive end every night,” Dillon said. “I liked her energy on the offensive end as well. She was just playing basketball. She wasn’t second guessing. She knows what needs to be done at this point.”

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When Olsen scored on a layup right off the tip, the Finneran Pavilion crowd could already feel the energy. The Wildcats set the tone early with an 8-0 run to start the game.

“You know you gotta punch first in these types of games,” Siegrist said. “That was one of the things we talked about defensively … and when that happens, the offense gets a little bit easier.”

Villanova scored on eight of its first nine possessions and finished the first quarter shooting 60% from the field as it cruised to a 26-11 lead after 10 minutes.

FGCU did exactly what one would expect in the second quarter: Respond. The Eagles shot 52.9% from the field in the period to cut the Wildcats lead to six entering the halftime break.

But then it was time for Villanova’s response. The Wildcats took a 15-point lead midway through the third after opening the half on a 9-0 run. The Eagles got within 13, but the Cats continued to push, holding a 65-49 lead entering the final 10 minutes.

The fourth quarter saw more Villanova dominance and the Eagles could never quite claw their way back.

Villanova’s offense was impressive, but its defense was the difference maker. The Wildcats forced 14 FGCU turnovers and turned them into 15 points. Villanova also dominated the boards, winning the rebounding battle, 42-30.

The Wildcats also grabbed 13 offensive rebounds for 14 second-chance points.

As it did in Villanova’s first-round win on Saturday, the crowd had an impact on Monday night. The student section, which had a wait list of over 1,000 in the ticket lottery, brought the energy starting in warmups. The rest of the crowd followed suit, and the buzz was palpable.

When the buzzer sounded, and after a trip through the handshake line, the Wildcats first gathered at half court and sang the Villanova fight song with their families in the stands. While that usually is the last stop before the team heads back to the locker room, Monday night was different.

Led by Mullin and Christina Dalce, the Wildcats sprinted over to the packed student section to celebrate with their peers. It’s something they don’t get to do often.

“You’re not passing that opportunity up,” Dillon said of the moment. “We’re playing here on our home court … You have to enjoy these moments or you’re going to lose the innocence of this game and how much they put into it.”

For Mullin and Siegrist, this very well could have been their last home game on their home court. While both have their extra year of eligibility due to COVID, it is not expected that they return next season, making Monday night even more special.

“I was talking to Brooke about how when we got here, there weren’t that many people in the stands” Siegrist said. “And this sold-out crowd, just so exciting. Just trying to take it all in and just looking around because if this is my last game at home; that’s a great way to go out.”

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