UConn’s second-half surge hands Villanova an 81-60 loss at home

As the underdog, Villanova put up a fight against No.11 UConn Wednesday, sending the Huskies to the locker room with a one point lead.

But ultimately UConn’s size and pace were too much for the Wildcats (13-8, 6-4 Big East) to handle — especially in the second half as the Huskies dropped 44 points — resulting in a 81-60 defeat at Finneran Pavilion.

“It was a tough one as expected,” said Villanova head coach Denise Dillon. “It was a battle, a physical game for sure. Obviously, [UConn] played a good first half of basketball, and they took advantage. … we just weren’t able to sustain what we showed in that first half.”

After recording two fouls with 5:24 remaining in the first quarter, Villanova’s Lucy Olsen was riding the bench for a while. But once she took the floor, Olsen was ready to put on a show.

The 5-foot-9 guard led the Wildcats with 15 points, 12 of which she had in in the first half.

Meanwhile UConn’s Paige Bueckers, who’s averaging 20 points this season, had her usual standout performance, going 50% from the field and finishing with 21 points and five rebounds.

The Huskies had their way under the basket, shooting 60.7% from the field while shooting five of 16 attempts from three.

UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards did the majority of the work in the paint, going 9 for 13 from the field. She also had seven rebounds and a game-high 22 points.

“Aaliyah Edwards is a force to be reckoned with,” Dillon said. “It’s not a team you can double off in the post. You need one-on-one coverage there.”

The Wildcats, however, were diversified in all aspects of their play.

Villanova made 23 of 62 attempts (37.1%) from the field and six of 21 from deep. Despite, three Wildcats scoring double digits in Olsen, junior Zanai Jones (14 points), and freshman Maddie Webber (11), Villanova couldn’t respond to UConn’s dominance in the second half, scoring just 24 points.

It’s rare to see a freshman on the court and even more rare to see them in the starting lineup, but when you drop points like Webber, who’s averaging 9.4 and has made three starts, coaches want to have her on the floor.

Webber scored a career high 20 points against Providence on Jan. 24 and then followed up that performance with 18 against DePaul on Jan. 28, which earned her the start against UConn (18-4, 10-0 Big East).

And despite the loss, the freshman, who played 33 minutes, did not disappoint.

“Maddie has shown great strides as a freshman,” Dillon said. “Just her confidence on the offensive end is there and I think one of our greatest strengths even on the defensive end.”

Villanova will take the court again on Saturda against Seton Hall (2:00 p.m., FloSports) at Finneran Pavilion. The Pirates (12-8, 4-5 Big East) fell to UConn, 83-59, on Jan. 17.