Villanova gets redemption win over Marquette, advances to Big East semifinal

Villanova women’s basketball got its redemption over Marquette to secure a trip to the Big East semifinal with a 68-61 win at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

While the NCAA tournament is likely out of reach for Villanova (18-13 overall, 11-7 Big East), Saturday’s victory flipped the result from last year’s Big East quarterfinal, in which Marquette defeated Villanova, 50-48.

Wildcat forward Maddie Burke’s leadership on the court was pivotal in the postseason win. Burke scored a season-high 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting from three-point territory.

Freshman guard Jasmine Bascoe notched a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds, along with four assists.

The Wildcats will face No. 3 nationally ranked UConn (29-3, 13-1) Sunday (2:30 p.m.).

Burke opened the game with a three-pointer after senior forward Denae Carter won the jumpball.

The Wildcats shot well in the first half, going 12-for-29 from the field and 5-for-11 from three.

Bascoe had a quiet start, after scoring a career-high 27 points in Villanova’s previous loss to No. 22 Creighton on March 2, but still led the Wildcats with 11 points in the first half. She sank a three-pointer, drove in a layup, and added one from the foul line to put Villanova up, 32-29, going into the break.

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Marquette’s Skylar Forbes, who scored 20 points, and Halle Vice, who scored 18, caused trouble for Villanova’s defense while by drawing fouls. Forbes and Vice combined for a total of 11 points from the foul line.

While the Golden Eagles shot 11-for-32 from the field and 0-for-8 from three in the first half, Villanova only led by a narrow margin for most of the game. Mainly due to Marquette’s control over the backboards. The Golden Eagles out-rebounded the Wildcats, 25-13, in the first half.

Villanova’s rebounding improved in the second half, in which Marquette won the rebound battle, 16-15.

Foul trouble continued to prevent Villanova from pulling away during an intense fourth quarter, which it entered with a four-point lead. Carter and junior guard Ryanne Allen fouled out in the final ten minutes.

Villanova finished the game with 24 fouls, while Marquette had 17.

Clutch three-pointers from Burke and Bascoe helped the Wildcats stay ahead. Burke scored 11 points in the fourth and continued to bring the heat from beyond the arc, shooting 3-for-4.

A layup from Bascoe with 2 minutes and 11 seconds remaining put Villanova up by 10, its largest lead of the game.

However, the Golden Eagles refused to surrender. A Marquette layup and three-pointer from Forbes quickly trimmed Villanova’s lead to five entering the final minute.

But another three from Burke with 53 seconds on the clock gave the Wildcats the insurance points they needed to close out the quarterfinal.