Led by Maddy Siegrist, Villanova women escape DePaul comeback, 67-64

Following a nine-point loss to No. 6 UConn on Saturday, No. 15 Villanova went into Tuesday’s home game looking to bounce back.

Led by a Maddy Siegrist double-double, the Wildcats escaped with a 67-64 victory over DePaul despite a fourth-quarter comeback bid by the Blue Demons.

“We showed a little toughness, I thought, after a tough one here on Saturday,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said. “They came back ready to play, ready to get a big win with their backs against the wall. A little hard down the stretch, but we found a way.”

Siegrist led Villanova (24-5, 15-3 Big East) with 28 points and 16 rebounds, marking the star senior’s 15th double-double this season and 52nd of her career.

Sophomore Christina Dalce scored 11 points to go with eight rebounds and three blocks. The 6-foot-2 Dalce now holds the Villanova single-season record for blocks with 66.

“Just having someone as a rim protector in that sense is key,” Dillon said of Dalce. “Seeing her progression from last year to this year gives you that sense that her career will be enhanced [even more] with some offseason development.”

Fellow sophomore Lucy Olsen added nine points, six rebounds and four assists.

DePaul (15-14, 8-10) was led by Aneesah Morrow’s 29 points and 19 rebounds. Morrow is the conference’s second-leading scorer behind Siegrist. Darrione Rogers joined Morrow in double figures with 17 points.

For the first 10 minutes of Tuesday’s matchup, Villanova looked as if it was going to continue its shooting struggles from Saturday’s game. The Wildcats shot just 5-for-13 from the field in the first quarter and trailed 16-14 heading into the second.

The second quarter saw Villanova start to heat up. Siegrist scored 15 of Villanova’s 18 points in the quarter, with the other three coming on a triple from Bella Runyan. The Wildcats took a 32-23 lead into halftime.

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Villanova came out hot in the third quarter, extending its lead to as many as 19. But it wasn’t Siegrist who led the charge in the third. Dalce scored 10 points to lead the Wildcats to a 56-42 advantage heading into the final quarter.

“I was really happy with [Dalce’s] movement,” Dillon said. “She was just connecting, you know, she gathered herself on one and finished. She’s certainly capable, but we want to see that consistent performance.”

The Blue Demons came alive in the fourth quarter, opening the final 10 minutes with a 16-3 run to cut the Villanova lead to one.

“DePaul basketball is pretty great,” Dillon said. “They don’t go away. … They just can score so quickly.”

Rogers and Morrow scored seven each in the final minutes, but the Wildcats used clutch defensive stops, including a key charge from Bella Runyan to seal the win.

“Rogers got hot, and that was tough,” Dillon said. “I felt Bella Runyan was doing a nice job on her and then she knocks down a crazy three. … She started feeling it a little bit so I thought the charge that Bella took was crucial.”

Leading 61-60 with 47.8 seconds remaining, Siegrist grabbed a tough defensive rebound and drew a foul. DePaul’s fifth foul of the quarter sent Siegrist to the line for two free throws that she made. Siegrist hit two more free throws on the next possession to extend the lead to five.

Olsen came up with a big steal leading to a fast-break layup by Brooke Mullin to stretch the advantage to seven. DePaul would score four more points, but it was not enough to complete the comeback.

Villanova has two games remaining in the regular season. The Wildcats will first host Providence (13-16, 4-14) on Friday (7 p.m., FloSports) on senior night, followed by a road game at Seton Hall (17-11, 10-8) on Feb. 27. (7 p.m., FS1). Villanova has already beaten both of those teams this season.

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