Villanova falls in the first round of women’s NCAA Tournament with 57-52 loss to Texas Tech

BATON ROUGE, La. — And just like that, the Big 5 was out of March Madness.

Less than 24 hours after Penn and the Villanova men’s team were bounced from their NCAA Tournament, the Villanova women never got an offensive rhythm going and bowed out of the first round as well with a 57-52 loss to Texas Tech.

That’s not to say there weren’t some late heroics, though. Star sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe swished a three-pointer with 14 seconds to go to cut the Wildcats’ deficit in half and took a charge on the other end of the court, leaving 13.8 seconds to tie the game. But Denae Carter’s three-point attempt fell short, and Brynn McCurry, who finished with 13 points and nine rebounds and provided a hard-nosed presence on both ends of the floor all night, picked up her fifth foul in the battle for the ball. Bailey Maupin, Texas Tech’s star guard, then put the game on ice from the free-throw line. She led the Red Raiders (26-7) with 17 points. Bascoe led all scorers with 21 points.

“It was definitely physical game,” Bascoe said. “Very gritty. We like that, though. We wanted to play with that, and so it was fun. It was lots of fun. ... Yeah, they were a great defensive team. Very aggressive. So are we. I think that’s why it was such a close, competitive game. We were both giving it back to each other.”

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Nobody was getting out of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center unscathed, or at least without a foul in Friday’s physical battle, as the Wildcats committed 22 fouls to the Red Raiders’ 15. That physicality was a boost on the boards, though, as Villanova (25-8) held a 28-26 rebounding edge.

“Unfortunately fouls came into play,” Wildcats coach Denise Dillon said. “Kennedy Henry, she’s a freshman. ... She gets the assignment of the top player on the other team, game in and game out. When you’re putting a freshman in that position, you’re asking a lot. I will say, that first half [she] did a really good job, but then she’s on the bench; picked up fouls; tried to tag team. Dani Ceseretti did a really nice job. She’s a veteran.”

In a game like this, a seven-point lead can feel like a massive gulf. Texas Tech’s Denae Fritz (13 points) drilled a three-pointer from the left corner to give her team a 50-43 advantage with 4 minutes, 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Bascoe and McCurry quickly responded with their team’s first field goals of the period to cut the deficit back to three, but the damage was done. The Wildcats shot 22.2% in the fourth quarter and 37% overall. Texas Tech, meanwhile, shot 43.9% from the floor.

That continued a first-half trend perfect for fans of defense. The biggest lead held by either team was an early four-point advantage held by the Wildcats, who led 9-5 for about 30 seconds as they had a tough time putting together a run against the quick, disruptive Red Raiders and their full-court press.

But Kelsey Joens, the Iowa State transfer, was there — especially in the first quarter. She hit her first four three-pointer attempts en route to 14 points and added a block on the first possession of the game. Bascoe had Villanova’s other two points in the opening period and began to find her groove in the second quarter. But she picked up two fouls in the first half’s final 14 seconds, including an offensive foul in the half’s final second. She still was on the floor for every second, battling when the shots weren’t falling.

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Now, the task for Villanova will be getting back to and staying on this stage.

“For a lot of us, including me, this is my first time in the tournament, and so it was a good first feel,” Bascoe said. “Obviously we have goals to be here for the next two years, when I’m here, and so I know what to expect now. We all know what to expect. I think that’s a great piece we can take moving forward.”