Villanova outlasts DePaul, 71-70, in Big East women’s quarterfinal thriller

For the entire fourth quarter, it felt like DePaul had the momentum. The Blue Demons were rolling.

Behind a 26-point, 14-rebound double-double from senior Maddy Siegrist, No. 2 Villanova came away with a 71-70 victory over No. 7 DePaul in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament inside the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday.

Villanova trailed by six with 2 minutes, 51 seconds remaining, but the Wildcats came up with crucial stops down the stretch and tied the game with 20.2 seconds left on a jumper from Siegrist.

“It was an amazing game,” said Villanova head coach Denise Dillon. “You expect in tournament play for it to be a battle. Extremely proud of our group for sticking together and finding a way.”

The Blue Demons had an opportunity to take the lead with two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining, but Anaya Peoples missed both. Villanova’s Lucy Olsen drew a foul on a jumper with 0.7 seconds remaining. The sophomore hit the first and missed the second allowing time to run out on the Blue Demons’ semifinal hopes.

“My teammates just had my back,” Olsen said of her mindset stepping to the line. “They were all like ‘You’re good, you do this every day at practice. Basketball is fun.’ It was all my teammates putting confidence in me.”

Three other Wildcats scored in double figures. Sophomore Lucy Olsen finished with 19 points and seven assists while fellow sophomore Christina Dalce chipped in 12 points, six rebounds, and four blocks. Junior Maddie Burke finished with 10 points — all coming in the first half — to go along with four assists.

“It’s been fun to watch her,” Dillon said. “It’s been really good, her growth. I think [Dalce] has so much farther to go. She is just tapping into the talent that she offers.”

DePaul was led by sophomore Aneesah Morrow who finished with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Kendall Holmes added 20 points on 5 of 9 from three.

» READ MORE: What are the keys to a Big East Conference tournament championship run for Villanova? Here are four big ones.

Villanova and DePaul was a battle between the conference’s top two leading scorers in Siegrist and Morrow — and the two forwards put on a show.

Villanova had the advantage early, leading by nine in the opening quarter and eight at the half. The Wildcats defended the Blue Demons with poise while finding a rhythm on the offensive end.

The second half saw the Blue Demons get hot and Villanova go cold. The Wildcats went 0-of-6 from three in the second half.

In the final few minutes, it came down to Villanova’s defense and DePaul’s missed free throws. The Wildcats held the Blue Demons scoreless over the final 2:51 and scored the final seven points of the game to seal the win. DePaul was 1-of-7 from the free throw line in the final quarter.

“Super happy and excited for our team,” Dillon said. “But, that was a game that when you watch it back you go ‘Oh my gosh, how did we win that one?’”

Villanova advances to the semifinals and will play the winner of No. 3 Creighton and No. 6 Seton Hall.

The Wildcats split the season series against Creighton with each team securing a dominant victory on the road. The Bluejays took down Villanova, 67-46, in the Wildcats’ first conference game of the season on Dec. 2. Creighton was ranked No. 16 at the time while Villanova was at No. 25.

In the second meeting, Villanova cruised to a 73-57 victory. This time, the Wildcats were ranked No. 16 while the Bluejays had fallen out of the Top 25.

The biggest difference for Villanova in the second game? The offense from Burke and Olsen. The pair combined for just three points in the first game. In the second, Olsen and Burke scored 19 and 15, respectively.

Siegrist can do a lot for the Wildcats, but when it comes to a team with the level of talent that Creighton has, they’re going to need their second and third scorers to step up.

Villanova swept the season series with Seton Hall, picking up two convincing wins over the Pirates. Behind a record-breaking 50-point performance from Siegrist, the Wildcats routed Seton Hall, 99-65 in the first meeting at the Finneran Pavilion.

In the final game of the regular season, the Pirates looked to bounce back, but Villanova ran away with an 83-56 road win. Seton Hall looked overmatched in both losses. The Wildcats have an advantage in almost every individual matchup with the Pirates, and it was clear on both ends of the floor.