Ryanne Allen’s buzzer-beater lifts Villanova to a senior night win over Butler, 56-54

Ryanne Allen ensured Wednesday would continue to be a night of celebration for Villanova (17-12, 11-6 Big East), delivering a buzzer-beating putback as the Wildcats defeated Butler, 56-54.

Allen’s shot provided a perfect end to “Senior Night” for the Wildcats, as Villanova recognized its seniors’ last home game at Finneran Pavilion.

“Going into the game, you always want to play for something bigger than yourself,” Allen said. “Today, I was playing for the seniors. ... Playing with meaning gives you that much more energy to give everything you have.”

Freshman guard Jasmine Bascoe paced the Wildcats with 15 points and three rebounds, while senior forward Denae Carter and sophomore guard Maddie Webber each contributed 12 points on the night.

Villanova’s offensive struggles in Sunday’s loss to Providence carried over to Wednesday night’s contest. The Wildcats shot just 35.3% from the field and 21.7% from three-point range against the Bulldogs.

Butler dominated on the backboards, 43-29, but Villanova made up for it on the defensive end by forcing 17 turnovers, while committing just two.

The team honored six players with a ceremony on the court before tipoff: seniors Kaitlyn Orihel, Jaliyah Green, and Carter, as well as graduate players Maddie Burke, Bronagh Power-Cassidy, and Lara Edmanson.

Head coach Denise Dillon added Orihel and Green to the starting lineup, replacing Bascoe and Power-Cassidy.

“The impact that [the seniors] have made on and off the court has been extremely special,” Dillon said. “We have great love and appreciation for everything they’ve done, whether they’ve been here for a year or four years.”

Despite the celebratory start to the night, both teams had a lethargic first quarter. Villanova made two of its first nine shots, while Butler only made one of its first nine. The Wildcats led just 11-9 after the first quarter.

The shooting woes continued throughout the half. Villanova shot 31.4% from the field and 25% from three in the first twenty minutes, while Butler was 33.3% from the field and missed all five of its three-point attempts.

Bascoe sent the Wildcats into the locker room with a little bit of an offensive spark. She converted back-to-back layups off Butler turnovers to put Villanova up, 25-19.

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After a seesaw third quarter, Butler entered the final 10 minutes with a five-point lead.

But the Wildcats opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 scoring run.

A layup from Carter and a three-pointer from Orihel got Villanova’s scoring run started within the first minute.

“Especially since I’m a senior, I was like, ‘we’re not losing this game,’” Orihel said.

Webber drained another three to put Villanova up, 43-40, with 8 minutes and 30 seconds left.

“The first half was pretty low-scoring for both teams and definitely seemed like a defensive battle,” Power-Cassidy said. “But it was down the stretch in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter, that it came down to big plays and big stops.”

Entering the final three minutes, Carter made a crucial steal and finished it with a fast-break basket to extend the lead to 51-46.

Butler brought the contest to the final minute, draining a three-pointer with 41.5 seconds remaining to pull within one. Bascoe then sank a mid-range jumper with 14 seconds left to put Villanova up three.

Butler would not go away as Lily Zeinstra hit the game-tying three with 11 ticks left. But Villanova still had time to win it. After Bascoe’s last-second shot hit the rim, Allen leaped to grab the rebound and tip in the game-winner.

“The biggest part was that last possession,” Dillon said. “Knowing Jas [Bascoe], the mentality was to score and go to the foul line. Ryanne [Allen] cleaned it up, so it was just having the wherewithal to stay in the last possession.”

With the Big East Tournament on the horizon, Villanova will close the regular season schedule against No. 22 Creighton (23-4, 15-1) on Sunday (8:30 p.m., FS1).

“This time of year, there’s a lot of pressure to make things happen, but if they believe in what they’re capable of as a team, they’re really dangerous as a group,” Dillon said.

The Bluejays took down the Wildcats, 70-57, at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 8. Creighton is second in the conference.