The Guru Report: Villanova Gains Senior Day Win; Drexel, St. Joe’s and Rider Prevail

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

VILLANOVA — Nothing like picking your own senior day to have your season high in a game in which you leave the court a bit due to a minor injury but end up smiling with a team-high 17 points fueled by connecting 5 of 8 three point attempts as Villanova took a 73-68 Big East win over Seton Hall here at Finneran Pavilion.

That’s the way it went Sunday for Jannah Tucker, whose career started at Tennessee before transferring here.

And if you’re graduate student Adrianna Hahn, while extending your ‘Nova career record three-pointers with three more to cross a threshold to 301, you get a chance to make an encore after being removed for a standing ovation.

That’s  because a win that was in the bag with an early 22-point lead and after reduced to eight got back up to 21 with 7 minutes, 12 seconds left in the game got hairy down the stretch leading to just a five-point differential for the final score.

In a sense while moving to a fourth-place tie with Providence with two games remaining next weekend an entire season highlight of Villanova basketball (17-10, 8-8 Big East) was displayed over 40 minutes.

There were stretches that resembled the Wildcats shooting array of a week ago here highlighted by a 17-of-18 third quarter and others that recalled wins that got away as a recently as Friday night here against St. John’s.

Speaking of recaps, the outset even featured a bit of the famed old Big East days scripted event when Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma and Villanova’s Harry Perretta arranged so a recently injured Nykesha Sales could limp onto the court and start the game to score and set the then-scoring record for the Huskies.

On Sunday with agreement from Seton Hall’s Tony Bozzella, senior Grace Stant, sidelined for the season with a foot injury suffered at Providence early last month, was allowed to be part of the starting lineup for four seconds to make her final appearance in uniform.

The win gave the Wildcats a season-series sweep of Seton Hall (14-14, 6-11), which has struggled.

“They played a good game,” Villanova coach Harry Perretta said of his departing players. “They scored a lot of points. They played well. I tried to take them out of the game so they could get their ovations and then I had to put Adrianna back in because they couldn’t make a foul shot.”

The Wildcats were a mediocre 5-for-16 from the line while the Pirates were 9-for-11, though the home team was superior in bench help outscoring the visitors 21-16.

Hahn finished with 11 points and junior Mary Gedaka, shooting 7-for-10 from the field, had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Gedaka has been 94-for-128 from the field her last 12 games for a percentage of 73.4. 

The Wildcats connected on 12 three-pointers and also got 22 points from 17 turnovers by the Pirates while yielding nine on just nine miscues, a category ‘Nova is third in the nation for fewest committed.

Seton Hall’s Inja Butina was 9-for-16 from the field for a game-high 23 points. Shadeen Samuels was 7-for-9 for 18 points and Nicole Jimenez scored 11.

Of her perhaps just ceremonial farewell day in Finneran, Tucker said, “It was a fun game, fun game.

“Nail biter turned the end,” she chuckled. “But we held together and pulled out the win.”

Villanova, which finishes up on the road Friday at Xavier at 7 in Cincinnati and Sunday at 2 at Butler in Indianapolis, is two games behind Butler in the standings led by nationally-ranked Marquette, followed by DePaul.

But the Wildcats are just a game ahead of Creighton and Georgetown and two in front of eighth-place St. John’s, which is then followed by Seton Hall in the 10-team conference.

“Oh my gosh with all these ties, it’s crazy,” Tucker said. “Every game matters. There’s nothing like the Big East.”

The Big East tournament will be held in Chicago March 9-12 at DePaul’s Wintrust Arena, its larger off-campus venue downtown that also houses the men’s team, and in the summer the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, among other events.

The winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney, but the at-large list of contenders is not plentiful as previous years in the recent conference reconfiguration era. Marquette will go without regard to winning or being upset and DePaul also figures as an invited team.

The Blue Demons are also host to an NCAA regional at Wintrust later next month prior to the Women’s Final Four in Tampa Bay, Fla.

Butler is a bit on the bubble off recent losses.

 Villanova would likely have to win it but otherwise the Wildcats are likely to receive a bid to the WNIT and possibly gain an encore here with a home game in the first round.

Drexel Still Streaking But Delaware Falls in CAA Action

It was another completed sweep weekend in the Colonial Athletic Association for Drexel, which finished its road trip into the Carolinas by winning 65-42 at the College of Charleston to maintain second place a game behind James Madison (22-4, 14-1 CAA) but Delaware’s three-game win streak was snapped with a 72-64 loss at UNCW that enabled the Seahawks to gain a split with the Blue Hens.

Drexel (20-5, 12-2), which trailed after the first quarter for the first time this season in conference play and overall since Dec. 21, won its 12th straight since the opening weekend disaster last month when the Dragons were upset by surprising Towson and preseason favorite JMU at home in the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

The win was also the Dragons’ 14th straight true road win, which leads the nation as does their tenacious defense in points allowed at 47.8 a game.

Extending first ever back-to-back 20-win seasons from last year now becomes a three-peat with the sixth 20-win season under Dragons coach Denise Dillon and eighth in program history.

Drexel’s Bailey Greenberg, who has entered the mix for potentially CAA player of the year pending the Dragons’ finish in the regular season, had 21 points while Hannah Nihill scored 13 but also grabbed six steals and dealt four assists.

Aubree Brown had 10 points, eight rebounds, and six assists while defensively the Dragons forced 22 turnovers by the Cougars in their TD Arena.

The Dragons did not allow anyone on Charleston (7-19, 3-12) to score in double figures, with Arynn Eady leading the Cougars in points and rebounds with eight each.

Drexel leads the Charleston series  9-6 with a  perfect 6-0 in Philadelphia and 3-3 down south.

Standings-wise, Drexel is 1.5 games but two in the loss column ahead of third-place Towson (17-9, 11-4), moving closer to clinching minimally a trip to the WNIT with a second-place finish. 

The Dragons likely would get one of the WNIT at-large bids if they didn’t finish second or land in the NCAA through the conference championship.

Drexel has a chance to force a second-straight first-place tie at the finish, playing at JMU in Harrisonburg, Va., Thursday, March 7, before also seeking revenge at Towson the following Saturday.

 The Blue Hens won the tie-break last year for the No. 1 seed but it is unclear right now who would have the advantage.

However, directly  ahead is next weekend’s home wrap up with a visit Friday from William & Mary at 7 followed by Sunday’s visit from reigning CAA conference tourney champion Elon at 2 p.m.

The Phoenix are struggling this year but it is their first return since winning the title at the DAC last March after beating JMU in the semifinals before ousting the Dragons in the championship. 

Delaware (13-13, 8-6), meanwhile, slipped back into fifth place, sent there personally by the UNCW team (16-10, 9-6) that jumped over them into fourth a half-game ahead of the Blue Hens, who host this year’s CAA tournament next month (March 13-16) at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark.

The Seahawks bounced back from Friday’s loss in Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, N.C. to Drexel that was UNCW’s first overall home loss in 13 games this season. 

Wasted in the setback were career performance as the Blue Hens’ Alison Lewis shot 8-for-12 to score 20 points while grabbing seven rebounds, and Rebecca Lawrence was 9-for-11 to score 19.

"This was obviously not the outcome we wanted, but I'm proud of the fight we showed until the very end,” said Delaware second-year coach Natasha Adair. “There were some things defensively that we just did not do from start to finish. 

“When you're on the road against a tough conference opponent, you have to be in sync; there's no room for error,” Adair continued.  “That is something we'll learn from. 

“This game had a tournament feel to it with the energy and atmosphere displayed. We want to grow in these situations. We have to make sure we're disciplined and tough and we have to win some of those battles down the stretch."

Chinyere Bell had 20 points and eight rebounds for UNCW while GiGi Smith had 19 points and Lacey Suggs had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Delaware is back home Friday hosting Elon at 7 and on Sunday hosting William & Mary at 2 p.m.

The Blue Hens are relatively safe from being overtaken by Northeastern (15-10, 5-9) but have only a remote chance to catch third-place Towson so being in play at fourth or fifth with UNCW locks into the same team matchup, though the Seahawks have a better shot at catching Towson to change positions.

Rider Drops Niagara And Reduces Postseason Magic Number To One

The Broncs recovered from their tough Thursday home setback to league leading Quinnipiac by taking down the Purple Eagles 79-64 in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game in upstate New York to snap a two-game losing streak and move within a win or Marist loss to clinch the No. 2 seed in the conference tourney, which will be in Albany’s Times Union Center once more next month before moving to Atlantic City, N.J. next season.

The extra perk for the seed is an automatic bid to the WNIT if failing to win the automatic bid or get an at-large invitation to the NCAA tourney.

Rider (16-11, 12-4 MAAC) is one game in front of Marist with two left — hosting Siena Thursday at Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J., at 7 on senior night and visiting Fairfield on Saturday.

But the Broncs, who made their first postseason and WNIT appearance in 2017, swept the Red Foxes so they have the tiebreak. 

On Sunday in Rider’s lone meeting this season with Niagara (12-15, 8-8), the Broncs rode a slim 35-32 halftime lead to a blowout in the second half in which Stella Johnson had all 18 of her points to go with seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals.

Lea Favre had a career high with 24 points, shooting 9-for-14 from the field and going a perfect 6-for-6 on the line, where the Broncs shot a season-high 21 free throws on 24 attempt in the Tapps Gallagher Center. 

She also had six rebounds.

Lexi Posset was a third Bronc in double figures, scoring 18, spurred by 8-10 on the line, and Amari Johnson was back in double double world with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

"It was a really good road win for this time of the year,” said veteran Rider coach Lynn Milligan. “It's not an easy place to come up to, especially for just one game.

“ I was really proud of our effort particularly in the second half. Defensively we did a good job."

A-10 Locals: Saint Joseph’s Rallies at Rhode Island While La Salle Falls at Richmond

Thanks to a rally leading to a 55-48 win at Rhode Island in an Atlantic 10 game in the Rams’ Ryan Center in Kingston, Saint Joseph’s will need to be in playoff mentality Wednesday at 4 when the Hawks (11-16, 7-7 Atlantic 10) visit George Mason (15-12, 7-7) at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., near Washington.

At stake is a home game in the first round of the conference tournament next Tuesday and Saint Joseph’s is locked with GMU and George Washington (10-17, 7-7) for seventh place.

The top two teams have byes and the next six get to host sending the winners and the 1-2 duo moving on to Duquesne in Pittsburgh for the quarters, semis, and championship the following Friday through Sunday.

So basically, it’s a two out of three situation among those three for home courts and already Saint Joseph’s holds a win at George Washington and with a win over the Patriots the Hawks would be in good shape should they not prevail in their final game Saturday at home hosting Fordham.

The Colonials host Duquesne Wednesday and will be an underdog.

So that’s the immediate future.

As for the immediate past, Saint Joseph’s had to fight back from a 13-point deficit to the Rams (7-19, 2-12) and after doing so, the Hawks used a 22-12 fourth quarter to prevail and get back on the winning side following last Wednesday’s home loss to Duquesne.

Defensively, the visitors mined 19 points and out of 21 Rhode Island turnovers. 

Alyssa Monaghan, nearing the end of her collegiate career, had a game-high 22 points while Kristalyn Baisden scored 10 points and Mary Sheehan had 10 points and a team-high six rebounds.

The Hawks launched 21 three-pointers which brought the season total to 526, enough to eclipse the previous record of 511 attempts set by the 1997-98 team.

Nicole Jorgensen had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Rams.

La Salle, meanwhile, held host Richmond to a defensive season best low in outscoring the Spiders 32-22 in the second half but unfortunately that wasn’t enough to overcome a rough start and the Explorers fell short 56-51 in the Robins Center in Virginia.

Jeryn Reese and Shayla Sweeney each scored 10 points for La Salle (4-24, 1-13) while Shalina Miller had nine points and 11 rebounds. 

Miller needs one more block  to tie and two to break a season record.

The Spiders (8-19, 5-9) jumped to a 34-19 halftime lead before the Explorers began to make a dent into Richmond’s expanding differential.

“I was pleased with our second half, but you just can’t start like that,” said Explorers’ first-year coach Mountain MacGillivray. “Each night we’ve tried to pride ourselves, no matter what, to do our best and today we didn’t show our best.”

La Salle next visits St. Bonaventure at 5 p.m. Wednesday before finishing the regular season Saturday against George Mason at home at the Tom Gola Center.

Penn State Top Illinois in Big Ten Basement Clash

The Lady Lions made it two straight in Big Ten competition overcoming roster depletions with star Teniya Page sidelined among others as they topped host Illinois 76-65 visiting the last-place Illini (10-18, 2-15 Big Ten) of the 14-team league in Champagne.

Penn State (12-15, 5-11) went to the air to pull this one out with a season-high 10 three-pointers in breaking a tie and moving up a half-game in the win column ahead of Wisconsin in 12th.

But there is not much season left to rise significantly higher for the Big Ten tourney being held next month in Indianapolis.

Next up will be a makeup at Michigan State Wednesday from a postponement caused by the recent polar vortex weather situation in the Midwest.

Nebraska then visits the Bryce Jordan Center Saturday at 3 p.m. to help conclude the regular season.

It was another good shooting effort for PSU, connecting on 52.8 percent from the field for the second straight triumph over 50 percent.

Penn State’s Kamaria McDaniel had 20 points, Travascio-Green had five treys to get to a season-high 19 points while Amari Carter had 14 points, six assists, six rebounds and four steals, and Siyeh Frazier scored 12 points.

It was only the second conference road win on the season, but in the series PSU has taken eight straight.

“It was good for us to come here and get a road win when we’re a little short-handed without Teniya Page and Alisia Smith,” said Penn State coach Coquese Washington.  “I was really glad that our kids responded to the challenge and were able to come in here and execute the game plan against a tough Illinois team.”

Meanwhile, though the Lady Lions’ traveling partner Rutgers was idle waiting to host Wisconsin Monday night at 7 in Piscataway, N.J., a stir was created in late morning when the school put out a release saying Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer would be taking the remainder of the regular season and the Big Ten tournament off to get much needed rest.

Tim Eatman, who pitched in several times in the past due to absences, would run the squad until Stringer’s return.

Though the phrase “exhaustion,” was used in the wire service report out of New Jersey, the Guru’s trusted sources said there were no major health issues involving the Hall of Famer nor anything sinister in terms of the move leading to a change in command once the season is over.

The Scarlet Knights have enjoyed their best season in a while, holding third behind Maryland and Iowa, with as finish after Monday will include a visit from Minnesota at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and a visit to Ohio State on Sunday.

At one point projected to be a Top 16 team and a recent five-week return to the national rankings, Rutgers barring a collapse on the scale of what brought them down a year ago is still expected to land an at-large bid for the first time since 2015 should the Knights not win the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

And that’s the report.