Guru Report-Part 2: Villanova Gets First Win While Saint Joseph’s Suffers Loss

(Guru note: Because of the many things that happened Sunday, the report is being rolled out in segments. Part 1 is posted on la salle’s comeback weekend. This is part 2)

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

A week ago after Villanova had lost its second game, being eclipsed by James Madison in the Wildcats’ Finneran Pavilion, coach Harry Perretta speculated when he thought his mostly inexperienced squad may be nearing the unit he would like it to be.

“This is just going to take a while,” he said. “I don’t know. Maybe five (games) but I don’t know.”

Consider for the moment Villanova to be slightly ahead of Perretta’s forecast.

The Wildcats got their first win of the season, Sunday, beating host Fordham 73-66 in the Rams’ Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx in what was a unique doubleheader.

In the other game that served as the opener, Seton Hall topped Saint Joseph’s, 55-39, as the Pirates handed the Hawks a throwback to last season when scoring was something hard to come by.

There was no formal marketing name to the event, though the main feature would be the appearance of Perretta, who earlier this month announced that this, his 42^nd season in being a head coach, all on the Main Line, would be his last.

In the matchup with the struggling Rams  (0-4), the defending Atlantic 10 tournament champions, Perretta went against one of his former players in Fordham coach Stephanie Gaitley, who played for the Wildcats (1979-83) and was on Perretta’s squad that went to the AIAW Final Four at The Palestra in 1982.

It wasn’t the first time the two were on opposite sides because of Gaitley’s past history coaching Saint Joseph’s and their annual matchups in the Big Five race.

 The event could have been billed as a Big East/Atlantic 10 challenge considering Saint Joe’s of the A-10 meeting Seton Hall of the Big East while likewise Big East ‘Nova meeting the Rams, against whom they are now 6-0.

In the Wildcats’ win, once again, and in almost every game of the Guru’s local 11 who played Sunday, the new faces like the Australian twins on La Salle, are making early contributions.

In the win by Villanova (1-3), which had fallen to George Washington, JMU, and American U, redshirt freshman Maddy Siegrist, who made her first start, scored a career-high 29 points, while senior Mary Gedaka scored 27 to account for 56 of the ‘Cats 73 points.

Junior Cameron Onken tied a career mark for the visitors with eight rebounds and set a personal mark with six assists, while freshman Brooke Mullin scored nine points.

Fordham’s other losses have been a narrow one to nationally ranked Notre Dame in the season and home opener, at Columbia, and at Penn State.

The Rams  got 23 points from Bre Cavanaugh while Anna DeWolfe scored 15, and Kendell Heremaia scored 13 points.

Villanova next hosts on Thursday night at 7 Manhattan, coached by Heather Vullin, who had been Perretta’s recruiting coordinator.

Meanwhile, Saint Joseph’s (2-1), which had beaten Temple at home in the Hawks season and Big 5 opener last Monday, struggled to score against Seton Hall (4-1).

Irish native and freshman Claire Melia had a team-best seven points while freshman Gabby Smalls had a career-best 12 rebounds.

Desire Elmore led four of the five Seton Hall starters in double figures, scoring 16 points, while Alexis Lewis scored 12, and Mya Jackson and Lauren Park Lane scored 10 each.

In the next Big 5 showdown, the Hawks at 1-0 will take their record back home on Wednesday at 7 to host Penn, which will make its Big 5 debut.

Maryland 99, Delaware 55 – The Blue Hens picked the wrong week to visit College Park, where the No. 8 Terrapins were looking to change some things after taking a loss at home to No. 6 South Carolina and a narrow win at James Madison.

Taylor Mikesell matched her best scoring performance with 23 points, while Ashley Owusu and Blair Watson each scored 12 points.

Delaware (0-3) got 15 points from Tee Johnson and 14 from Jasmine Dickey, who also grabbed seven rebounds.

The Blue Hens were forced into 25 turnovers, leading Maryland to 41 points.

Coach Natasha Adair’s squad next goes to UCF Sunday at 2 p.m. while Maryland hosts nearby George Washington on Wednesday.

Connecticut 83, Temple 54 – They may not be your grandmother’s Huskies, but they are still tough enough.

Just when the populace in Temple’s Liacouras Center thought the finish could be interesting after the Owls (3-2) pulled within 12 points of the lead at the end of the third quarter.

But soon afterwards fourth-ranked UConn (3-0) finished off Temple to keep their ongoing perfect record in the American Athletic Conference in tact, improving to 121-0, including the six championships for NCAA automatic bids.

Of course, with the Huskies heading to the Big East this was the last conference meeting unless the two teams hook up in the AAC tourney in March at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

Previously announced, coach Geno Auriemma’s group will be heading back to the Big East next season, which means they will still be coming to town, but out on the Main Line playing Villanova.

Christyn Williams scored 19 for UConn, which also got 15 from Megan Walker, a double double 15 points and 10 rebounds from Olivia Nelson-Odada, and 14 from Crystal Dangerfield.

On the Temple side, Mia Davis scored 18 points, including her 1,000^th career score, while newcomer Ashley Jones had nine points and nine rebounds.

Temple coach Tonya Cardoza, who spent 14 seasons as an Auriemma assistant before succeeding Dawn Staley here in 2008, said the two schools have not talked yet about playing a non-conference game in the future.

The conference game was slated early with Temple agreeing to the move made necessary because of the number of non-conference games the Huskies will play on the other side of the New Year divide when 2020 arrives.

Temple next goes to Bucknell of the Patriot League on Wednesday in Lewisburg, Pa., near Harrisburg.

And that’s this segment of the report.