The Guru Report: Siegrist Slams Scoring Marks Leading Villanova Over La Salle

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA – Soon after the Villanova men excited the campus out on the Main Line with a one-point upset of No. 1 Kansas Saturday afternoon down at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia, the Wildcat women had one of their own blast her way into the conversation with a history-making performance to lead ‘Nova to a gritty 77-69 Big Five victory at La Salle in the Explorers’ Tom Gola Arena.

Newcomer Maddy Siegrist from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., rewrote a slew of pages setting records with 41 points to join some elite names who already own Hall of Fame status.

The redshirt freshman, who already has claimed several weekly Big East newcomer honors as well as a national weekly freshman citation from the United States Basketball Writers Association, is likely to gain more accolades conference-wise, as well as more national attention.

In the Villanova books, Siegrist obliterated the 33-point freshman single-game record set 36 seasons ago  by the immortal Shelly Pennefather and the total is the only other from among the overall all-time Wildcats womens roster to cross the 40-point plateau close behind Pennefather’s 44 set Dec. 27, 1985 against Cheyney as a senior.

Siegrist became the first player ever in a Big Five game and first player from any of the Big Five member schools to score 40 as a freshman.

Overall among all Big Five women in history, there are now 11 individual game marks reaching 40 points or better from seven different players – totals produced by Pennefather at 44, and then multiples of 42 from former Temple star Kristen McCarthy, former Saint Joseph’s star Dale Hodges, and Penn star Diana Carmanico, followed by multiples of 41 from Temple star Marilyn Stephens, Penn’s Caramanico and the Quakers’ Kirsten Brendel, ‘Nova’s Siegrist Saturday, two from Saint Joseph’s Hodges, and a game of 40 from Penn’s Robin Fortsch.

The list is at the bottom of this section of the report.

Additionally, if we take the feat to make it in the realm of the Philly Six to include Drexel, we add the Dragons’ Gabriela Marginean, who did hit the mark as a freshman with the all-time number of 47, but that came in the famed game of five overtimes against Northeastern.

Marginean also produced totals of 41 and 40 in regulation games.

There may be a small update to come in that in going through the school media guides and how they listed records, it is possible that box scores exist showing a couple of matching feats but not listed after the school records were set. 

From a Big East member standpoint, Siegrist’s points were the most for any conference player since 2013.

As for nationally, the 41 are the most by any freshman player this season in Division I, the fifth highest overall, and the most by any rookie since the 2017-18 season and the total set a women’s scoring record in the Tom Gola Arena.

From the outset. Siegrist started building her total against the Explorers (6-6, 0-2 Big Five) in the first period, making a bunch on backdoor cuts off veteran Villanova coach Harry Perretta’s motion offense.

Siegrist had 25 in the first half and might have leaped over that entire list had she not missed a layup and foul shot. For the game, though, she shot 13-for-19 from the field, 6-of-10 three-pointers, and 9-of-10 from the line.

It was a near triple-double in  that she also grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots.

“That’s what you call, efficiency,” Villanova associate head coach Joe Mullaney Jr. said of Siegrist’s performance.

“We were all in the motion and we were ale to get a lot of backdoors and threes,” Siegrist said. “Luckily, today, we were able to hit some, so that’s always helpful, but the motion worked great.”

With all that, the plus for the Explorers was that in the wake of Tuesday’s massacre loss at Drexel, the young squad bounced back and made it a contest before succumbing to Villanova (5-5, 2-1) for the 11^th straight time in the series dating back to Nov. 14, 2008, in an overtime 67-62  loss.

Overall the Wildcats lead the series 40-9 with the Explorers not beating them here since 1999.

With Siegrist in the flow, in the third period, Villanova bolted from a 42-37 halftime lead to nine points at 48-39 with 8:38 left on the strength of a Siegrist three-pointer.

But the Explorers then rallied on an 11-0 run to go ahead 50-48 with 5:17 left in the game which had 14 lead changes and seven ties.

A Siegrist three got the advantage back to the Wildcats but then the Explorers’ Shalina Miller scored inside the paint to give the home team the lead.

Mary Gedaka’s basket 10 seconds before the end of the third gave Villanova a 56-54 lead with 10 minutes of the entire fourth left in regulation.

Claire Jacobs, part of the freshmen pair of twin sisters from Australia, including Amy, gave La Salle a 57-56 lead but ‘Nova’s Raven James’ three-ball swung the game back to the Wildcats, 59-57 and a technical foul on La Salle spurred a continuation of an 8-0 run with two foul shots by Siegrist and another three from James.

Claire Jacobs cut the deficit to four at 66-62 with 4:16 left in regulation but then Villanova re-gained control with two more Siegrist foul shots and a third three-ball from James followed by two foul shots from Gedaka to get the lead to double digits at 73-62 on  what had become a 7-0 run.

That was enough to get the Wildcats to the finish.

In what has become the year of the freshmen women in the city, accentuated by Penn’s Kayla Padilla and Villanova’s Siegrist, 48 of the Explorers’ 69 points came from the home team’s rookies.

Claire Jacobs had 25 points, Jordon Lewis scored 11, eight came from Amy Jacobs, and Kayla Braxton-Young off the bench scored four.

Miller had eight points and 10 rebounds and blocked three shots while becoming the third person in Explorers career history with 500 points, 500 rebounds, and 100 blocked shots joining Amy Griffin of the Class of 2018 and Suzi McCaffrey in the Class of 1986.

After committing 28 turnovers in the loss at Drexel, the Explorers reduced the ball control problems to just losing 12.

“We did compete, we certainly competed at a high level today,” second -year coach Mountain MacGillivray said. “Offensively, I thought we got off the mat. Defensively, wasn’t so good.”

Junior Kate Hill dealt 11 assists.

“Hey, listen, Maddy Siegrist is a great player,” MacGillivray said, “but 41 should be harder than that, right? Forty-one should be harder than that. But Harry runs such good stuff, certainly not garbage. But it’s my last chance to beat him, certainly disappointed,” the La Salle coach said with a smile.

Siegrist has scored 20 points in six of her first 10 games.

After losing the first three overall games Villanova has won five of  its last seven.

At the beginning of the season, Perretta announced his retirement when things conclude in March or April.

Prior to the opening tip, La Salle became the latest team to give him a few gifts.

He has been at Nova his entire 42-season career and certainly win number 770 Saturday against 481 losses will be one of the more memorable ones.

Afterwards, Perretta spoke both of how the game evolved as well as Siegrist’s day.

“It’s a Big Five game, it’s usually ugly, and it was and they were really smart the way they played us. They tried to get our kids that don’t get a high field goal percentage to shoot the ball. Raven came through, she made those two threes and that was basically the game.”

As for the one that can make the shots, Siegrist leads the team in scoring  at 19.9, Perretta observed, “she’s so fast and she’s in such good shape that when she’s moving, it’s hard for them to put a big kid on her because she’s going to get open, eventually.

“Either that, or if they try to deny her, she can back-cut. She’s just learning, that’s what’s scary.”

James finished with 11 points, Gedaka scored 15, and Bridget Herlihy scored 10.

Villanova is the Big Five won-loss leader at 121-40 for a .751 winning percentage. 

As things die down across the Christmas holiday, other than the Penn game at Villanova next month, which should be a dandy, the Wildcats are through with non-conference play, beginning the Big East slate next Sunday when Providence visits at 4 p.m., followed by a New Year’s Eve tilt at Finneran Pavilion the following Tuesday hosting Creighton.

La Salle next hosts Temple in the Explorers’ third Big Five game on Monday, Dec. 30, at at 7 p.m.

The standings right now show Penn at 2-0 with visits left for next month to Villanova and Temple.

Villanova is 2-1 awaiting the Penn game. Temple is 1-1 with the La Salle visit and host of Penn. Saint Joseph’s is 1-2 with a January visit to La Salle that also counts in the Atlantic 10.

Oddly, that Atlantic 10 arrangement on the home-and-home created an interesting situation when your Guru started the research on the 40-point history after the game.

When we saw Dale Hodges’ total against Temple, we immediately assumed Siegrist was the second player to score 40 or more in a City Series game and first freshman.

But then the Guru’s memory revived and wondered if that was not the City Series game since when the Owls were in the conference, they, too, did a home-and-home.

Sure enough, the Hawks media guide did not show a Big Five footnote on the date of Hodges’ big night.

That said, here’s the complete history in the city.

Big Five Players Scoring 40 or more Points (Class in parentheses)

44-Shelly Pennefather (Senior), Villanova, vs. Cheyney, 1985

42-Dale Hodges (Senior), Saint Joseph’s, vs. Temple (A-10 only), Jan. 31, 1990

42-Diana Caramanico (Senior), Penn, vs. Albany, Jan. 28, 2001

42-Kristen McCarty (Sophomore), Temple, vs. Charlotte (A-10), Feb. 13, 2010 (Liacouras Center)

41-Marilyn Stephens (Senior), Temple, vs. George Mason, 1983-84

41-Dale Hodges (Senior), Saint Joseph’s, at St. Bonaventure (A-10), Feb. 26, 1990

41-Dale Hodges (Senior), Saint Joseph’s, vs. Massachusetts (Neutral), Dec. 4, 1989

41-Kirsten Brendel (Senior), Penn, vs. Bucknell, Jan. 3, 1991

41-Diana Caramanico (Junior), Penn, vs. Lafayette, Dec. 3, 1999                     

41-Maddy Siegrist (Freshman), Villanova, at La Salle (Big Five), Dec. 21, 2019

40-Robin Fortsch (Senior), Penn, vs. Yale (Ivy), Feb. 28, 1987

Drexel in Philly Six

47-Gabriela Marginean (Freshman), Drexel vs. Northeastern (CAA) (5 Overtimes), Feb. 22, 2007

41-Gabriela Marginean (Senior), Drexel, vs. Northeastern (CAA) (1 Overtime), Jan. 28, 2010

40-Gabriela Marginean (Junior), Drexel, vs. Old Dominion (CAA), Feb. 12, 2009

 Saint Joseph’s Falls to Furman in FAU Title Game

Looking to ramp up to the start of Atlantic 10 play in two weeks, the Hawks off a strong opening round Friday beating Harvard in the Florida Atlantic University Holiday Classic in Boca Raton headed to the title round Saturday and were in contention for a trophy playing within two points of Furman at the half.

But then the Paladins took off in the third on a 22-12 run and eventual 63-48 victory dropping Saint Joseph’s to 5-6 and improving themselves to 8-4.

Mary Sheehan scored 13 for the Hawks, shooting 6-of-13 from the field, while freshman Claire Melia from Ireland scored nine points, shooting 4-of-10 from the field and grabbing seven rebounds.

Sheehan and Melia off their two-day performances were named to the all-tournament team.

Saint Joseph’s was just 2-for-20 on three-point attempts and 0-for-14 after the first quarter and never got to the foul line the entire game.

The Hawks, who were the only other of the Guru 11 Local D-1 teams besides the Villanova-La Salle match to play Saturday, are now off until hosting Navy on Dec. 30 at 7 in Hagan Arena.

The locals finish Sunday until next weekend with Temple hosting Florida Gulf Coast at noon while Penn State hosts Sacred Heart the same time.

Small Colleges: Lincoln Rises Back to Life While Holy Family and USciences Also Get Victories

Two days after having had an eight-game win streak snapped, D2-Lincoln temporarily left to challenge a D-1 squad and came away with a win in the process playing up for the second time in two seasons, beating North Carolina Central 68-53 in Durham.

The game against the MEAC member counted as an exhibition for the Lions but a loss for the Eagles that dropped them to 2-10.

Kwanzaa Murray scored a game-high 21 points for the Lions, who were 11-2 after Thursday. Shantel Creeks scored 14 for the visitors to the game in Durham, the same town that is home to Duke University.

Shantel Cheeks scored 14, and DeAshia Young scored 12, had seven rebounds and six assists.

Alisia Machado had eight rebounds.

Lincoln is now off until hosting Livingstone College on Jan. 4.

Holy Family Bests Jefferson

After a surprising performance of self-coaching in the Philadelphia/Suburban NCAA Women’s Summer League in taking down Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference powers USciences and Jefferson in Division II and winning the playoffs, the Tigers are doing it for real under new coach Bernadette Laukaitis, the former Associate Head Coach at Penn under Mike McLaughlin.

Off to a 4-0 start in the CACC the Tigers disrupted Jefferson U. with a fourth-quarter rally outscoring the Rams 26-11 for a 71-64 triumph at their Campus Center in Northeast Philadelphia.

Holy Family (6-4, 4-0 CACC) used a 15-0 run in the fourth period to take the win.

Six foul shots in the final 22 seconds carried the Tigers to the win over the Rams (4-7, 1-2).

Former Tigers coach Mike McLaughlin, who played for Holy Family and then built it into a national D-2 women’s power and is now Penn women’s coach, was one of several individuals from the past inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame during halftime.

Alynna Williams had 16 points for Jefferson as did Allie Warren while Williams had six steals and four rebounds and Warren had seven rebounds.

Haley Meinel scored 12 points.

Holy Family’s Anjelai Hayes had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers, while Elizabeth Radley scored 16 and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Mia Ehling scored 13. Moe Moore had nine points and nine rebounds.

The Tigers now break into New Year’s Eve hosting Millersville at 1 p.m. while Jefferson meets Felician on Jan. 4 at 1 p.m.

USciences Handles Chestnut Hill College

The Devils won their third straight in CACC play after the opening upset loss to Holy Family, beating Chestnut Hill easily 62-37 at home in Bobby Morgan Arena in Southwest Philadelphia.

Jordan Vitelli had 18 points and four steals, while Brigit Coleman added to the 15 team-high in steals with 15.

Irisa Ye had 16 points for USciences and Kendall Keyes scored 12 off the bench.

The Devils (9-3, 3-1) next finish non-conference play on Jan. 3 hosting regionally ranked St. Thomas of Aquinas.

Chestnut Hill (3-9, 2-2) got nine points from Cassie Sebold as a team high.The Griffins next travel to Adelphi on Jan. 1 at 6 p.m.

Nationally Noted: Columbia Sets Record While Building Into a Force

The Lions may be the next big thing in the Ivy League.

On Saturday they romped over NJIT 99-43 at home in Levien Gym in the Upper East of New York in Manhattan in a non-conference game.

The sixth consecutive win came with the largest margin in Columbia’s history over a Division I opponent and the 99 points were the most for the Lions (7-3) in 30 years against a Division I opponent.

“We took a lot of pride to make sure our defense was leading to offense, which gives you more opportunities,” said coach Megan Griffith, a native of King of Prussia. “Our team is competitive. We don’t need to challenge them to compete every day.”

Abbey Hsu was Columbia’s leading scorer with 18 points against NJIT (3-9).

Next up after the break is a non-conference trip to Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 29.

Elsewhere host Minnesota beat Lehigh 77-49 as the Gophers (10-1) got 19 points from Destiny Pitts while Emma Grothaus scored 16 for the Mountain Hawks (7-3) of the Patriot League. 

No. 22 West Virginia upset No. 16 Michigan State as Kari Niblack scored 21 on eight of 10 from the field for the Mountaineers (8-1) in the Florida Sunshine Classic in Winter Park, Fla. Nia Cloudon had 16 points for the Spartans in the round robin.

Old Dominion made it a 3-0 sweep in the three-day round-robin of its inaugural Anne Donovan Classic by beating Mount St. Mary’s 85-34 to improve to 10-2 in Norfolk, Va.

On Sunday, the last day of games until Friday, No. 10 UCLA will be at No. 12 Indiana at noon. No. 1 Stanford is at Texas at 1 p.m. No. 2 Connecticut will host Oklahoma at 4 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., but Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma will be sidelined from Wednesday’s non-invasive surgery and associate head coach Chris Dailey will run the squad.

And that’s the report.