Guru’s WBB Report: Dillon Era at Villanova Off to a Roaring Start While Penn State and Delaware Also Win But Rutgers Gets a 48-Hour Delay

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

For the most part, the locals got off to a near-perfect winning start Wednesday with Villanova women’s basketball blasting Rider 70-37 at home in Finneran Pavilion to start the homecoming Denise Dillon era as Harry Perretta enjoyed his first time away from the helm in 43 seasons, using his retirement to play a round of golf elsewhere, though he will still be around a lot this winter.

 

Delaware at home in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark rocked Salem International 111-54 while Penn State up at home in the Bryce Jordan Center in State College handled Coppin State 84-45.

 

However, the new world of uncertainty caused by the coronavirus quickly made its presence felt at Rutgers in the RAC in Piscataway, N.J., as well as many other places.

 

Poised to tip at 11 a.m. and boasting of holding the honor of being the first game of the season anywhere, Covid-19 said not so fast minutes earlier to the Scarlet Knights as visiting Monmouth from nearby in Central Jersey came up with a positive test to postpone the contest.

 

The two teams will try to start again at the same time Friday morning on a delayed launch to the 50^th season of Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer, whose long run at Rutgers was preceded by stints at Cheyney in suburban Philadelphia and Iowa, all of which collectively saw her become the first men’s or women’s coach to lead all three programs to NCAA Women’s Final Fours, including the very first one held at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va., in 1982.

 

Given the last-minute delay on the top of the self-proclaimed buildup was reminiscent of the old NASA Mercury program, which saw a late weather event put a hold on astronaut Alan Shepard’s journey to become the first American to reach outer space.

 

And so it went throughout the day and night with several dozen schools claiming cancellations or postponements on the Wednesday card as well as other upcoming events also being made known of similar occurrences.

 

While we’re here, a breaking add-in has Towson meeting La Salle Monday at Tom Gola Arena at 4 p.m.

 

For the most part men’s and women’s teams played in arenas empty of fans or limited to a set number for families of players and coaches.

 

Losing his opener with Middle Tennessee State, Jeff Walz, coach of Louisville, had set up a clearing house of sorts among his colleagues and was able to do a last-minute replacement with Southeast Missouri to join all the nationally-ranked teams who played Wednesday with easy victories, his Cardinals winning 74-53.

 

No. 2 Stanford got a win to bring coach Tara VanDerveer within three of passing the late Tennessee legend Pat Summitt for all-time victories, which would put her at 1,099.

 

That gives her one more game to be ahead of UConn’s Geno Auriemma, whose team is in a 14-day quarantine shut-down due to a tier-one member of the program, though not a player or coach, having received a positive test.

 

Of the teams ranked that played, No. 1 South Carolina, whose coach Dawn Staley was victimized by the NCAA abrupt shutdown last March after finishing No. 1 for the first time in the AP women’s poll, and also saw her USA Olympic squad get delayed to this summer, thumped Charleston 119-38.

 

At No. 11 Kentucky, former Tennessee star promoted to head coach Kyra Elzy in the wake of Matthew Mitchell’s abrupt retirement caused by health conditions, the Wildcats routed Murray State 86-60.

 

Next week she’ll join an elite group of coaches who played on and coached AP ranked women’s teams, in some cases doing both at their alma maters.

 

Rhyne Howard, a preseason national player of the year contender off the Wildcats, did not play, having been suspended for two games for “not upholding the standards of the program.”

 

Elsewhere off the summer merry go round of coaches on the move, former Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer got Texas off to a 90-51 win over SMU, being replaced by former Tennessee star and ODU coach Nikki McCray-Penson.

 

She was replaced on the Monarchs by by sister former WNBA and Olympic star DeLisha Milton-Jones.

 

Dillon was succeeded at Drexel by longtime associate head coach Amy Mallon. Another WNBA great in Kara Lawson, having replaced Joanne P. McCallie at Duke, got the Blue Devils to a winning 94-64 start at home over Longwood.

 

Former Notre Dame star Niele Ivy has succeeded longtime Hall of Fame coach Muffet McGraw with the Irish, while some other changes of note has Maureen Magarity, daughter of Army’s Bill Magarity, moving from New Hampshire to Holy Cross,  former  WNBA and Maryland star Laura Harper taking over at Coppin State, Doshia Woods in charge at Denver, Krista Gerlich at Texas Tech, while former longtime Delaware coach Tina Martin is serving as interim coach at UNCW while Karen Barefoot is away tending to personal matters.

 

Though longtime Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly is sidelined during the front part of the season due to a positive virus test, it didn’t stop the Cyclones, who beat Omaha 69-43.

 

In the mighty PAC-12, nationally-ranked UCLA was virus-sidelined, California fell to San Jose 56-48 at home, and Washington narrowly edged San Diego State 61-59 but otherwise it was Stanford over Cal Poly 108-40, Southern Cal over Loyola Marymount 85-55, Arizona State over Stephen F. Austin 56-47 and Colorado over Western Colorado 77-50.

 

Local Lincoln University, who had a breakthrough Division II season a year ago, is playing some D-1 schools early and fell to George Washington 53-38, while in a New York area tilt, Fordham beat Stony Brook 62-58.

 

Looking at the three local winners in more depth:

 

Villanova 70, Rider 37 — In a game where both teams scrambled to hook up in the wake of virus cancellations, Denise Dillon got off to an easy winning start with the Wildcats, though the visiting Broncs forged a narrow 20-16 second quarter deficit.

 

Rider is rebuilding off its marquee season that was paced by eventual WNBA draftee Stella Johnson, moving the primary scoring role to Amanda Mobley, who had 14 points. 

 

“We were able to get a lot freshmen in so that was good,” said Dillon, originally set to play Saint Joseph’s until the Hawks went into quarantine, and off the original season start of two weeks ago also had Temple on tap.

 

Sophomore Maddy Siegrist picked up where she left off a stellar frosh season, scoring 28 points and grabbing ten rebounds.

 

Freshman Lior Garzon scored 11.

 

The Wildcats are 9-0 on Rider and Dillon’s win was her 330^th overall.

 

Still running a trademark defense, Villanova held Rider to 12 of 48 for 25 percent from the field and got 25 points off 20 turnovers.

 

“I was pleased with the connection,” Dillon said. “They worked together to play both ends of the floor. I was pleased with their buy-in.”

 

As for the Rider side of things, longtime coach Lynn Milligan told Broncs beat writer Dylan Manfre, “The score is what it is but I like the shots we got. We didn’t make any shots, that was clear.

 

“I think our biggest issue today was we just didn’t defend as well as I thought we were.”

 

As for dealing with Siegrist, Milligan said, “ We had a couple of defensive plays on her and she was still able to make a bucket.

 

“She found a couple of looks and you can’t keep her open. If you make a mistake on a switch or x-out or something, she is going to make you pay.”

 

Rider is set to host Drexel at 2 on Saturday while the Wildcats were suppose to play MAAC favorite Manhattan on the same day and time but that now is off the books making the Big East overall and home opener next Friday against DePaul the next game on tap.

 

Penn State 84, Coppin State 45 — A balanced attack carried the Lady Lions to their home and overall opening win, led by freshman Tova Sabel, eho scored 14 points. 

 

Transfer and former Villanova star Kelly Jekot made her debut, scoring 11 points, including her 1,000^th carrier point, and also grabbed 11 rebounds.

 

Sophomore Anna Camden had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore Makenna Marisa had 12 points and dealt seven assists.

 

“Excited that we were able to get out there and play Coppin State and get the jitters out,” said second-year coach Carolyn Kieger, formally at Marquette. “I thought we had a lot of great moments, obviously a lot to learn, we need to fix some things defensively but with 13 newcomer I’m pleased.

 

“It’s obvious an adjustment coaching in a mask, players having to put a mask on,” Kieger referenced playing under the new conditions. “I thought everyone adjusted well. Credit to our game operations staff getting us into a position where we’re safe and healthy and I thought the setup was fantastic.

 

“I feel joy for our players being able to press on. I know they’ve been waiting for this a long time,” Kieger echoed what had been said at many other places that held opening day games.

 

“I thought (Sabel) she played phenomenal,” she said. “Our first intersquad scrimmage she got a little nervous. But, first game in America, I thought she settled in. She’s a scorer, she can put the ball on the floor, she can shoot the three. She’s going to be a prime time player for us.”

 

Penn State next hosts Saint Francis, Pa., Monday night at 6 p.m.

 

Delaware 111, Salem (W. Va.) 54 — The Blue Hens broke new records in playing inside the Bob Carpenter Center in the first Blue Hens athletic event in 260 days since the shutdown caused by the Covid-19 virus.

 

The points and 71 rebounds were program marks.

 

Jasmine Dickey set a career high with 31 points and Lizzie Oleary did likewise scoring 14 off 5-for-6 from the field. Redshirt junior Ty Battle had 16 points and 10 rebounds in her first Blue Hens game, while sophomore Brynn Wade had seven points and 12 rebounds, both personal marks as a Blue Hens member.

 

Freshman Tyi Skinner debuted with 15 points.

 

On teams matchups, Delaware dominated, 71-31 on rebounds, 64-22 on points in the paint, 21-2 on second chance points, and 32-3 on points off turnovers.

 

The Blue Hens next go to neighboring rival Delaware State Wednesday next week in Dover.

 

And that’s the report.

 

Happy Thanksgiving.