The Guru Report: Major Wins for Villanova and Drexel While Saint Joseph’s Triumphs on Senior Day; South Carolina Clinches SEC Regular Season Tie

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

VILLANOVA, Pa. - When it comes to dealing DePaul at home in Finneran Pavilion, senior days are nice for Villanova to combine both on the Wildcats’ schedule.

Two seasons ago, in what became Harry Perretta’s last game at the helm at home Villanova pulled a major upset of the Blue Demons and on Sunday afternoon when DePaul was back in the neighborhood as part of the senior farewell to Briana Herlihy and Kenxzie Gardler, the Wildcats struck again, solidifying the outcome down the stretch and emerging with a 73-64 victory.

The win put Villanova (18-7, 12-4 Big East) into third place in the Big East standings with three games left in the regular season and the Wildcats are the first team when No. 10 UConn has been a member to beat every team at least once on the conference schedule since Notre Dame in 2012-13.

Maddy Siegrist scored 25 points with seven rebounds as the junior from Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) moved up the career scoring column past Lisa Angelotti (Mary Gedaka’s mom) to fifth with 3,631 points, just three below fourth place Lisa Ortlip and 28 behind third place Trish Juhline, who has 1,659. 

The two best couldn’t be surpassed until next year, the late Nancy Bernhardt at 2,018 and the legendary Shelly Pennefather at the top at 2,408, which is 777 away.

Freshman Lucy Olsen was a major help scoring 17 points with three assists and no turnovers while Lior Garzon shot 5-for-8 from the field and scored 12. Herlihy scored eight points and dealt seven assists, all in the first period and equaling her personal best.

“DePaul’s an incredible team and just knowing how hard they play and how fast they play, you just have to try to prepare the best you can,” Siegrist said. “And try to play your style.

“(Olsen) was great, I’m so very, very happy for her, she worked so hard. I think she showed that tonight. As a freshman it’s not always going to be perfect but she played perfect tonight.”

Said Olsen, “They’re really aggressive on defense so I had to take care of the ball, help our team break their press, and as a point guard you have to be a leader on the floor, so I had to keep our composure and, yeah, take care of the ball.”

The Blue Demons (21-8, 13-5) dropped back into fourth place, finishing the regular season next weekend hosting Seton Hall Friday at 8 p.m. in Wintrust Arena in Chicago and and then at Creighton Sunday at noon in Omaha, Neb.

Creighton, with a double overtime win at Seton Hall Sunday moved into second place. Villanova likely won’t be making up the postponed UConn visit here that was originally scheduled for Jan. 7.

“Obviously, senior day is always special,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said. “Brianna Herlihy and what she’s done in her time here is remarkable for six years showing up. Every practice she shows up like it’s her freshman year and I appreciate that as a coach but it’s a great example for her teammates to have that example.

“And Kenzie Gardler, who never lets up and has great energy and a go-to kid when you need a spark. She’s a worker and relentless. And willing to sacrifice herself for anything. People look at numbers and they don’t know they’re (the players) are intangibles and how much they do for this team and this program, so really proud of them.”

Following the five-in-ten schedule cramp, Villanova was off all week after last Sunday’s loss at Seton Hall.

“Obviously, we needed it,” Dillon said. “Huge week before, ran out of steam a little bit, I said to the players, `You can’t run out of steam this time of year so you got to find a way. We recharged, took advantage of having a home game and the energies of a senior day and did what was necessary to get a huge win.”

DePaul freshman sensation Aneesah Morrow had 23 points and 15 rebounds, her 21st straight double double, while Darrione Rogers had 18 points, made four from deep, while Deja Church scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Morrow also set a program seaason rebounding record with 401, topping Diana Vines (1986-87), who had 397.

Villanova closed out the game with an 8-4 run and earlier managed to build a 10-point lead. Siegrist has played six games against DePaul and averaged 278.5 ppg. in those contests.

Having won 15 of the last 17 games, the Wildcats will travel to Georgetown Tuesday playing at McDonough Arena in the nation’s capital at 7 p.m. and then on the weekend head to Butler at 7 p.m. in Indianapolis on Friday and at Xavier at 2 p.m. on Sunday in Cincinnati.

Creighton won 97-91 in the double overtime at Seton Hall in Walsh Gym in South Orange, N.J.

The Bluejays’ remaining game is the DePaul game but at the moment subject to change the Guru does not see any makeups so it appears 20 is the full slate of Big East games. Thus, if DePaul wins that game and the Wildcats run the table, they would get the second seed.

While the mostly reassembled UConn unit was doing its own wipeout, winning a Big East game 90-49 over visiting Georgetown in the XL Center in Hartford, the media learned afterwards don’t expect the reigning MVP of the nation, Paige Bueckers, back in action just yet, though the time is drawing nigh.

Christyn Williams had 19 points for the Huskies (19-5, 13-1 Big East), while freshman Azzi Fudd scored 12, and sophomore Nika Muhl had 11 points.

‘It’s so refreshing,” Williams said of the unit mostly back together. “Like a breath of fresh air.”

Well, the key is mostly, since UConn coach Geno Auriemma afterwards noting the recover status of his superstar from ankle surgery, said, “There’s some really good days where she feels like, `I could play tomorrow,’ and then there’s days where she’s reminded, ‘n, you can’t.’ “There’s more good days than not, but she’s not going to be playing this coming week. You’re not going to see her Wednesday, Friday or Sunday. What’s the Big East tournament look like? I don’t know. We’ll see.

“When you’re coming off an injury, the only person that knows when it’s time is the athlete themselves,” Auriemma said. “You have to get to a point when you trust it and you feel confident in it, and that’s probably the last thing to come.”

Drexel Edges Delaware; Returns to Sole Possession of First in the CAA: The Dragons jumped to a 21-9 lead at Delaware in the Blue Hens’ Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, had the wide margin dissipate in the stretch drive and then in a sense became the last one standing in an exchange of miscues in final minute to gain a sweep on the season with the 65-64 victory.

A month ago the two, which met in last season’s title game won by Drexel, off a preseason tie for first, lived up to the vote and were the remaining unbeaten CAA teams when they played at Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center where the Dragons prevailed.

But since then the home team’s long win streak continued until tripped up by Charleston while Delaware kept going, setting up Sunday’s deadlock breaker.

The implication of a loss on both sides, Drexel would suffer and drop to a No. 2 seed in the CAA tourney it is hosting next month, assuming everything else holds.

Delaware would lose out head-to-head on the sweep, allowing the Dragons some comfort if they fall back into a tie.

And so the Philly contingent came out firing and while they fell back, they steadied to get to the half with a 37-26 lead.

In the third period, it got to 15 at 47-32 before Delaware (18-6, 12-2 CAA), the 2021 regular season champs with a sweep of the Dragons, began to rally once more with a fierce 15-2 run to move within a bucket at 49-47 with 1:03 left in the third.

In the fourth, Keishana Washington made it 59-54 for the visitors (21-3, 13-1) with 5:49 left in regulation before the Blue Hens exploded on an 8-0 run and a 62-59 lead, their first of the afternoon.

Then Washington, the MVP of last season’s tourney, nailed two deep and a regained 65-62 lead.

Holding a one-point lead with time winding down Hannah Nihill missed both foul shots but at the other end, Delaware went for the game winner and missed as time expired.

Washington had a game-high 32 points, her third at 30 or more this season, while Nihill scored 16 and went for a series of fives with five rebounds, five assists, and and five steals.

Tessa Brugler had nine points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and three assists,while Mariah Leonard  scored eight, grabbed seven boards, four on the offensive glass.

“My team fought and that is what you want,” said Delaware coach Natasha Adair. “You want to be in a position to have the ball in your hands for the win and I am going to live with that shot.

“We can go back through this game and break it down, but what I love is the fight and the grit of this team. We knew it was going to be a battle and we knew it was going to come down to the wire — our team never hung our heads when we got down and we marched back.

“That is the fight of this team. The good thing is this isn’t March but we are building to it. There are things that we can take from this game and continue to get better and improve on. The fight and the resiliency of this group, I will take all day.”

Jasmine Dickey had 22 points and 10 rebounds and three steals for her 12th double double of the season. Ty Battle scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for her 16th double double this season, while Ty Skinner had 11 points.

This weekend on Friday, Delaware hosts Elon in its Education game at 11 a.m. while Drexel hosts Williams & Mary at 7 p.m. Then on Sunday, the Dragons host Elon at 2 p.m. and the Blue Hens host William & Mary at 1 p.m.

Elsewhere in the CAA, Towson holding third became the fastest team in the program’s history to reach 20 wins, beating Charleston 84-57 at home in SECU Arena in suburban Baltimore. Aleah Nelson had 26 points, eight rebounds, and five assists for the Tigers (20-5, 11-3 CAA), while Allie Kubek had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Anissa Rivera had 12 rebounds and reserve Sky Williams scored 15 against Charleston (14-11, 6-8).

JMU in a distant fourth beat UNCW 73-51 at home at Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Va. Kiki Jefferson scored 21 for the Dukes (12-13, 8-6 CAA), while Madison Green scored 15, courtesy of five from deep against the Seahawks (3-21, 0-14), and Steph Ouderkirk scored 10.

Saint Joseph’s Shows Youth in Senior Day Win: The Hawks paid home farewell to their senior members in a 57-34 win in Hagan Arena over longtime Atlantic 10 rival George Washington but coach Cindy Griffin trotted out the freshmen group throughout that has been winning weekly conference newcomer awards.

“The seniors have done an unbelievable job for us,” Griffin said. “They have started for us and I knew it would be seamless because they played so many minutes as starters and reserves. They were locked in and I knew it would be a balanced group and a very productive group. I was impressed by the way they came out.”

A 16-4 second quarter sent Saint Josephs (10-15, 6-7 A-10) on to victory in seventh place just behind La Salle, the difference the Explorers sweep during the season.

The 34 points by the Colonials (11-15, 4-9) is a season-best on defense effort from the Hawks.

Rookie Mackenzie Smith had a game-high 21 points, shooting 7-for-10 from the field. Sophomore Olivia Mullins scored nine with eight boards, and dealt four assists. Senior Katie Mayock scored eight, as did sophomore Emma Boslet. Freshman Talya Brugler and grad student Alyna Gribble each grabbed seven rebounds.

“The freshmen have been incredible,” Mayock said. “They came in on day one and they’ve worked harder than anyone else. It’s been great to be able to help them.”

And from the lower class looking up,  Smith said, “They pushed us to really compete and be ourselves.”

Griffin was pleased the way the day played out as envisioned.

“I’m very grateful,” she said. “I shared in the locker room that I am really proud of them and happy we could do this for the seniors. Because they’ve been so loyal, they’ve been so committed. They truly embody what it means to be a Hawk.”

Added Mayock, “I’m really glad we got the win, and I’m lucky to be here with the group of people that I am.”

The pre-game honorees were Lovin Marsicano, Alayna Gribble, Katie Mayock, and Katie Jekot, who was sidelined. Additionally, due was paid to “The Hawk,” Asia Whittenberger and manager Michele Bilotta.

On Wwednesday, front running Dayton visits at 7 and then the regular season will end Saturday at Duquesne in Pittsburgh. The A-10 tournament the following week will be played in Wilmington, Del.

Rutgers Win Streak Snapped:  The Scarlet Knights’ two-game win streak over the past week in the Big Ten ended with Purdue gaining a 70-59 victory in Jersey Mike’s Arena as the Boilermakers (15-12, 6-10 BigTen) jumped to a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to take a win in Piscataway, N.J.

“I was proud of a great three quarters,” said acting head coach Timothy Eatman. “We just didn’t finish together in the fourth quarter. We had opportunities where we didn’t make shots, and on defense, we had opportunities for stops but gave up easy baskets. To Purdue’s credit, they made their open shots. The fourth quarter didn’t maintain what we needed to accomplish to win. We get a chance to come back on Thursday, honor our seniors, and get a chance to play a good Iowa team.”

Awa Sidibe had 12 points for Rutgers (9-18, 2-13), while Tyia Singleton had nine points and seven boards, and Osh Brown had nine points, as did Lasha Petree.

Abbey Ellis had 20 points for Purdue, which got six steals through Madison Layden plus six more in the game.

Nationally noted: South Carolina Handles Tennessee: Having already slipped several times ahead of the anticipated Southeastern Conference showdown with top-ranked South Carolina, coach Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks showed the No. 12 Lady Vols there’s no change in leadership coming this week, beating Tennessee 67-53 in Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.

Aliyah Boston racked up her 19th straight double double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, tying the SEC record set by WNBA great Sylvia Fowles at LSU, who now will retire at the end of the 2022 season with the Minnesota Lynx. Overall, the individual double double was the 50th for Boston.

South Carolina (25-1, 13-1 SEC) clinched a tie for the regular season SEC crown, while Tennessee (21-6, 10-4) dropped back a little more in the standings heading to the final week.

Just a few short weeks ago, Tennessee reached No. 4 and the crowd in Knoxville was ready to rumble but since then the squad has gone 3-5.

Destanni Henderson was the Gamecock senior honored pre-game. 

Matters worse for the visitors was the absence by Jordan Horston, who suffered a a fractured dislocation of her left elbow in the loss last week at Alabma.

Zia Cooke scored 12 for Staley’s group and Henderson had 11.

A crowd of 18,000 tied a record with the Gamecock’s sixth sellout in program history.

South Carolina goes to Texas A&M Wednesday and then to Ole Miss Sunday.

Elsewhere in the SEC, lowly Auburn stunned No. 21 Georgia 65-60 while No. 11 LSU will likely move into the Top 10 after beating No. 17 Florida 66-61.

In the ACC, No. 3 Louisville at home beat No. No. 23 Virginia Tech, 73-56, while Miami upset No. 16 Georgia Tech 51-39 on the road.

In the Big Ten, No. 9 Michigan topped No. 13 Maryland at home 71-59.

In the Big 12, No. 14 Texas won at West Virginia 67-58.

Meanwhile in the PAC-12, No. 8 Arizona fell again, losing at Washington State 72-67.

However, No. 2 Stanford avoided an upset rallying as the defending NCAA champions stayed perfect in the PAC-12 beating Oregon 66-62 on the road in Eugene at the Mathew Knight Arena.

Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer extended her Division I women’s record win total to 1,148, still ahead of UConn Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma, who reached 1,138 earlier Sunday.

Haley Jones scored 18 for the Cardinal (23-3, 14-0 Pac-12).

“We knew we weren’t playing our best basketball, but we were able to snap out of it, focus one another, stay tight,” said Jones, who scored 10 in the fourth quarter.

Te-Hina Paopao scored 23, including four deep, for Oregon (18-9, 10-5).

Stanford has won 29 straight over Pac-12 opponents., including four straight over the Ducks.

Looking Ahead: Locally, Rider will be looking for three straight hosting a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game when Marist visits the Broncs’ Alumni Gym Monday night at 7 while Penn State in the Big Ten visits Michigan State at 6 p.m. on the B1G network.

No. 5 Indiana looks for revenge in the Big Ten in the second of two back-to-back this weekend playing at No. 22 Iowa 8 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Earlier in the day, senior Monika Czinano announced she will be returning for a fifth season to Iowa next season.

“These have been the best four years of my life, so why switch things up now? I’ll be back again next year.”

And that’s your Monday report.