The Guru Report: Siegrist Super at Villanova Scoring 50 in Rout of Seton Hall

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

VILLANOVA — For those who have been following Villanova superstar Maddy Siegrist’s career on the Main Line and arrived here at the Pavilion Saturday afternoon for a key Big East matchup between the No. 15 Wildcats and Seton Hall as she was narrowing down to more milestones, there apparently was a message in the air to everyone in the house — You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.

Soon after the opening tip, Siegrist transformed the basketball to her own mobile fountain pen and spent the next 40 minutes in what can be said is the greatest women’s performance at any of the six Philly schools across the decades rewriting a slew of records highlighted by 50 points along with 10 rebounds in a 99-65 victory.

After last month breaking the seemingly invincible ‘Nova career scoring record for men and women held by Shelly Pennefather at Creighton followed several days later by eclipsing Penn’s Diana Caramanico’s Big Five mark at UConn, Siegrist made sure the next batch, primarily 47 points away from the Big East record, would be handled before the home folks.

The conference only keeps league games in the stats for that achievement.

Only one local women’s mark remains for the nation’s leading scorer, heading into Wednesday’s game at St. John’s (7 p.m., FloHoops) at Jamaica, NY in Queens, she’s 11 points from the Philly Six career mark of 2,581 set by Gabriela Marginean of Drexel at the close of her eligibility in 2009.

Ironically, the Dragons coach then was current Villanova coach Denise Dillon, who returned to her alma mater three seasons ago following the retirement of longtime mentor Harry Perretta.

“You feel in your career, you have players who love the game, as ‘Gabby. You see it in Maddy. It’s really inspiring,” Dillon said of coaching the two. “It gives their teammates confidence. Early in my career, ‘Gabby set the bar for any player I was recruiting, for teammates, the results you get from effort.

“And to get here at Villanova and step in a situation where Maddy is here and see here’s another whose so much like ‘Gabby. So special. It’s a gift, for sure, in coaching, but certainly to see how a program gets better because of a player who came before like ‘Gabby. And then a storied tradition for so long here with Shelly, and then ‘03, Trish Juhline and that group, and it’s the same what we’re seeing in this era. It’s nice, to see history repeats itself with this group.”

Siegrist hit enough marks for revision that in a reversal of how schools send postgame emails or place website reports the notes were the game story and the game was the notes.

“Amazing performance by Maddy,” Dillon said. “We’ve seen her do some pretty incredible things on the court, especially here at the Pavilion.

 “Today, her efficiency of her scoring (20-for-26, 4-of-6 deep, 6-of-8 on the line), and what she made happen to just give the confidence to our team to get a much needed win.”

Maddie Burk also scored in double figures for the Wildcats (22-4, 13-2 Big East), who are second behind No. 4 UConn in the conference, with 12 points.

The Pirates (15-10, 8-7) got 21 points from Sydney Cooks and 20 from Lauren Park-Lane.

“When you are playing, you don’t even realize it,” Siegrist said of her performance. “But there was a point in the second half where one shot I threw up that I didn’t think was gonna go in, and it went in. I was just like, `All right, maybe some days are just your day.”

“This was a big game for us. Seton Hall is a really good team. We just went in with that one-game-at-a-time mentality.”

She also recorded her 50th double-double with the points and rebounds.

The game was close as expected until near the end of the first half with 53.1 seconds left and the Wildcats ahead 35-27 when Park-Lane fouled Burke and was charged with a technical followed by a second technical on Pirates coach Tony Bozzella.

Burke made her two shots for being fouled and then Siegrist fired down 3-of-4 from the line for the technicals.

At the break she had 22, a stat familiar from past performances, but also the knowledge how much she has poured down in the third and fourth period.

Then Siegrist’s points kept coming in bunches and anything was possible as she proved.

The marks she added to her all-American profile were the Big East women’s mark, previously held by Boston College’s Sarah Behn (1989-93) at 1,546. 

She’s at 1,550 with five regular season games left.

The Big East single game mark of 43, which she hit with 7:23 left in regulation, which also became the Villanova women’s mark.

The career mark came with her 47th point with 5:55 left. 

She then reached 50 and left the game to a second chant from the crowd of “MVP.”

“Any time you play at home it’s so much fun, the atmosphere,” Siegrist said.

The 50 are the best this season by men or women in Division I.

In a tight race with No. 5 Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, whose team will host Rutgers Sunday, Siegrist’s average is 29.1 after Saturday.

She also broke the Big East mark for field goals with 20. Siegrist is 33 points from the single season Big East points record. 

She also holds the Big East player of the week mark at with 15.

And the 50 are now the best ever in the Philly Six, and by inclusion, in the Big Five. 

Several schools have had players reach 42, a mark Siegrist reached at La Salle in a Big Five game, which was her previous best.

Not counting in these geographical lines of discussion, former Delaware great Elena Delle Donne, a WNBA All-Star with the Washington Mystics, scored 54 in a loss at James Madison.

During the game, Siegrist joined Pennefather as the second player to grab 1,000-career rebounds.

Said Perretta, who recruited her, of his impressions, considering he also coached Pennefather, “I thought she could fit the system nicely. I thought she had the potential to be good. I never thought she could be that good, it’s a tribute to her work ethic.”

Earlier this week Villanova landed a four-seed, No. 15 overall, from the NCAA tournament committee’s first reveal, the next coming in two weeks. If it holds on Selection Sunday, Villanova would get to be a host site for the first two rounds.

Several sources said there was very little debate in awarding the seed to the Wildcats.

Saturday’s game was one of the hurdles, plus the return game at Seton Hall, Wednesday’s St. John’s game, and next Saturday’s visit from No. 4 UConn here as hurdles needed off the regular season besides a deep run in the Big East tourney to maintain the inclusion.

“Yeah, I feel we should be in the discussion,” Dillon said. “Even last year when there was discussion whether we should get an at-large. With our group, when they step on the floor, they’ve proven why they’re in that discussion. We’re not going to question ourselves. We’re going to do whatever necessary to put ourselves in the conversation.”

When Siegrist came out for the last time after reaching 50, Dillon embraced her and then her teammates all joined in the congratulations line.

“It means everything,” Siegrist said of the hoopla. “I wouldn’t be the player I am without them.”

Dillon observed, “Their genuine love for every milestone that Maddy reaches is genuine, it’s real.  I love it, there’s nothing greater … It’s the love that they have for each other off the court and support for each other. It carries over.”

Penn Strengthens Hunt for an Ivy Berth While Columbia and Princeton Win

Besides the city commotion over the NFL Eagles playing Kansas City in Sunday’s Super Bowl in Arizona, the super Saturday actions in local women’s hoops extended to Penn, which delivered a payback to Harvard 70-64 in The Palestra to move into third place tied with the visitors, a game behind the Columbia/Princeton leaders.

Last month, the Quakers (15-8, 7-3 Ivy) got routed up in Cambridge by 24 points, while the other losses are a payback from Columbia last weekend in New York and the first of the home-and-home at Princeton.

However, a win at Yale on Friday, which would complete a sweep of the Bulldog, would put Penn in good shape for the four-team field next month at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym. The Tigers will play the last regular season game here.

“We had a really tough loss at their place,” said senior Kayla Padilla, who scored 27 and dished eight assists against the Crimson (14-8, 7-3). “But there’s something special about this home floor. We came out ready to play.”

With four games left, Padilla has 190 from deep, just six behind the program career mark set by Karen Habrukowich at 196.

Freshman Simone Sawyer scored 15, including 5-of-12 from deep, while Jordan Obi and Floor Toonders each scored 11, and Obi also grabbed 11 rebounds.

Elsewhere among the leaders, which includes long-dominating Princeton in our local mix, the Tigers won their ninth straight, beating Dartmouth 64-47 in Jadwin Gym to stay locked with Columbia at the top of the race.

Kaitlyn Chen had 16 points for coach Carla Berube’s squad (17-5, 8-2 Ivy), while Madison St. Rose scored 13.

Dartmouth’s Victoria Page scored 12, Oliva Lawlor scored 10, and Emma Koch grabbed 10 rebounds for the Big Green (2-22, 0-10).

Princeton travels with Penn to New England next weekend, the Tigers at Brown in Providence, R.I., on Friday and then visiting Yale Saturday in New Haven.

Columbia bounced back from its revenge thrashing at home from Princeton last weekend to put Yale in a desperate situation with a 74-46 win in Levien Gym on the Upper West Side in New York.

Abbey Hsu had 19 points for the Lions (19-4, 8-2 Ivy), who also got 12 points from Jaida Patrick, and 11 from Kaitlyn Davis.

“We respond well from a defensive standpoint,” said Columbia coach Megan Griffith. “Holding their top two leading scorers to four points total and keeping them under 50, which I was happy to see.”

Yale (11-12, 5-5) is two games behind the Penn/Harvard deadlock and hosts Penn and Princeton Friday and Saturday, needing a sweep.

Saint Joseph’s Wins at Dayton

The Hawks made it two straight after the rough 1-5 stretch, winning at Dayton 74-62 in the Atlantic 10 at UD Arena in Ohio.

A 40-29 stretch across the second half did the trick beginning with Talya Brugler scoring seven straight points after the break.

The triumph snapped a 19-year futility playing the Flyers in Ohio with a 10-0 series streak from the hosts.

Brugler finished with 19 points for Saint Joseph’s (17-7, 7-5 A-10), while Mackenzie Smith had a double-double 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Olivia Mullins, Laura Ziegler, and Katie Jekot each scored 11. Ziegler also grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Sydney Freeman, Mariah Perez, and Anyssa Jones all had 14 points for the Flyers (4-19, 3-9), who switched coaches in the offseason when Shauna Greene left for Illinois.

Talsiya Kozlova scored 11 for the Flyers, and Perez grabbed 12 rebounds.

On Wednesday coach Cindy Griffin’s squad goes to Davidson in North Carolina at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and returns to Hawk Hill Sunday at Hagan Arena hosting Rhode Island, which is unbeaten in conference play a game ahead of UMass.

Lehigh Wins at Loyola. Md.. While Lafayette Loses at Boston U.

The Mountain Hawks picked up a 67-59 road win in the Patriot League at Loyola, Md., in Baltimore as Frannie Hottinger gained her 1,000th career point in the first half.

“It’s been a long journey,” she said afterwards. “There’s been a lot of great teammates to help me along the way. I would not be here without so many assists and passes from my teammates, but it’s a really great accomplishment for me because I didn’t know if I would ever be able to reach this.

She needed 15 and finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds, while also dealing three assists for Lehigh (12-12, 8-5 Patriot League), which is in third behind Holy Cross, and Boston U., unbeaten in conference play.

The Mountain Hawks closed out the final 38 seconds with seven completed foul shots, a category they lead the nation.

On Wednesday, they head to Annapolis to play Navy at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Lafayette, meanwhile, became the latest of season-long victims of Boston U. In the conference, losing  83-54 in Beantown.

Apparently the Patriot League is a bit more lenient than the Big East and American Athletic Conference, in that the NCAA minimum number is of six ok with the conference in that the Leopards (8-15, 5-8) could only field six players for the second straight game.

Makayla Andrews had 21 points for Lafayette while Halee Smith scored 10.

Boston U. (18-6, 13-0) was paced by Maggie Pina with 19 points and Caitlin Weimar with 21 while Liz Shean scored 12 and Maren Durant had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Lafayette hosts Loyola, Md., Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, Pa., on ESPN+.

Temple Falls in Overtime

The diminished Owls roster was felt again, as Temple fell 74-66 in overtime to Cincinnati for a season split in the American Athletic Conference game played in the Liacouras Center.

Near the end of a closely fought fourth quarter, Caranda Perea was fouled after grabbing a rebound but could only make 1-of-2 for a tie.

Right after Aleah Nelson went for the game-winner, shooting from deep, but the shot didn’t drop and it was on to the first overtime of the season for the Cherry and White.

In the period, the Bearcats dominated the paint with eight points and Jillian Hayes connected on two foul shots for the win.

“It was a tough game, we just have to be tougher,” said first-year coach Diane Richardson. 

The Owls (10-14, 5-7 AAC) had won four straight against Cincy (9-15, 2-9).

The Bearcats dominated the boards 40-29.

The Owls will be off until Saturday when Houston visits at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

Nationally Noted: In the Big 12, No. 21 Iowa State took another hit, losing on the road at West Virginia 73-60 in Morgantown.

The host Mountaineers (15-8, 6-6 Big 12) got 20 points from JJ Quinerly, while Kyah Watson scored 11, and Jayla Hemingway had nine points and 12 rebounds. Madisen Smith and Isis Beh also scored nine points.

The visiting Cyclones (15-7, 7-5), picked to win the conference in one preseason poll but now mired in a fourth-place tie, got 17 points from Ashley Joens, while Emily Ryan scored 13, and Denae Fritz scored 11.

Oklahoma State (18-7, 8-5) in third place got a 77-56 win over visiting Baylor (16-8, 7-5), which is tied for fourth with Iowa State.

No. 20 Texas continues to roll, winning its seventh straight, 70-50, over TCU at the new Moody Center at home in Austin. DeYona Gaston and Shaylee Gonzales each scored 16 points for the Longhorns (20-6, 11-2 Big 12) while Taylor Jones had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Coach Vic Schaefer’s squad hounded TCU (6-18, 0-13) into 27 turnovers.

Back in the Big East in the nation’s capital, No. 4 Connecticut (22-4, 14-1 Big East) unhooked from its first two-game losing streak in 30 years, beating Georgetown 67-59.

Dorka Juhasz scored 18 points for the Huskies.

“Even when we got up 15, 16, it never seemed safe,” said Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma, who gained his 1,171st victory, trailing only the Women’s Division I record 1,180 held by Tara VanDerveer at No. 6 Stanford, which on Sunday visits Arizona State in the PAC-12.

“Nothing seems safe any more. But we got a stop when we needed a stop. We got a bucket when we needed a bucket. We made some free throws. Finding a way to win sometimes is just as valuable as having somebody who can make shots.”

It was the 34th straight loss in the series by the Hoyas (12-13, 5-11), who got 24 points from Kennedy Fauntleroy.

The game was played off campus at the WNBA Washington Mystics’ Entertainment & Sports Arena.

“The way our team is constructed right now, all five players we put on the floor have to play really well every night in order for us to have the kind of success we’ve had leading up to these three games this week,” Auriemma said. “And we’re not getting that right now. We’re not getting the cohesiveness of five guys playing well and playing together and helping each other.”

Connecticut hosts Creighton on Wednesday before coming to Villanova on Saturday.

Looking Ahead: SEC Showdown of the Unbeatens What amounts to the Super Bowl of women’s basketball arrives at 2 p.m. before the NFL clash in Arizona between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs when top-ranked South Carolina, the reigning NCAA champions, host No. 3 LSU on ESPN as the last two undefeated teams in Division I go head-to-head.

Another key game at 2 p.m. in the Atlantic Coast Conference has No. 19 Florida State meeting No. 11 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on the ACC network.

Locally, in the  Colonial Athletic Association, first-place Drexel is at new member Monmouth at 3 p.m. on FloHoops, while Delaware hosts Charleston at 2 p.m. in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark on FloHoops.

A 2 p.m. CAA game on FloHoops is of interest in that if William Mary wins at North Carolina A&T and Drexel wins the Dragons open a two-game lead going into the stretch drive.

In the Big Ten, Rutgers is at No. 5 Iowa at 3 p.m. on FS1, while Penn State is at Michigan State at 3 p.m.

In the MAAC, Rider will try to follow up last week’s win at Marist hosting Manhattan at 1 p.m. in Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J. on ESPN3.

In the Atlantic 10 La Salle hosts Duquesne at 2 p.m. in Tom Gola Arena on ESPB+.

On Monday, just three games, but interesting ones, on the tracker as Texas is at Iowa State in the Big 12 at 7 p.m. while at the same time No. 2 Indiana is at No. 13 Ohio State in Columbus on the B1G.

DePaul in the Big East is at Seton Hall in Walsh Gym in South Orange, N.J., at 7 p.m. on FloHoops.

Hard to believe but no games if this device is true will be played on Valentines Day.

And that’s the report.