The Guru Report: Olsen Leads Villanova; Rutgers Gets Upset Home Win in Big Ten; Saint Joseph’s Chasing History Hosting Dayton

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A month after Villanova’s Lucy Olsen terrorized Georgetown with 8 of 9 points in overtime and 28 overall to rescue the Wildcats at home in Finneran Pavilion the star junior bedeviled the Hoyas down here in the nation’s capital even worse with 33 points off 13-23 including a pair from deep and a game-tying best of eight rebounds for a 62-47 victory Tuesday afternoon and a 2-0 sweep of the season series.

 

Bella Runyan was the only other player in double figures for the visitors with 11 points and three makes from beyond the arc for 11 points with freshman Maddie Webber again productive as a starter with eight points.

 

Ariel Jenkins was the only Georgetown (16-9, 6-8) player in double figures with 13 points while matching Olsen’s total off the board.

 

The win by coach Denise Dillion’s team (16-8, 9-4) was key in holding third in the Big East a half-game ahead of St. John’s, which beat Seton Hall at home 68-57.

 

Finishing third ahead of the Red Storm, who hold a head-to-head tie break over the Wildcats, keeps Villanova away from UConn in a potential semifinal round in next month’s Big Wast tournament, back at the Mohegan Sun, not that the alternative is reduced to a cupcake opponent.

 

But with the first 16-team reveal coming Thursday from the NCAA committee compared to a year ago when the Wildcats learned they were in the hunt for a host site in the first two rounds, which they achieved, the non-conference stumbles back at the start of the season has them projected on the bubble just outside the field of 68.

 

“Obviously every game is so crucial right now, but we’re not having those conversations with the team,” Dillon said. “We’re just trying to get a little better every day and they’re working really hard and let those things take care of themselves.”

 

A three-point shot from Runyan assisted by Olsen just before the halftime break gave Villanova I bit of a cushion with a 27-23 lead.

 

But after the Hoyas quickly tied things at the outset of the third, Olsen broke the deadlock, Webber hit two shots, and then Olsen personally put the ‘Cats in control with the next 11 points of a 17-0 run before Graceann Bennett made two foul shots ending a Hoyas scoreless streak of seven minutes.

 

“We’ve got to put the ball in the basket and you’re seeing Lucy doing it consistently,” Dillon said. “The shots she didn’t make, she went right back at it.”

 

Georgetown made two more from the line, Olsen countered with another basket, and Jada Claude’s three-pointer became the Hoyas’ first field goal since the outset of the period.

 

The home team got to within eight in the fourth period but that was as close as it would get.

 

Villanova hosts Butler Saturday at 4 p.m. looking for another series sweep.

 

Rutgers Tops Minnesota: In what was the only other locally involved game on an overall lite national schedule, the Scarlet Knights broke through with their first home win and second overall on the Big Ten slate rallying from a ten-point deficit and beating the Golden Gophers 81-73 at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, N.J.

 

Mired in last place at 14^th, still three games behind the first slot above after the win, Rutgers (8-19, 2-12) got a career-high 25 points from Mya Petticord on 6-15 from the field and four from deep, while Destiny Adams had 21 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Reserve Erica Lafayette got all nine points off three shots from deep in four attempts while Kassondra Brown added eight more points off the bench.

 

Minnesota (14-10, 4-9) got 23 points from Grace Grocholski off 7-12 on attempted three-pointers and 8-13 overall from the field. Sophie Hart was 8-12 from the field for 17 points with seven boards while Mallory Heyer had 12 points and eight rebounds.

 

The Scarlet Knights struggled to score early, falling behind by ten points st the end of the first period but then coming back to tie it before the break.

 

Jillian Huerter’s three at the outset of the third and while the game stayed close Rutgers never trailed again.

 

Rutgers next stays home hosting Wisconsin Saturday at 2 p.m.

 

Looking Ahead – Saint Joseph’s Sets Sights on History: With no other local game scheduled Wednesday locally the coincidence of it also being Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to show the Hawks some love at Hagan Arena in their date with history.

 

In a race for first in the Atlantic Ten and closing in on clinching a top four slot with a double bye in next month’s tournament in suburban Richmond, a win against Dayton (7 p.m., ESPN+) will bring the overall record to 23-2 making the 25-game total the single best in program history.

 

The key triumph last Wednesday at contending George Mason brought the current win streak to nine and tied the 22-2 program best set in 1976-77 under the late coach Rene Portland.

 

That team was nationally ranked, and this one picked up some ballots Monday in the Associated Press women’s poll that was launched that season.

 

The ESPN bi-weekly NCAA mock bracket has Saint Joseph’s and Villanova in the four-team first out group.

 

Coach Cindy Griffin’s squad has met every goal set back in the fall to date, including the Big Five and Hawk Classic crowns. On Sunday, they’ll make the short trip to La Salle as part of the A-10 schedule going after series sweep.

 

The host Explorers for that one are on the road Wednesday night (6 p.m., ESPN+) in the A-10 at George Washington.

 

Dayton is more in rebuilding mode than the A-10 dominant bunch of recent vintage but the Flyers passed through here recently rallying to beat La Salle.

 

Meanwhile, in the American Athletic Conference, Temple is suddenly in the hunt for top seed in next month’s tournament at Fort Worth, Texas, and Wednesday night the Owls are in Birmingham, Ala., (7 p.m., ESPN+) playing contending UAB, a nee conference member who Saint Joseph’s beat in the title game of the Hawk Classic.

 

In the Patriot League, Lehigh hosts Bucknell at 6 p.m. at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa., while Lafayette is at Loyola., Md., in Baltimore at 7 p.m., both games on ESPN+.

 

Nationally, No. 21 Baylor is at No. 23 Oklahoma in the Big 12 at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

 

On Thursday, Rider is at Iona (ESPN+) in the MAAC while Penn State hosts Illinois in the Big Ten at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, both games at 6 p.m.

 

The major event is in the Big Ten where No. 4 Iowa hosts Michigan at 8 p.m. on Peacock. Caitlyn Clark of the visiting Hawkeyes needs eight points to become the new all-time NCAA Division I career scorer.

 

The NCAA reveal will air at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.

 

Tennessee host No. 1 Carolina at 7 p.m. on SECN.

 

And that’s the report.