Villanova Basketball
It has been an up-and-down season for the men’s and women’s Villanova Wildcats‘ basketball programs. Wednesday night, both teams were playing in Big East action, each looking for their 13th wins of the season. The women were at Butler looking for back-to-back wins. The men were away at DePaul looking to bounce back after a 2-point loss against Creighton. Both teams found themselves on the winning side of their respective games.
Maddie Webber Leads the Way in Villanova’s Comeback Win
Maddie Webber, Jasmine Bascoe, and Denae Carter helped lead the charge for the Villanova Wildcats’ comeback win against the Butler Bulldogs, 63-59. In an onslaught in the first quarter, Villanova got out to an early 17-4 lead behind Freshman guard, Jasmine Bascoe fast 7 points. Butler would fight back to level things up by the end of the quarter.
Both Big East schools settled in during the second frame as teams traded baskets all quarter long. Both teams shot 50% from the field. The Bulldogs found themselves with a slight lead over the Wildcats’ heading into the half, 35-33.
Butler would dominate the third quarter until Sophomore guard, Maddie Webber scored 7 points during a Villanova 10-4 run. Just like how the end of the first quarter was tied, the third would end all square up as well. This time at 45 a piece with one quarter remaining.
Junior forward out of Philadelphia, Denae Carter would make her presence felt in the fourth quarter. She finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in 29 minutes of play. JD Walker of Stream Punk Entertainment, had a chance to speak with Carter during Big East Media Day ahead of the season. Check it out below.
The Wildcats’ held off Butler and sealed the comeback at the foul line. Villanova moved to 7-4 in Big East play and 13-10 overall. The Wildcats’ will host Creighton Saturday at 2 pm as they look for their 3rd win in a row.
Eric Dixon Hits Key 3 on a Cold Night Shooting in Win Against DePaul
The men’s side was also in Big East action Wednesday night away at DePaul. The Wildcats’ defense was at a premium level all night holding DePaul to 30.8% shooting from the field. DePaul would also struggle from 3-point land because of the Villanova defense, only shooting 19.4% from deep range. Villanova’s Head Coach Kyle Neptune talked about the defense and other key factors ahead of the season with JD Walker at Big East Media Day. Check it out below.
It took both schools a while to get going on offense early on. Almost 7 minutes in, it was only 5-4 in favor of Villanova. Shooting woes continued until the nation’s leading scorer, Eric Dixon got things going offensively, helping guide the Wildcats’ to a 29-26 halftime lead.
Dixon would struggle offensively in the second half as DePaul’s defense frustrated him most of the game. Dixon isn’t the nation’s leading scorer for no reason though. He would be huge in the half, hitting key shots and free throws. With 5:03 left in the game, Dixon hit a big-time 3 to extend the Villanova lead to 10. The Wildcats’ would play great defense to hold on to the win 59-49.
Like the women’s team, the men’s Villanova Wildcats’ would improve to 13-10 on the season. They get to .500 on the season in Big East play, improving to 6-6 on the season. They will look for back-to-back wins on Sunday as they host Xavier at 12 pm.
