VILLANOVA, PA. 3/4/2014 – The Villanova Wildcats women’s basketball team took the floor against the Golden Eagles of Marquette took the floor with identical 11 – 6 league records. The winner would get the fourth seed in the upcoming Big East Women’s Tournament. That team is Villanova by virtue of an 81 – 64 win at the Pavilion. It is important as it is a much-needed win on order to get an NCAA Tournament bid according to Wildcat Coach Harry Perretta.
“It is a good accomplishment because it is another win.” Perretta said. “The win helps as it is a win over a top 100 team. That’s what we were trying to do, win another game, and win as many games as we can.”
The Wildcats took control in the first half shooting a blistering 64% (16 – 25) and made 8 of 12 from beyond the arc. A 25 – 11 run to halftime gave Villanova a 50 – 31 lead at intermission. For the game the Wildcats made 29 of 49 from the floor (59.2%), and went 13 for 21 from three-point land. Guard Devon Kane celebrating Senior Night scored a career-high 23 points, 16 in the first half. She made her last regular season game at her home court a special memory.
“It’s really meaningful,” said Kane. “It’s my last game here. It’s special, it’s awesome.”
Junior forward Emily Leer scored also scored 23 points, 21 in the first half. She flirted with a school-record perfect shooting night. Leer was 8 of 8 (5 three-pointers) in the opening stanza, and finished the game making 8 of 10 and 5 of 6 from distance.
Villanova finishes the season with a 22 – 7 record, 12 – 6 in the Big East. In the upcoming tournament the Wildcats will meet a familiar foe in 5th seeded Marquette on Sunday. This will be a wide open tournament and Villanova can be a team to take the title.
“It’s really exciting this year to know we can win the Big East Tournament,” Kane said. “It’s really up for anyone. St. John’s owned the league, but now they lost four in a row. You never know with this league.”
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
Notes:
It was Senior Night at the Pavilion as Devon Kane, Ellen Hill, Pearl Mensah, and Jessica Wamala took part in their final regular season home game. This group of seniors have won 734 games and participated in both the NCAA Tournament and the WNIT. The senior class registered two 20-win seasons and captured three Big Five titles. The team has been to two consecutive post season appearances, and look for their third.
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