Villanova (18-13, 11-7 Big East) ended Marquette’s (20-10, 12-8 Big East) NCAA Tournament hopes with a 73-66 win behind first-year guard Jasmine Bascoe’s double-double.
Year in review
With a win and some luck, the Golden Eagles had a chance to go dancing in head coach Cara Consuegra’s first year as head coach. Bascoe and graduate guard Maddie Burke had something to say about that.
Bascoe scored 22 points, grabbed 10 boards and dished out four assists. Burke went 5-for-9 from deep and scored 18 massive points.
For Marquette, the inexperience of not having played on a stage as big as the Big East Tournament reared its ugly head. It wasn’t its best performance.
“Playoff basketball requires your best,” Consuegra said. “We didn’t have our best today on either end of the floor.”
One subpar performance does not define what Consuegra, and company have done this season. The season has been extraordinary, and not just because of the 20 wins.
“The 20 wins and postseason accolades are great, but the bond that this team has formed and how we have come together is above all of that,” Consuegra said. “I love this team; I’m grateful for this team, and we aren’t going to allow this disappointment to take away from that.”
Lee Volker didn’t have her best game Saturday, going 1-for-11 from the floor. She also went down late in the game with a scary injury and had to be carried off. Nevertheless, Volker’s impact on the team cannot be understated. Marquette did a 10-minute practice drill designed to be so hard that it’s nearly impossible.
“Lee was always the one saying, ‘hey we got this let’s reset and go again,’” Consuegra said. “That set the standard for the type of leader she could be for us.”
Marquette will likely be invited to the NIT, so they will have a chance to play meaningful postseason basketball.
Villanova’s stars shine
As mentioned above, Briscoe carried the Wildcats to the win with her impressive stat line and ability to handle and distribute the ball. Sophomore guard Maddie Weber and Briscoe’s ability to draw multiple defenders and make passes to open teammates to put the Golden Eagles’ defense on the run. Webber scored 10 points and had five assists.
Villanova shot 46.4 percent from the floor (26-of-56) and kept up its hot shooting from deep against the Golden Eagles (9-23, 39 percent). The Wildcats held the Golden Eagles to 22-of-57 from the field (38.6 percent) and 3-for-13 (23 percent) from 3-point range.
Frontcourt domination
The Golden Eagles’ front court was cooking offensively. Sophomore guard Halle Vice led the way with an ultra-efficient 17 points (6-for-10) and nine rebounds (four offensive). Sophomore forward Skylar Forbes got into the action, leading Marquette in scoring with 23 points on 7-for-17 shooting. She knocked down the Golden Eagles’ only three triples of the game and grabbed eight rebounds. Redshirt sophomore forward Charia Smith also played an outstanding game in limited minutes. She scored seven points on 2-of-2 shooting from the floor and grabbed six rebounds.
Behind the fierce front court, Marquette dominated the glass. It grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and outrebounded Villanova 42-29. Even though the Golden Eagles dominated the glass, they could not take advantage of the extra opportunities. Marquette scored nine second-chance points to the Wildcats’ 10.
Up Next
Nothing is for sure, but Marquette likely will play in the WNIT. Tune in to the WNIT selection night on Sunday, March 16th. Times, places, and dates for games will be released subsequently.
This story was written by Max Mullin. He can be reached at maxwell.mullin@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @MullinMax.