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Wildcats' NCAA Journey Begins Sunday in Norman, Oklahoma Against Saint Francis, Pa.
March 20, 2003 Villanova women's basketball game notes for Sunday's NCAA Tournament Mideast Region First Round Game between the No. 2 seed Villanova Wildcats (25-5) and the No. 15 seed St. Francis, Pa. Red Flash (23-7). The two teams will face off at 6:05 central time at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. The game can be seen regionally on ESPN and heard live on WFIL (560 AM) and on the web at villanova.com. Click on the pdf link below from a complete version of the game notes.
Complete Release in PDF Format
NCAA TOURNAMENT 1ST RD GAME NOTES
VILLANOVA NEWS & NOTES
SCOUTING ST. FRANCIS: The Red Flash enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 15 seed with a 23-7 overall record. St. Francis is making its seventh NCAA appearance in the last eight years. St. Francis earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Northeast Conference Tournament championship for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. The Red Flash downed UMBC by a score 58-41 to win the conference title. Sophomore center Beth Swink leads the team in scoring with a 16.1 points per game average, while senior forward Carlin Chesick is second with a 13.9 points per game average. For her effforts in the NEC Tournament, Swink was named the tournament's MVP. Swink and Chesick were both named first team All-NEC this past year. This is the second-straight year that Chesick garnered first team acclaim. Junior Tonjee Ward who has 72 steals on the season was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Year, while head coach Myndi Hill was named the NEC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. As a team, the Red Flash are averaging 67.3 points per game and are giving up 57.2 points per contest.
VILLANOVA VS. THE NEC: Sunday's game with St. Francis (PA) will be the sixth time that the Wildcats have played a Northeast Conference opponent. The 'Cats are 5-0 versus the NEC with all five wins coming against Fairleigh Dickinson from 1979-84.
HAT TRICK: The Villanova Wildcats will be making their third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2003 after earning the No. 2 seed in the Mideast Region. Villanova will take on No. 15 seed St. Francis University (PA) at 6:05 p.m. central time on Sunday, March 23 in the first round at the Lloyd Noble Center on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. With a win over St. Francis, Villanova would take on the winner of the game between No. 7 seed George Washington and No. 10 seed Oklahoma on Tuesday, March 25.
FAMILIAR TERRITORY: For the second-straight year, Villanova will be playing in Norman, Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament. Last season as the No. 9 seed, the Wildcats defeated No. 8 seed Pepperdine in the first round, 67-46, before losing to No. 1 seeded Oklahoma by a score of 66-53 in the second round.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Villanova will be making its seventh all-time NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend in Norman, Oklahoma. In their nine NCAA Tournament games, the Wildcats have tallied a 3-6 record. 1985-86 No. 7 seed Defeated No. 10 LaSalle (60-55)at The Palestra Lost to No. 2 Rutgers (85-58) in Piscataway, NJ
THE SEEDING PROCESS: Villanova's No. 2 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament not only represents the highest seed ever for the Wildcats, it is the highest seed ever for a Philadelphia area women's basketball team.
FIRST TIME FOE: When Villanova and St. Francis University (PA) meet in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it will mark the first time that the two schools have played in women's basketball.
STAYING NEUTRAL: Villanova has had a great deal of success this year on neutral courts. Entering play in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats are 4-0 in neutral court games. On Nov. 29, Villanova downed Ohio State, 58-51, in the first round of the University of Colorado Coors Classic. At last week's Big East Tournament, Villanova tallied three neutral court wins over Notre Dame, Miami and Connecticut en route to winning the championship.
TOURNAMENT TESTED: Of Villanova's 30 games this year, 15 have come against teams who are part of the field of 64 in this year's NCAA Tournament. In those 15 games, Villanova recorded an impressive 11-4 mark.
CONFERENCE SUPREMACY: Villanova shocked the women's basketball world on Tuesday, March 11 by upsetting No. 1 ranked and previously undefeated Connecticut to win the Big East championship. The win snapped Connecticut's NCAA Division I women's basketball record 70-game win streak and it ended the Huskies string of nine-straight Big East Conference Tournament championships. The win gives Villanova its third Big East Conference Tournament title in the program's history and first since 1987.
PULLING RANK: In the latest Associated Press poll released on Monday, March 17, Villanova jumped seven spots from No. 18 to No. 11 with 646 points. Connecticut occupies the top spot with 1,074 points. The 11th-place designation ties for the highest ranking in school history and it represents the highest ranking since the Wildcats were members of the NCAA. The 1981-82 Wildcat squad that advanced to the AIAW Final Four also climbed as high as No. 11.
AIAW FINAL FOUR: Villanova does have one Final Four appearance to its credit. In 1981-82, head coach Harry Perretta led the Wildcats to the AIAW Final Four. En route to the Final Four that year, Villanova defeated Miami of Ohio, 69-61 and Delta State by a score of 87-72. In the national semifinals, the Wildcats lost to Rutgers, 83-75, before earning third place honors by defeating Wayland Baptist, 90-81, in the consolation game.
STRONG DOWN THE STRETCH: Villanova has been on a roll since the beginning of February. After tallying a perfect 7-0 record in February, the Wildcats have recorded a 4-1 mark in March and have won 11 of 12 entering play in the NCAA Tournament. The month of February has been good to the Villanova Wildcats the last three years. In 22 February games the last three seasons, Villanova has tallied an 18-4 record with three of the four losses coming to nationally ranked opponents.
20-WIN PLATEAU: Villanova's 25-5 overall record marks the third-straight year that the Wildcats have won 20 or more games. It is also the 12th time in his 25-year Villanova career that head coach Harry Perretta has led the Wildcats to a 20+ win season. The 25 wins represents the most victories since the 1986-87 team won 27 games.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP: The 2003 senior class of Nicole Druckenmiller, Katie Davis and Trish Juhline have enjoyed one of the best four-year runs of any Wildcat class. Throughout their Main Line careers, the trio has started 317 of a possible 358 games, and have helped lead the Wildcats to an 84-40 overall record (.677) and a 42-22 Big East Conference mark. The 84 wins is the third most by any class in the history of the women's basketball program. The three have also played a major part in Villanova making four consecutive postseason appearances. As freshmen, the Wildcats went to the WNIT before making three-straight NCAA Tournament trips during their sophomore, junior and senior campaigns. They are just the second class in the program's history to reach postseason play all four years. The class of 1989 made the NCAA Tournament all four years during their Wildcat careesr. This year's trio has also helped Villanova to three 20-win seasons in a row.
TOP CAT: Senior guard Trish Juhline has had an outstanding senior season for the Wildcats. After 30 regular season games, Juhline leads the Wildcats in scoring with an 18.2 points per game average, and is averaging 3.3 rpg., 4.3 apg., and 1.7 spg. From the field, she is shooting 41.4 percent (198-for-478), including a 36.9 percent (75-for-203) effort from three-point range.
SCORING SPREE: Over the last nine games, Villanova senior guard Trish Juhline has tallied big numbers in the scoring department. In the last nine contests where Villanova has tallied an 8-1 record, she has scored 191 points for an average of 21.2 ppg., in that span. After 30 games this season, Juhline has had 20+ points 12 times and she has scored double figures in 28 of the 30 games.
TOURNAMENT HONORS: For her efforts in the Big East Tournament, Trish Juhline was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. In three wins over Notre Dame, Miami, and Connecticut, Juhline registered 60 points, nine rebounds, five assists and six steals. Forward Nicole Druckenmiller was also honored for her play by being named to the All-Tournament Team. Juhline and Druckenmiller become the first Wildcats since Sue Glenning in 1995 to be named to the Big East All-Tournament Team.
ALL-TIME BEST: In the final regular season game against Providence on March 4, senior Trish Juhline set the Big East Conference record for career triples for just league games with 157. The previous mark of 156 was held by Julie Wheeler who played at Providence from 1994-98. For all games, Juhline has made a Villanova school record 275 three-point field goals.
BIG EAST CAREER THREE-POINT FIELD GOAL LEADERS 1. TRISH JUHLINE, Villanova 1999-present 157 2. Julie Wheeler, Providence 1994-98 156 3. Wendy Davis, Connecticut 1988-92 155 4. Sheila McMillen, Notre Dame 1995-99 145 5. Jaime James, Syracuse 1998-02 144 6. Jennifer Rizzotti, Connecticut 1992-96 126 7. Cal Bouchard, Boston College 1996-00 123 8. Kim Gallon, Georgetown 1994-98 121 9. Tomora Young, Rutgers 1995-99 113 10. Erin Maloy, Pittsburgh 1990-94 111
CHARITY CASE: Senior Trish Juhline has been making the most of her trips to the foul line. Entering play in the NCAA Tournament, she has made 18-straight free throws. Her last miss from the charity stripe came at the 2:31 mark of the second half in a 71-61 win at Virginia Tech on Feb. 22. The biggest two free throws of her streak came when she connected on a pair with 14 seconds left to secure Villanova's win in the Big East championship game versus UConn. For the year, Juhline is 75-of-93 (80.6%) from the line.
BIG EAST BEST: For the first time since Shelly Pennefather in 1987, Villanova had the league scoring champion when Trish Juhline edged Miami's Tamara James for the honor this year. In 16 conference games, Juhline recorded 307 points for a 19.2 points per game average, while James had 306 points for a 19.1 points per game average.
SHOOTING FOR THIRD: Senior guard Trish Juhline enters play in the NCAA Tournament ranked fifth all-time at Villanova in scoring in scoring with 1,608 career points. She needs 15 points to move into fourth place and 27 points to earn the third spot on the list.
VILLANOVA 1,000 POINT SCORERS NAME YEARS GAMES POINTS AVG. 1. Shelly Pennefather 1983-87 117 2,408 20.5 2. Nancy Bernhardt 1980-84 119 2,018 16.9 3. Lisa Ortlip 1978-82 111 1,634 14.7 4. Lisa Angelotti 1984-88 119 1,622 13.6 5. Trish Juhline 1999- 115 1,608 13.9 6. Jenea Skeeters 1996-00 115 1,387 12.1 7. Denise Dillon 1992-96 107 1,355 12.7 8. Kathie Beisel 1979-83 114 1,328 11.6 9. Helen Koskinen 1986-90 118 1,292 10.9 10. Nikki Benedix 1989-93 104 1,280 12.3 11. Michele Thornton 1991-95 111 1,261 11.4 12. Katie Davis 1999- 122 1,235 10.2 13. Karen Hiznay 1977-81 96 1,072 11.2 14. Karen Hargadon 1983-87 117 1,058 9.0 15. Jenn Beisel 1994-98 111 1,050 9.4 16. Kathy Straccia 1975-79 76 1,048 13.8
VILLANOVA'S CAL RIPKEN: Senior forward Katie Davis enters play in the 2003 NCAA Tournament not having missed a game in her Villanova career. The 122 career games played by Davis is a Villanova school record for games played in a career. The previous mark of 119 career games was held by Nancy Bernhardt (1980-84), Lynn Tighe (1983-87) and Lisa Angelotti (1984-88).
WELCOME TO THE CLUB: By scoring her 1,000 career point on Saturday, Jan. 11 at WVU, senior forward Katie Davis became the 16th player in Villanova women's basketball history to reach the 1,000 point plateau and gives Villanova two 1,000 point scorers on the current roster, as senior guard Trish Juhline reached the 1,000 point plateau last season. Davis and Juhline are just the second classmates in the history of Villanova women's basketball to score 1,000 points during their Villanova careers. Shelly Pennefather and Karen Hargadon, both members of the class of 1987, were the first classmates to both tally 1,000 career points. This season, Davis and Juhline have combined to score 52.8 percent of Villanova's points (1,003 of 1,899 points).
DANDY DAVIS: Senior forward Katie Davis has had an outstanding senior year for the Wildcats. After 30 games, Davis has scored double figures in 24 of Villanova's 30 games and she has netted 20+ points on nine occasions. For the year, Davis is averaging 15.2 points per game and she is shooting 49.7 percent (153-of-308) from the field and 43.2 percent (89-of-206) from behind the arc. She led the Big East in three-point field goals made and was second in three-point field goal percentage. In the latest NCAA statistics, Davis is tied for 14th in three-pointers made and 13th in three-point field goal percentage.
BLOODLINES: Two players on the Wildcat roster have had a first-hand look at what being a professional athlete is all about. Nicole Druckenmiller's brother, Jim, was a star quarterback at Virginia Tech and became a first round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers. After being out of the NFL the last couple of years, he just recently signed a contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Courtney Mix's father, Steve, played in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers and is currently the color commentator for 76er television games.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION: It was announced earlier this month by the Atlanta Tipoff Club that Villanova University head women's basketball coach Harry Perretta is among 25 finalists for the Naismith Women's College Basketball Coach-of-the-Year Award. Currently in his 25th-year at Villanova, Perretta has registered a 462-261 (.639) career record at the helm of the Wildcats. This season, Perretta has guided Villanova to a 25-5 overall record, a 12-4 Big East Conference mark and the Big East Conference Tournament championship. Of the team's 25 wins this season, 10 have come against opponents currently ranked in the Top 50 of the RPI. The winner of the award will be announced in Atlanta at the Georgia Congress Center on April 11 as part of the Final Four festivities.
DYNAMIC DUO: Villanova has been led in the scoring department all season long by the senior tandem of Trish Juhline and Katie Davis. Entering play in the NCAA Tournament, Juhline and Davis have combined to score 1,003 of Villanova's 1,899 for 52.8 percent. Juhline leads the team with an 18.2 ppg., and Davis is second with a 15.2 ppg. average. Juhline currently ranks fifth all-time at Villanova with 1,608 points, while Davis is 12th with 1,235 points. The duo is currently first and second on the Wildcat career three-point made field goal list. Juhline owns the school mark with 275 three-point field goals, while Davis is second with 232 triples. Sue Glenning, who played on the Main Line from 1992-96, is third with 189.
UNSUNG HERO: A big reason why Villanova was able to capture the Big East championship was the play of senior forward Nicole Druckenmiller. In Villanova's 50-39 quarterfinal win over Notre Dame, Druckenmiller made 3-of-4 from the field in the second half en route to a 10 point game. In the championship game versus Connecticut, Druckenmiller scored eight points in Villanova's 15-0 second half run that propelled the Wildcats to the championship. Included in her eight points were two pivotal three-point field goals. She finished the game with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including a 3-of-4 effort from behind the arc. For her efforts in the tournament, Druckenmiller was named to the All-Tournament Team.
VERSATILE VILLANOVAN: Junior Courtney Mix has been stuffing the stat sheet all season long for the Wildcats. One of the most versatile performers in the country, Mix will start at the point guard spot for the Wildcats, but will also play both forward positions throughout the course of the game. Entering play in the NCAA Tournament, Mix leads the Wildcats in rebounding (6.8 rpg.), assists (4.9 apg.), steals (1.9 spg.) and blocks (1.1 bpg.) and she is third on the team in scoring with an 8.9 points per game average. When she scores double figures for Villanova, the Wildcats chances for success are pretty good. Mix has tallied double figures in points on 13 occasions this year, and in those 13 games Villanova is 11-2. Mix, who ranked 10th in the Big East in rebounding, has eight double figure rebounding games to her credit this season. Mix also led the Big East in assist to turnover ratio (3.5:1). Mix had a super Big East Tournament, as she shot 11-of-23 from the field for a total of 33 points to go with 16 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and just one turnover in 113 minutes of play. Her best game of the conference tournament came in the semifinals versus Miami when she netted a season-high 19 points.
QUALITY WINS: Villanova has 10 top 50 wins to its credit this year, with the 10 coming against Saint Joseph's, Ohio State, Colorado, Virginia Tech twice, Penn State and Boston College twice, Notre Dame and Connecticut. The Wildcats are 4-3 versus Top 25 teams this year. The four wins against ranked opponents were against No. 13 Penn State, No. 23 Boston College twice, and No. 1 Connecticut, with the losses versus No. 23 Notre Dame, No. 2 Connecticut and No. 20 Rutgers. The Wildcats have now recorded 10 wins over teams ranked in the Top 25 since the 1999-00 season. (note: the top 50 opponents were taken from collegerpi.com).
CLOSE CALLS: Four of Villanova's five losses this year have come by the narrowest of margins. In four setbacks to Massachusetts (55-50), Rutgers twice (58-57/50-49) and Notre Dame (58-56), Villanova's average margin of loss has been just 2.2 points. The only lopsided loss Villanova has had all year was a 58-38 defeat at Connecticut.
FIRST HALF SUCCESS: Dating back to the 2000-01 season, Villanova is an impressive 54-2 when leading at halftime. Villanova was 20-1 in 2000-01, 16-0 in 2001-02 and 18-1 this season. The only game the Wildcats lost this year with the lead at the half was Massachusetts, while in 2000-01, the 'Cats were undefeated with the halftime advantage until the last game of the year when North Carolina State came from behind to down Villanova in the second round of the NCAA Tournament played in Raleigh, N.C.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: The most consistent aspect of the 2002-03 Wildcat squad has been the team's defense. After 30 games, the Wildcats have allowed just four opponents to score over 60 points in a game (73-66 overtime win against Penn State on Jan. 23, a 75-61 win over Boston College on Feb. 5, a 71-61 win at Virginia Tech on Feb. 22 and 65-62 win at Boston College on Feb. 26 ). The Wildcats have also given up 50 points or less on 10 occasions. Entering play in the NCAA Tournament, Villanova is giving up just 52.6 points per contest which ranked second in the Big East and is currently third in the nation.
ON THE NATIONAL SCENE : Villanova leads the country in two statistical categories and is in the top five in another. The Wildcats currently lead all of NCAA Division I women's basketball in three-point field goals made per game (8.9) and fewest turnovers per contest (9.6) and they are third in scoring defense (52.6).
NON CONFERENCE SUCCESS: Villanova completed its non conference portion of the 2002-03 schedule with a 73-66 overtime win against Penn State on Thursday, Jan. 23. In 11 non conference contests this year, the Wildcats tallied a 10-1 mark. The 10 wins have come against Saint Joseph's, Howard, Ohio State, Colorado, Penn, LaSalle, Temple, Brown, Fairfield and Penn State with the lone non conference loss coming at Massachusetts.
TRIPLE THREAT: Villanova will use the three-point shot whenever the opportunity presents itself. After 30 games this year, the Wildcats are 267-of-732 (.365) from three-point range and have outscored their opponents 801-171 from three-point territory. The 267 made triples leads all of NCAA Division I women's basketball in three-pointers made. The team's best three-point shooting game of the year came on Tuesday, March 4 in the season finale versus Providence when the Wildcats made a season-high 17 three-pointers in 34 attempts. The Wildcats have made double figures in three-point field goals in 12 games this year. Entering play in the NCAA Tournament, Villanova is averaging 8.9 made three-point field goals per game and 24.4 three-point field goal attempts per contest.
HARD TO BELIEVE: To put into perspective how much Villanova utilizes the three-point shot, one needs to look no further than the following stat. Entering play versus St. Francis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Villanova has made 267 three-point field goals. By comparison, the Wildcats have made just 33 more free throws (300) than three-pointers and have committed just 21 more turnovers (288) than triples.
THE GOOD HANDS PEOPLE: After 30 games thus far in 2002-03, Villanova has turned the ball over only 288 times for a 9.6 per game average. In 12 of the 30 games this year, the Wildcats have had single digits in turnovers. The 9.6 turnovers per contest leads all of NCAA Division I in fewest turnovers per game. Villanova's highest turnover game of the year was 15 against Rutgers on March 1, while the team's lowest turnover games of the year were five versus Colorado, Notre Dame (1/2/5/03) and Connecticut (3/11/03). In the three games in last week's Big East Tournament, Villanova committed a total of 21 turnovers in the three games and had single digits in turnovers in all three contests.
DON'T CROSS THE LINE: Besides being third in the nation and second in the Big East in scoring defense (52.6 ppg.), the Wildcats led the Big East in three-point field goal defense, allowing teams to shoot just 24.4 percent from three-point range. In 30 games this year, Villanova has given up one or less three-point field goals made on 13 occasions, including holding six opponents without a made three-pointer. Villanova opponents are just 57-of-234 from long distance.
176-STRAIGHT: Entering play versus St. Francis (PA) in the NCAA Tournament, the Villanova Wildcats have made at least one three-point field goal in 176-straight games. The last time the 'Cats failed to connect on a triple in a game came at Boston College on Jan. 25, 1997.
TRAINING ROOM REPORT: Villanova suffered its only serious injury of the year in the win over Penn State on January 23 when center Jeanine Johnson suffered a dislocated right shoulder in the first half. Johnson, who has started 15 of 16 games this year and is averaging 1.1 ppg., and 0.9 rpg., is out for the remainder of the year.
BIG FIVE CHAMPS: By virtue of its 66-54 win over Temple on Dec. 21,Villanova captured the 2002-03 Philadelphia Big Five Championship with a perfect 4-0 record. This is Villanova's first City Series title since 1995-96. The Wildcats won all four Big Five games this year by an average of 13.2 points per game. Villanova's four Big Five wins included victories at Saint Joseph's (59-44) and at Penn (65-54) and at home versus LaSalle (72-57) and Temple (66-54).
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Villanova Wildcat Athletics Women's Basketball
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