Dec. 29, 1999
Villanova, Pa.--- On Wednesday, Dec. 29, in the PNC Wildcat Christmas Classic held in The Pavilion at Villanova University, the Villanova women's basketball team controlled the game from the opening tip, cruising past Drexel 66-40. The `Cats improve to 5-5 with the win and advance to the tournament title game to face Mt. St. Mary's College on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 8:00 p.m. The Mountaineers of Mt. St. Mary's won in the first of Wednesday's two opening round contests, slipping by Fresno State, 76-68.
Villanova came out firing against the Dragons, jumping out to a 14-3 lead at the 12:53 mark led by seven quick points by junior center Brandi Barnes. From there, the Wildcats controlled the pace and the momentum and took a 30-16 lead into the intermission. Freshman guard Trish Juhline led Villanova with 10 points in the opening stanza.
Drexel (4-5) closed to within 34-22, 3:38 into the second half, but the Wildcats regained control and stretched their advantage to 40-22 at the 14:37 mark on a Barnes' layup. Villanova closed out the contest on a 9-2 run to take a 66-40 victory.
Leading the Wildcat charge was Jenea Skeeters, who scored a game-high 15 points on six-of-11 shooting. Skeeters had only six points at the break, but shot four-for-seven in the second half to pace Villanova. Also scoring in double-figures were Juhline and Barnes with 14 apiece. Juhline had a tremendous all-around game, as she added eight rebounds and a game-high six assists. Barnes ripped down a career-best 13 rebounds in the victory.
For Drexel in the loss, Heather McGinty came off the bench to score a team-high 11 points. Guard Steph Fryberger scored eight points for the Dragons, while forward Mikki Miller tallied seven points and three rebounds.
In Wednesday night's first game, Mt. St. Mary's rallied from a seven-point second half deficit to beat Fresno State 76-68. The Mountaineers improve to 5-3 with the win, while the Bulldogs fall to 5-5.
With the game knotted at 40-40 to begin the second half, Fresno State outscored Mt. St. Mary's 15-8 in the first 5:15 to open up a 55-48 lead. The Mountaineers rallied, however, going on a 13-0 run over the next 2:19 to steal a 61-55 advantage. The Mt. St. Mary's spurt was led by eight points from forward Kia Williams.
Clinging to a 69-67 lead with 1:56 remaining, the Mountaineers sealed the victory by hitting on six-of-seven free throws down the stretch to take a 76-68 victory.
Williams led Mt. St. Mary's in the win, recording game-highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds. Forward Deanna Butters and guard Vera Feldbusch also scored in double figures with 16 and 11 points respectively.
For Fresno State in the loss, Amanda Baker scored a team-best 13 points. Forwards Amanda Baker and Tiffany Simon also scored in double figures. Baker scored 11 and Simon added 10 in the loss.
The PNC Wildcat Christmas Classic will continue on Thursday, Dec. 30. The Consolation game will pair Drexel and Fresno State at 6:00 p.m., while Villanova and Mt. St. Mary's will battle in the tournament championship beginning at 8:00 p.m.
