Feb. 27, 1998
HEAD COACH HARRY PERRETTA: The Wildcats are led by the Dean of Big East head coaches Harry Perretta who is in his 20th year at Villanova. In his tenure on the Main Line, Perretta has guided Villanova to a 365-205 record. While at Villanova, Perretta has led the Wildcats to three NCAA Tournament appearances, two Big East Tournament Championships and eight Philadelphia Big 5 titles. In 1981-82, Perretta guided the Wildcats to the AIAW Final Four. He has twice been named Big East Coach of the Year for his efforts during the 1995-96 and 1986-87 seasons.
WILDCATS CLAIM FIFTH SEED: Villanova enters the 1998 Big East Tournament with an 18-8 overall record and a 12-6 conference mark. Villanova finished tied for second in the Big East 6 with Notre Dame and gained a higher seed than the Irish due to Villanova's win over Notre Dame on Jan. 28 in the only meting between the two teams. As the fourth seed, Villanova will play 13th seed Pittsburgh on Saturday, Feb. 28 at noon. If the 'Cats defeat the Panthers, they will play the winner of Notre Dame/St. John's on Sunday, March 1 at noon.
DATES AND TIMES: The 1998 Big East Tournament will get underway on Saturday, Feb. 28 with five games. Villanova gets the tournament started at noon on the 28th with a game against 13 seeded Pittsburgh, followed by No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 12 St. John's who will play at 2 p.m. At 4 p.m., No. 8 West Virginia will battle No. 9 Seton Hall, while at 6:30 p.m., No. 7 Boston College faces No. 10 Providence. The last game of the day has No. 6 Syracuse playing No. 11 Georgetown at 8:30 p.m. The quarterfinals will be held on Sunday, Mar. 1 with afternoon games at noon and 2 p.m. and the evening session contests at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The semi-finals are scheduled for Monday, Mar. 2 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The 1998 Big East Tournament Championship game will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 3 and will be televised on ESPN2.
LAST TIME OUT: Villanova - On Tuesday, Feb. 24, Villanova closed out regular season play with a 75-71 overtime loss to No. 2 ranked Connecticut at The Pavilion. The teams played an even first half as they went to intermission tied at 28-28. Trailing 64-61 with 3.8 seconds left in regulation, freshman Mimi Riley hit a three-point field goal to send the game into overtime. In the extra session, Connecticut scored the first five points to take command of the overtime period. Riley hit a 17-foot jumper to cut the lead to 69-66, before the Huskies connected on four-straight free throws to lead 73-66.
Villanova was led in the game by senior Jenn Beisel who registered a career-high 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting, to go with six rebounds, two assists and four steals. Senior Jenny Higgins tallied 11 points, including three field goals from behind the arc, while Riley finished with 11 points, four assists and a career-best four steals. Connecticut was paced by sophomore center Paige Sauer who had 23 points and nine rebounds and senior point guard Rita Williams who netted 21 points. Freshman Svetlana Abrosimova recorded 18 points and seven rebounds. For the game, Connecticut shot 55.6 percent from the field, while Villanova shot 44.8 percent from the field.
VILLANOVA'S BIG EAST HISTORY: Since beginning play in 1983, Villanova has tallied a 162-121 all-time record versus Big East opponents. The 'Cats are 146-108 in regular season play and 16-13 in the Big East Tournament. Villanova has two Big East Tournament titles to their credit, as they captured the crown in 1986 and 1987. In the past 15 Big East Tournament's, Villanova has advanced to the semi-finals eight times and have been in the title game on three occasions.
FIRST ROUND RESULTS: This year's first round match-up with Pittsburgh is the third time the two teams have played in the first round of the Big East Tournament. In 1987-88, the Panthers downed the Wildcats, 75-73 and in 1992-93, Villanova defeated Pittsburgh by a score of 74-59.
Villanova by the NumbersGames played 26Points scored 1596avg. points per game 61.4fg pct. 41.73-point fg. Pct. 36.0free throw Pct. 66.1points allowed 1462Opp. pts. per game 56.2total rebounds 752avg. reb. per game 30.0assists 445turnovers 337avg. to. per game 12.91997-98 HONORSST. MARY'S TOURNAMENTMVP: Jenn BeiselALL-TOURNAMENT: Shanette Lee Jenea Skeeters Jenny HigginsVANDERBILT TOURNAMENTAll-Tournament: Jenn SliwaBIG 5 PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Jenn Beisel 12/16/97Jenny Higgins 12/20/97BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Jenn Beisel 2/16/98VILLANOVA PROBABLE STARTERSPos No. Name PPG RPGF 13 Jenn Beisel (Sr./ 5-9) 15.0 5.3F 24 Jenea Skeeters (So./ 5-11) 10.4 2.8C 10 Jenn Sliwa (Jr./ 6-1) 9.4 4.8G 4 Shanette Lee (Jr./ 5-7) 4.9 4.9G 21 Jenny Higgins (Sr./ 5-10) 13.2 4.1VILLANOVA off the benchPos No. Name PPG RPGG 12 Megan Stewart (So./ 5-8) 2.0 0.7G 3 Mimi Riley (Fr./ 5-9) 3.0 1.5G 31 Mary Beth Snell (So/5-9) 1.8 0.6F/C 20 Shannon Ferretti (Jr./ 6-2) 1.0 1.5 F 25 Rebecca Stephens (Fr./5-11) 1.6 1.0 VILLANOVA VERSUS OPPONENTS IN THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT:Boston College 2-0Connecticut 1-2Georgetown 3-1Miami 0-1Notre Dame 0-0Pittsburgh 1-2Providence 2-2Rutgers 0-0St. John's 3-2Seton Hall 1-1Syracuse 3-2West Virginia 0-0 ----- 16-13
LOOKING BACK: The first round game between Villanova and Pittsburgh is the third meeting this year between the two teams. On Dec. 7 at Fitzgerald Field House, Villanova defeated the Panthers, 64-57. In the win, Villanova was paced by senior Jenn Beisel who went seven-of-11 from the field for 22 points. In addition, Beisel recorded eight rebounds. Also tallying double figures for the 'Cats were Jenny Higgins with 13 points and Jenea Skeeters who netted 12. Pittsburgh was led by Farrah Woods with 13 points and Kenosha Chastang who had 12.
At Villanova on Feb. 7, Villanova edged the Panthers, 48-42. In that win, the 'Cats shot 37 three-point field goals, connecting on nine. Higgins went four-of-16 en route to a game-high 20 points, while sophomore Mary Beth Snell scored a career-best 12 points on four three-point field goals. Monique Toney and Gina Montesano each had 11 points for Pittsburgh. Despite shooting just 28.1 percent from the floor, Villanova managed to pull-out the victory.
ALL-TIME VERSUS PITTSBURGH: Villanova leads the all-time series between the schools, 25-12. The Wildcats have won five of the last six meetings against the Panthers. The two teams have met three times in the Big East Tournament, with the Panthers winning two of the three contests. The scores from the three previous Big East Tournament games are: 1988 first round --#7 Pittsburgh 54, #2 Villanova 54, 1993 first round -- #5 Villanova 74, #4 Pittsburgh 59, 1996 quarterfinals -- #13 Pittsburgh 59, #5 Villanova 57.
BEISEL REACHES 1,000: In Villanova's final regular season game against Connecticut, senior forward Jenn Beisel scored a career-high 32 points and in the process became the 13th player in Villanova women's basketball history to reach the 1,000 point plateau. She is also the second member of her family to score 1,000 career points. Her sister, Kathie, who played for head coach Harry Perretta from 1979-83, currently ranks sixth on the all-time Villanova scoring chart with 1,328 points. Kathie also ranks second on the all-time Villanova assist list and fourth on the rebounding chart. Jenn is currently 13th on the rebounding list and 18th on the all-time assist chart.
BEISEL TALLIES CAREER-HIGH: Senior forward Jenn Beisel recorded a career-best 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field in the season finale against Connecticut. The performance was her third straight 20+ point effort. Against Providence on Saturday, Feb. 14, she recorded 25 points on 12-of-14 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds and five assists. On Saturday, Feb. 21 versus Miami, Beisel tallied 24 points on nine-of-14 shooting, in addition to registering six assists and five rebounds.
In her last eight games entering the Big East Tournament, she has been on a torrid scoring streak, as she has tallied 166 points for an average of 20.7 ppg in that eight game span. In four of those eight games, she scored 20+ points including a 30-point outburst against Notre Dame. In 26 regular season games, Beisel has tallied double figures in points on 19 occasions, and she gone over the 20-point barrier six times. She currently leads the Wildcats in points (15.0 ppg) and rebounds (5.3). In addition, she is second on the team in both steals (48) and assists (63). Besides being one of Villanova's top offensive threats, Beisel is also the Wildcats top defensive player.
DIAL LONG DISTANCE: Senior guard Jenny Higgins has made a name for herself all season long with her three-point shooting ability. After 26 games, Higgins is 92-for-202 (45.5%) from three-point range, which places her first in the Big East Conference and second in the nation for made three-pointers. For the season, she is averaging 3.6 three-pointers a game and she has tallied four or more three-pointers on 15 occasions. Higgins is currently second on the team in scoring with a 13.2 ppg average, to go with her 4.1 rpg.
FINAL FOUR BOUND: Due to her three-point shooting prowess, Jenny Higgins has been selected to participate in the National Three-Point Shootout to be held at the men's Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. The event will be held on Thursday, March 26 and will be televised on ESPN.
MARKED IMPROVEMENT: You will be hard-pressed to find a better candidate than senior guard Jenny Higgins for the Big East Conference Most Improved Player Award. The following is a comparison between her 1996-97 season and 1997-98 campaign.
1996-97 1997-98Points per game 8.0 13.2Rebound per game 3.3 4.1Field Goal Pct. 36.0 44.83-Pt FG made 37 923-Pt Field Goal Pct. 31.1 45.5Assists per game 1.3 1.8
In addition to these numbers, Higgins leads both the Big East and the NCAA in three-point field goals made.
HIGGINS HONORED BY AT&T: Jenny Higgins has earned the AT&T Long Distance Award for making the most three-point field goals per game in NCAA women's Division I games played during the month of January. Each month, AT&T honors the player from men's and women's Divisions I, II and III, who tallies the most three-pointers per game. In January, Higgins averaged 4.1 three-point field goals per game for the Wildcats. In honor of her "long distance" accomplishments, AT&T has donated $500 to the NCAA Foundation's Degree-Completion Scholarship Program, bringing the AT&T contributions to this fund to $380, 800. For her efforts, Higgins will be awarded an engraved plaque in honor of her achievement.
After struggling from the floor early in the season, sophomore Jenea Skeeters has regained her shooting of late. In her last three games, she is 14-for-24 (58.3%) from the floor. For the season, she is third on the team in scoring with a 10.4 ppg. average. Despite her scoring average being slightly down from last year, Skeeters has shown marked improvement on the defensive end of the court. Her defensive ability is one of the most improved skills on the team and she has become one of the team's better defenders.
ALL AROUND PERFORMER: Of all the players on the Villanova roster, junior Jenn Sliwa is the team's most versatile performer. At 6-1, Sliwa is Villanova's tallest member of the starting five and is forced to be the team's starting center. Despite giving up size to almost every opponent, she has played great post defense all season long. Due to her size and quickness, Sliwa can score from both inside and outside. Entering the Big East Tournament, Sliwa is averaging 9.4 ppg and 4.8 rebounds per contest. She is also second on the team in three-point field goals with 42, third on the team in steals with 39 and third in assists with 51.
RUNNING THE SHOW: The Villanova attack is led by junior point guard Shanette Lee. Having played significant minutes throughout her entire Wildcat career, Lee is an integral part of the Villanova offense, helping the Wildcats control the tempo of the game. Entering the Big East Tournament, Lee has an assist to turnover ratio of 2.3:1, which is tops in the entire conference. Lee, who is averaging 6.5 assists per game, is second in the Big East in assists and 17th in the NCAA. Against Providence on Feb. 14, she set a school record with 14 assists. For the season, Lee is averaging 4.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg, which is second on the team.
TRAINING ROOM REPORT: Junior center Priscilla Rosenthal will be sidelined for the remainder of the year due to a knee injury. Rosenthal suffered the injury during practice on Dec. 4. Prior to the injury, Rosenthal had played in four games where she grabbed five rebounds. Rosenthal is Villanova's tallest player at 6-4.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: One of the keys to Villanova's success is related to the way the Wildcats take care of the basketball. Entering the Big East Tournament, Villanova has committed a conference low 337 turnovers. For the season, the 'Cats are averaging 12.9 turnovers per game. On four occasions this year, Villanova has had fewer than 10 turnovers in a game with the season-low of five coming against Pittsburgh on Feb. 7.
QUALITY MINUTES: Freshman Mimi Riley has proven to be Villanova's top reserve off the bench and has really stepped-up her play of late. In Villanova's last nine games, Riley has seen increased playing time, playing a total of 183 minutes for an average of 20.3 minutes per contest in that span. On Wednesday, Feb. 11 in a game at Georgetown, Riley scored a career-high 14 points on five-of-five shooting from the field, in a career-best tying 22 minutes. In her last six games, Riley is 16-of-26 (61.5%) from the floor and is averaging 6.5 ppg in that span.
She hit the biggest shot of her college career in the last regular season game against Connecticut, when she made a three-point field goal to tie the game with 3.8 seconds left to send the game into overtime. In that Connecticut game, she played a career-best 27 minutes and tallied 11 points and a career-high four steals. Riley, who has played in all 26 games this year, is extremely important to the Villanova attack, because she is able to play both guard spots, as well as the small forward slot. Most of her minutes come from the point guard position and the small forward. Riley's assist to turnover ratio of 2.0:1 is pretty impressive for a freshman playing her first season of collegiate basketball.
SHOOTING SUCCESS: After a dismal shooting performance against Pittsburgh on Feb. 7 where the Wildcats made 18-of-64 for 28.1 percent, Villanova has rebounded with four strong shooting efforts. Following the Pittsburgh game, Villanova shot 48 percent against Georgetown, 57.9 percent versus Providence, 48.1 percent against Miami and 44.8 in the season finale versus Connecticut. For the season, the 'Cats are shooting 41.7 percent from the field.
PLAYING "D": In most Villanova wins, the Wildcat defense is what is responsible for the victory. Upon completion of the regular season, Villanova is giving up just 56.2 ppg, which leads the Big East and is third in the latest NCAA statistics. From three-point range, Wildcat opponents have made just 59-of-210 for a 28.1 percent success rate. In the latest Big East statistics, Villanova leads the league in three-point field goal defense. In 16 of the 18 victories this year, Villanova has held its opponent under 60 points and they have held seven teams under 50 points.
THE MAGIC 60: Defense has always been a trademark of Harry Perretta coached teams. So far this year, Villanova is 16-1 when holding the opposition under 60 points and they are 2-6 when giving up 60 or more points. The lone loss when an opponent scored under 60 points was on Sunday, Jan. 25, with a 59-55 setback at West Virginia. Offensively, the Wildcats are 14-3 when recording 60 or more points. Last season, Villanova was 11-0 when holding opponents under 60 points.
SHOOTING THE THREE: The Wildcats have made a living this season from behind the three-point arc. Entering play in the Big East Tournament, Villanova has already attempted 494 three-point field goals. In those attempts, the Wildcats have made 178 for a 36.0 percent success rate. Villanova has made more three-pointers than any team in the Big East. On four different occasions this year, the Wildcats have tallied 10 or more three-pointers in a game. Villanova is averaging 6.8 three-point field goals per game, and they are attempting 19.0 triples a game. Villanova has already shattered the school record for three-point field goals. The previous mark was 378 in 28 games during the 1994-95 season.
NCAA RECORD: In Villanova's 99-55 win over Pennsylvania on Dec. 20, the Wildcats connected on 18 three-point field goals in 37 attempts. The 18 made three-pointers establishes a new NCAA record for triples in a game. The previous mark of 17 was set by South Carolina in a game versus Western Carolina on Jan. 13, 1994.
LAND DOWN UNDER: Australia has become a recruiting hot spot for head coach Harry Perretta. Last season, Megan Stewart became the first foreign student-athlete to ever play for Perretta and the Wildcats. Stewart hails form Maroochydore, QLD, Australia. This year, freshman Rebecca Stephens, who is a native of Brisbane, QLD, Australia joined the Wildcats giving Perretta an Australian duo. Stewart and Stephens are both averaging 8.1 minutes per game, while Stephens is averaging 8.3 minutes per contest. In the scoring column, Stewart is averaging 2.0 ppg, while Stephens is averaging 1.6 ppg.
NEW FACES: There are five new members of the Villanova women's basketball team. True freshman on this year's squad include Stephanie Baker (Wilmington, Del./ St. Mark's H.S.) Mimi Riley (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Archbishop Carroll H.S.), Therese Pennefather (Manassas, Va./ Seton H.S.), and Rebecca Stephens (Brisbane, QLD, Australia). The other new member of the team is sophomore Brandi Barnes who transferred to the Main Line from the University of Maryland. Barnes will sit out the 1997-98 season and have three years of eligibility remaining beginning in 1998-99. Baker and Pennefather are expected to join sophomore point guard Lauren Pellicane as a redshirt this season.
VILLANOVA BY THE NUMBERS:Overall Record: 18-8Record at Home: 10-2Record on the Road: 5-6Record at Neutral Sites: 3-0Big East Record: 12-6At Home in Big East: 7-2On the road in Big East: 5-4Big 5 Record: 3-1Record in night games: 9-5Record in day games: 9-3When leading at halftime:14-0When trailing at halftime:3-7When tied at halftime: 1-1When holding opponents under 50 points: 7-0When holding opponents under 60 points: 16-1When holding opponents under 70 points: 17-6When scoring 60 or more points: 14-3When scoring 70 or more points: 4-1When holding opponents under 40% shooting: 11-1When shooting 50% or better: 5-0In overtime games: 1-1
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Villanova starting forward Jenn Beisel is the second member of her family to play for Coach Harry Perretta. Beisel's older sister, Kathie, played for Villanova from 1979-83 and ended her Wildcat career as the school's all-time assist leader (507), fourth all-time leading rebounder (729) and fifth all-time leading scorer (1,328). Beisel, one of Villanova's best defenders, has scored 1,001 career points and grabbed 449 career rebounds. Beisel is not the only Wildcat whose sister played for Perretta. Freshman Mary Beth Snell had an older sister, Jen, who played at Villanova from 1991-96. During her career, Jen Snell scored 776 points and pulled down 422 rebounds. Mary Beth Snell scored a career-best 11 points on Saturday, Dec. 20 against Pennsylvania. In addition, freshman Therese Pennefather who is redshirting this season, is the younger sister of former Wildcat great Shelly Pennefather. Shelly won the 1987 Wade Trophy as the nation's top women's collegiate basketball player.
VILLANOVA, SEASON-HIGH SUPERLATIVESPoints: 32 Jenn Beisel vs. UConn (2/24/98)Rebounds: 12 Jenn Beisel vs. Syracuse (1/10/98)Assists: 14 Shanette Lee vs. Providence (2/14/98)Field Goals Made: 14 Jenn Beisel vs. ND (11/28/98)Three-Pointers: 9 Jenny Higgins vs. Penn (12/20/97)Free Throws Made: 8 Jenn Beisel vs. Pittsburgh (12/7/97) Jenn Beisel vs. UConn (2/24/98)Steals: 6 Jenn Beisel vs. Va. Tech (11/29/97) Jenn Beisel vs. Miami (1/14/98) Shanette Lee vs. Pittsburgh (2/7/98)Minutes Played: 45 Jenn Sliwa vs. Miami (1/14/98)TEAM SEASON HIGHSPoints scored 99 vs. PennFirst half points 46 vs. ProvidenceSecond half points 56 vs. PennMargin of victory: 44 vs. PennMargin of loss 40 vs. ConnecticutFG Pct 57.9% vs. ProvidenceField Goals made 35 vs. PennField Goals attempted: 69 vs. PennFree Throws made: 18 vs. Seton HallFree Throws attempted: 23 vs. Two TeamsThree-Pointers made: 18 vs. PennThree-Pointers attempted: 37 vs. PennMost rebounds 41 vs. SyracuseOffensive Rebounds: 13 vs. SyracuseMost turnovers 28 vs. ConnecticutMost assists 28 vs. PennMost steals: 14 vs. LaSalleMost Blocked Shots 5 vs. Notre DameTEAM SEASON LOWSPoints scored: 27 vs. ConnecticutFirst Half points 16 vs. VanderbiltSecond Half points 8 vs. ConnecticutMargin of victory 1 vs. Boston College,Margin of loss: 3 vs. Miami (Feb. 21)FG Pct. 21.5% vs. VanderbiltField Goals made: 11 vs. ConnecticutField Goals attempted: 38 vs. RutgersFree Throws made: 1 vs. LaSalleFree Throws attempted: 4 vs. Pittsburgh (Feb 7)Three-Pointers Made: 0 vs. ConnecticutThree-Pointers attempted: 5 vs. TempleRebounds: 21 vs. ProvidenceOffensive Rebounds: 4 vs. GeorgetownTurnovers: 5 vs. Pittsburgh (Feb. 7)Assists: 4 vs. ConnecticutSteals: 2 vs. Georgetown (Feb. 11)Blocked shots: 0 vs. Seven Teams
