Villanova returns home on Tuesday night to host the Penn Quakers in a Philadelphia Big 5 battle. The Wildcats enter play with a 5-2 overall record and a 1-0 Big 5 mark, while Penn is 5-3 on the season and 1-1 in City Series action. Tip-off at the Finneran Pavilion is set for 7 p.m.

For the second time this year, junior guard Lucy Olsen was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week. She earns the honor after tallying back-to-back 30-point games, including 33 against Columbia and 30 versus Richmond. For the week, she averaged 31.5 points per game, 5.0 assists per contest and 3.0 rebounds per game, while shooting .533 from the field.
 
Over the years, Villanova has had a great deal of success against the Penn Quakers. Entering play on Tuesday night, Villanova leads the all-time series by a count of 46-3. The Wildcats have won 18 of the last 19 meetings over the Quakers. Penn's one win in the stretch came during the 2017-18 season (79-77 on Jan. 17, 2018). The Wildcats enter play against Penn with an all-time Big Five record of 130-41 (.760). The 130 wins are the most victories by any Big Five women's program. 

Villanova will play its second Ivy League opponent in three days on Tuesday when the Penn Quakers visit the Finneran Pavilion. On Sunday, the Wildcats lost 77-75 at Columbia. Following a contest at Saint Joseph's on Dec. 9, Villanova will play a third Ivy League opponent in a four-game stretch when Princeton comes to town on Dec. 11.  In the history of the program, the Wildcats have registered a 69-12 (.851) all-time record against teams from the Ivy League. The 69-12 record includes 46-3 versus Penn, 13-7 against Princeton, 3-0 versus Harvard, 2-0 against Dartmouth, 2-1 versus Brown, 1-1 against Columbia and 1-0 against both Cornell and Yale.

Entering play on Tuesday, the Wildcats have won 27 of their last 29 home games. Villanova captured 11 straight home contests to finish the 2021-22 season and were 13-2 at home last year. The Wildcats are currently 3-0 at home this season. Under fourth-year head coach Denise Dillon, the Wildcats are 35-7 (.833) in games played at the Finneran Pavilion.   

Villanova will continue with Big 5 play on Saturday with a road game at Saint Joseph's. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

 
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