Scanlon's Late Threes Steal Win For Nova in Wildcat Classic Championship Game

Tuesday, December 29

Villanova, Pa.

7:30

Drexel University

Villanova

Nacickaite recorded her first double-double of the season in the loss

Scanlon's Late Threes Steal Win For Nova in Wildcat Classic Championship Game

12/29/2009 9:24:54 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Philadelphia - Villanova's Heather Scanlon hit a pair of three-pointers in the final two minutes to bring her team from behind for a 60-55 victory over Drexel in the championship game of the Villanova Wildcat Classic. Villanova (10-2) did not lead in the game until the 5:08 mark in the second half but outscored Drexel 38-22 in the second half to pull out the win on their home court. Gabriela Marginean led all scorers with 22 points. Kamile Nacickaite notched her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The loss drops Drexel to 6-5 at the conclusion of its non-conference schedule.

Drexel led by as much as 11 points in the second half before Villanova opened up a 15-4 run to tie the game at 45 all on a layup by Scanlon with 6:12 remaining. Marginean hit a driving layup to put Drexel back on top, but a three-pointer by Tia Grant gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game at 50-49 with just over five minutes to play.

A pair of Nacickaite free throws and another layup by Marginean, who scored 14 of her 22 in the second half, gave Drexel a three-point cushion, 53-50, with three minutes to play. On Villanova's end of the court, Scanlon found herself with the ball at the top of the arch and time running out on the shot clock, She heaved up a three-point attempt that banked in to tie the game at 53-53 and send the partisan crowd into a frenzy. Following a missed jumper by Nacickaite on Drexel's end, Scanlon knocked down another three from the wing with 42 seconds left to give her team a decisive three-point lead it would retain for victory.

After a dysmal shooting performance in the first half, Villanova rallied to outshoot Drexel 43.4 percent to 42.6 from the floor, knocking down 14 of 26 in the second half. The Wildcats recorded an assist on all 23 of their baskets and turned the ball over just 10 times. Drexel outrebouned Villanova 35-27 overall and 13-8 on the offensive glass. The Dragons made 4-of-7 three-pointers in the first period but went 0-for-5 in the second, negating an important outside threat in its offense.

Nacickaite scored 15 of Drexel's 33 points in the first half to lead her team into the locker room with a 33-22 lead over the Wildcats. Drexel's defense pestered Villanova into shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and 3-for-14 from deep.

Tyler Hale set the defensive tone for the Dragons in the first half on a play in which she poked the ball away from Heather Scanlon at the top of the arc and then dove on the loose ball along with a host of 'Cats and Dragons to force a jump ball.

Marisa Crane used her speed to slice through Villanova's defense and set up wing jumpers for a number of her teammates. She finished the period with four of Drexel's 10 assists. Meanwhile, the Dragons continued their hot shooting, knocking down better than 53 percent of their shots from the floor.
Villanova came out with a 6-2 run to open the second half, which was quickly negated by a pair of mid-range jumpers by Marisa Crane to keep Drexel on top 41-30. But the Wildcats would capitalize on seven Drexel turnovers through the first 10 minutes of play in the period to spur its 15-4 run and claw their way back into the game.

Marginean, who had a quiet eight points in the first half scored eight straight points for the Dragons in a period of just over six minutes to keep the Dragons in the lead for much of the second period. But Villanova's steady offense finally wore down the Dragons, whose energetic defense set the tone in the first half.

Laura Sweeney led the 'Cats with 16 points off the bench on 7-for-8 shooting from the floor. Scanlon scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half, including the long-range daggars that won the game for Nova. Maria Getty added 12 points and four assists and Kyle Dougherty added nine assists coming off the bench for Villanova

Marginean and Nacickaite joined Getty, Scanlon and Loyola's Miriam McKenzie on the all-tournament team. Laura Sweeney was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Drexel opens its CAA slate this weekend when the Dragons host James Madison in a rematch of last year's CAA Championship game this Sunday at 1:00 p.m.