By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)
TEANECK, N.J. — The newly-minted scoreboard inside FDU’s Bogota Bank Savings Center gave the final tally:
Villanova 57, FDU 37.
Beyond the sheer numbers of Thursday’s exhibition, there was greater significance for both teams.
Villanova won its second straight exhibition and looks very worthy of its fourth-place preseason Big East projection. FDU had the opportunity to face outside competition following several months of practices and intrasquad matchups, and the NEC’s choice to repeat as champion saw positives, as well as things to work on.
Points of emphasis:
Game flow: Villanova jumped out to a 10-2 lead. FDU buried two threes to cut the deficit to 12-8. The Wildcats responded, taking an 18-8 lead after the first period. FDU defended well, holding Villanova scoreless for the first 5:15 of the second period. However, the problem for the Knights was a struggle to put points on the board, going scoreless over seven minutes. FDU scored five points for the period, trailing by a 30-13 halftime margin.
Over the final two periods, FDU settled in and played much better. But even with a brief run to cut the Knights’ deficit to 12 points, the hole was too large to come back from. For the final 20 minutes, Villanova owned a narrow 27-24 advantage.
Individuals: Jasmine Bascoe, an all-Big East selection last year, scored just seven points, yet the sophomore guard’s contributions go beyond the box score.
“She is a key,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said. “She really is continuing to grow, she loves the game and her teammates. She allows the game to come to her rather than feel like she has to make something happen.”
Rachel Wirts, a 6-foot-3 Villanova sophomore forward, is effective in the high post and down low. She has progressed dramatically.
“I think of Rachel Wirts from last October to now, and the difference is fantastic,” Dillon said. “She has a tremendous upside. She’s a worker.”
Kailee McDonald did an excellent job on the defensive end, especially fighting through high ball screens. The sophomore guard also led all scorers with 14 points, a number of them coming on trips to the basket. Her backcourt partner, Ava Renninger, struggled, missing all but two of her 15 shots.
“My outside shot wasn’t falling, so I decided to drive,” McDonald said.
Inside penetration is something she worked on during the offseason, and the results showed.
In the summer, FDU coach Stephanie Gaitley was looking for rebounding and defense from six-foot freshman Leah Crosby. Scoring would be a bonus. Against Villanova, Crosby scored nine points, grabbing five boards, three offensive.
“She can definitely score,” Gaitley said of Crosby. Dillon was also impressed with the FDU freshman, adding, “she will get points off offensive rebounds.”
“This was a great opportunity for our young players to get game experience,” Dillon said of her own squad. “We are relying on them and it was good to get them in game position, especially secondary ball handlers and backups. I do wish our defense was a little better.”
From the days of the legendary Harry Perretta, Villanova has run a motion offense. Dillon, who played for Perretta, has not altered that approach.
“We play motion, five-out read and react,” Dillon said. “It’s tough, though, when players haven’t played together. They tend to speed up and try to make individual plays. I wasn’t too happy with our assists (12) to field goals (25). We are a work in progress, but will continue to get better.”
Gaitley praised the Wildcats, noting, “they are all around 6-foot-1, can pass, shoot and play interchangeable positions.”
“It was a great test for us, and we did a much better job in the second half when we settled down,” Dillon remarked of her Villanova team’s effort. “Overall, our defense was good, keeping them under 60 points. They outrebounded us by four (40-36) after we outrebounded Towson by 22 (in the Wildcats’ 79-54 victory). Offensively, we showed our inexperience and we just have to learn from that.”
Gaitley agreed, allowing Villanova to score in the final six seconds of the first three periods was something that needed to be addressed.
“It’s the details,” she said. “Those details are so important.”
Gaitley was also impressed with the freshmen, especially Crosby and guard Reece Downey.
“(Downey) rushed a few shots, but she was not intimidated out there,” Gaitley said.
“It was very intense,” Downey added with regard to her on-court debut. “I rushed a bit with the first-game jitters, but overall, it was fun.”
In a grind-it-out, 62-possession affair, Villanova held a decided 108-60 advantage in offensive efficiency. Interestingly, Villanova did not attempt a free throw, while FDU made all six of its foul shots in an exhibition that came about as a return meeting.
“They scrimmaged at our place last season, so we returned the game,” Dillon said. “Plus, I have known Stephanie forever and her teams always play really
hard. They work their tails off and will win a lot of games. They’re relentless. No one prepares a team better than Stephanie, they’ll be going for another championship this season.”
The Wildcats open the regular season Monday, as
they entertain Lafayette at Finneran Pavilion. FDU embarks on a Hoosier road trip, opening at Purdue Monday before visiting Notre Dame two days later.
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