Feb. 16, 2008

Box Score

VILLANOVA, Pa. - The frontcourt trio of senior Stacie Witman (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) and juniors Laura Kurz (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.) and Lisa Karcic (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) led the way with a combined 51 points and Villanova (15-10, 5-7 Big East) rolled to a 69-50 win Saturday afternoon at the Pavilion over Cincinnati (11-13, 2-10 Big East) on "Think Pink" Day. The Wildcats registered their third straight victory by shooting 57 percent over the final 20 minutes.

Kurz scored a game-high 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting (5-of-7 three-pointers) and Witman scored 10 of her 16 points in the pivotal second half. Karcic added a double-double in an outstanding all-around performance, tallying 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and four steals in 35 minutes.

For the second straight game a close game midway through the contest stretched into a comfortable margin after halftime. After the Bearcats pulled to within 39-36 with 14:25 remaining, Villanova launched a 17-3 run in less than five minutes to go up 56-39 with 9:31 left. Karcic started the spurt with a three-pointer and Kurz contributed the final eight points of the run to put the game out of reach of Cincinnati.

The Bearcats received a team-high 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from Kahla Roudebush, while Emy Ogide came off the bench to add 11 points. Cincinnati shot 52 percent itself in the second half but was outscored 42-6 from behind the three-point arc as the Wildcats made at least 10 three-pointers for the fourth straight game.

Sophomore Maria Getty (Centerville, Ohio) added eight points and a game-high seven assists for Villanova, which helped on 16-of-25 made field goals and owned a 31-23 rebounding edge. Junior Siobhan O'Connor (West Chester, Pa.) had seven points and four rebounds to help the cause.

The Wildcats started fast and led 18-8 in the first eight minutes before the Bearcats climbed back into the game late in the opening stanza. Villanova missed its final four shots of the first half and Cincinnati made three of its last five to trail 29-22 at the break. The Bearcats continued to chip away early in the second half to get as close as three in the opening minutes. The Wildcats, however, never surrendered the lead and led by as many as 21 points before settling on the final margin.

The three straight conference wins for Villanova are the most for the team since the Wildcats won their final four games of the regular season in 2005-06. Villanova also has reached 15 victories for the eighth time in the last nine years and is guaranteed to end at least the regular season with a winning record.

Next up for the Wildcats is a trip to Tampa and a meeting with USF on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

NOTES: Kurz has scored 58 points on 22-of-35 (62.9%) shooting in her last two games ... Over the last four contests Villanova as a team is 52-of-118 (44.1%) from three-point range.