NEW YORK (AP) — Maddy Siegrist scored 39 points, including 19 in the third quarter, and No. 14 Villanova defeated St. John’s 73-57 on Wednesday night, the Wildcats’ 14th win in their past 15 games.
Siegrist, the national scoring leader (29.1 ppg) and Ann Meyer and Naismith Trophy national player of the week after scoring 50 points in a win over Seton Hall last Saturday, made 15 of 26 shots, 3 of 7 3-pointers and 6 of 8 free throws. She also had 11 rebounds. Her 19-point third quarter helped Villanova turn a five-point halftime lead into a 55-40 lead entering the fourth.
Villanova’s only loss this calendar year was a 63-58 setback at No. 6 UConn on Jan. 29. Villanova hosts UConn (23-4, 15-1) in the rematch on Saturday.
With Siegrist leading the way, Villanova dominated St. John’s inside, outscoring the Red Storm 42-26 in the paint and 10-3 in second-chance points. St. John’s led 9-8 with 37 seconds left in the first quarter, but Villanova scored the last four points of the period and did not trail again.
Mimi Reid, a 5.1 points per game scorer this season, led St. John’s with a career-high 23 points.
Lucy Olsen had 14 points and seven assists for Villanova and Christina Dalce had 11 rebounds.
Villanova swept the season series with St. John’s. In the game at Villanova, the Wildcats trailed 59-43 with 5:28 remaining before rallying for a 64-61 victory.
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