By Nick Pipitone
VILLANOVA, Pa.-As a teary-eyed Amaka Agugua walked off thecourt and embraced head coach Felisha Legette-Jack and athletic director Jack Hayes, it showed how far the Pride women’s basketball program had come.
The team headed to the locker room amid a small troupe of fans and parents sitting courtside, collecting hugs and congratulatory remarks despite its 71-46 loss to Villanova on Sunday. The first-round Women’s National Invitation Tournament loss bounced the Pride from the postseason and ended the Blue & Gold’s season, but from watching the team leave the court, it seemed more like a beginning than an end.
“This is the beginning of something that’s really, really special,” Legette-Jack said. “Our youth was able to sit back and learn. I think [our rookies] are really going to learn some lessons from our upperclassmen.”
Finishing with 19 wins, the second-highest total in Division I program history, the Pride put together its best season in over two decades. In its first post season appearance in program history, the Pride beat Stony Brook, 92-65, March 15 in the preliminary round of the WNIT.
The team smashed numerous program records throughout the season, achieving its best conference record and tying the program’s longest winning streak at six. This past Sunday, though, it faced a Villanova team that was simply more experienced. The Wildcats (20-10 overall, 9-7 Big East) have made the postseason the past six years and narrowly missed the NCAA tournament this season. it had four seniors in its starting lineup, whereas the Pride only had Agugua.
Despite the lack of experience, the Pride still battled the Wildcats the entire first half, and led the game four times. The Blue & Gold saw its las lead of the half, and ultimately the game, slip away at the 8:32 mark. Villanova’s Liad Suez drained a three-pointer to start a quick 10-0 Wildcats run to put them up, 29-20. The Pride entered the half down 41-33 despite shooting 57.1-percent from the field.
The Wildcats, a much smaller team, took advantage of the Pride’s zone along the perimeter, going 14-for-37 behind the arc. Villanova started the second half with another 10-0 run, putting it up 51-33 and out of reach. The team became frustrated in the second half as the Wildcats began to play tougher defense.
For the first12-minutes of the half, junior center Vanessa Giddenwould be the only Pride player to score. She finished with a gamehigh 14 points despite shooting 6- for-14 from the field.Junior forward Lizanne Murphy was the only other Pride player indouble figures. She posted her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds after leading the Colonial Athletic Association last season in the category.
The Wildcats, conversely, had three players in double-figures, led by senior forward Jackie Adamshick, who had 13. The Pride ultimately suffered a 25-point loss, its second largest of the season, but seemed more focused on its overall accomplishments. “We made history numerous times this year and it’s something to be proud of,” Agugua said. “We’ve done a lot this year and a lot of people are starting to recognize us. This is just the beginning.”
Villanova head coach Harry Perretta, who has been coaching the Wildcats for 27 years, concurred. “I think [Legette-Jack] has done a fabulous job there,” Perretta said. “What they’ve done over the last couple years has been fabulous. I think they’re really on the right track there.” Next year the Pride returns everybody but Agugua.
The nucleus of the team will be in its senior season with a crop of young talent waiting in the wings.