University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Villanova
Lopez Sénéchal leads No. 6 UConn past Siegrist, No. 14 Villanova
2/18/2023 6:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Lou Lopez Sénéchal scored 22 points, including a crucial rainbow jumper late in the fourth quarter, to lead No. 6 UConn to a 60-51 victory over Maddy Siegrist and No. 14 Villanova on Saturday.
"I think she's been absolutely remarkable," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said of Lopez Sénéchal. "If we didn't have Lou, I hate to think where we would be."
Dorka Juhász added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Aaliyah Edwards had 13 points and 14 boards for the Huskies (24-4, 16-1 Big East).
Siegrist, the nation's leading scorer, had 21 points for the Wildcats (23-5, 14-3). Villanova lost just its second contest in the last 16 — both to the Huskies. Lucy Olsen added 13 points for Villanova.
The game was close throughout the first three quarters; the Huskies entered the final quarter leading 44-39. Lopez Sénéchal made a pair of free throws and then swished a 3 from the top of the key to give UConn its largest lead to that point, 49-39, with 8:55 left. UConn pushed its advantage to a game-high 52-40 on Juhász's fastbreak layup from Lopez Sénéchal with 7:44 left.
The Wildcats came roaring back, scoring the next 10 points over 3:49 to make it 52-50 with 3:55 to play on Olsen's drive. The Huskies committed four of their 22 turnovers during the Villanova spurt, which featured back-to-back 3-pointers by Siegrist and Olsen.
Edwards ended UConn's 4:39 scoring drought with a layup to make it 54-50. Then Sénéchal nailed her high-arching shot from close range to give the Huskies a five-point advantage that proved enough cushion.
"I just tried to put some arc to it," Sénéchal said. "Didn't think too much and just tried to make the shot."
