Juhline too much for Panthers

16-4.

After playing a pretty solid first half and trailing 26-22, the Panthers’ chances for… 16-4.

After playing a pretty solid first half and trailing 26-22, the Panthers’ chances for victory were diminished after Villanova opened the second half with a 16-4 run.

In the first half, No. 19 Villanova Wildcats’ leading scorer Trish Juhline, who averages 17.6 points per game, which is good for fourth in the Big East, was held to only three points.

“Nothing really [special was done for Juhline], we were just conscious of who she was, and the fact she is averaging 17 a game,” Panthers’ head women’s basketball coach Traci Waites said.

Holding Juhline to just the three points was the key to the Panthers staying close in the first half.

“They were playing really aggressive defense [on me]. They were over playing every pass, and we were not executing our offense and getting good shots,” Juhline said.

For both Juhline and the Panthers, the second half was very different.

After her dismal first half, Juhline stepped up her game and stepped on the Panthers. Juhline opened the half with a jumper at the 19:24 mark, to which she promptly added two more jumpers and another layup, giving her the first eight points of the half, all for the Wildcats.

“I think we just realized at halftime what the problem was [and corrected it],” Juhline said.

Juhline continued her dominance after a teammate’s steal and score, when she added a steal and layin of her own, making it a 10-2 run for the Wildcats.

“It just happened I was guarding her,” Panthers guard Amy Kunich said. “I had to try to contain her [Juhline], which I guess I didn’t do.”

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Juhline was not done and nor was the Wildcat run. Juhline went on to add another assist and helped Villanova reach its biggest lead of the game, 16 points.

“Yeah, [we waited to double Juhline] normally when you go to double they kick it out for three and you can’t recover. So we would rather give up the two than the three,” Waites said.

Perhaps doubling Juhline earlier would have been a better plan as she finished with 10 points, one assist and one steal during the 16-4 Villanova half opening run that ended with 12:07 to play in the game.

Juhline and the Wildcats’ run blew the game open, but Juhline’s night was not complete yet. After adding seven more points and three more assists, Juhline finished with a dominating performance that crushed the Panthers.

“She’s a great guard, and she just picked up her intensity [in the second half],” Waites said.

Juhline’s numbers definitely proved that fact in this game, after she finished with 20 points, four assists, two blocks, two steals and one rebound in the Wildcats’ 63-47 victory over the Panthers