ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Maddy Siegrist scored 25 points and 11th-seeded Villanova rallied to beat No. 6 seed BYU 61-57 on Saturday in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament.
Kaitlyn Oriehl added 10 points and Lucy Olsen had nine for the Wildcats, who finished second in the Big East.
The Wildcats will face the winner of third-seeded Michigan and No. 14 seed American on Monday.
Paisley Harding scored 21 points for BYU with Teagan Graham adding 11. Shaylee Gonzales was held to eight points, missing 11 of her 14 shots.
The Cougars got out to a quick start, going up 13-2 halfway through the first quarter, but the Wildcats found their rhythm after a timeout, drawing within one possession with just under a minute left in the first quarter. From there, it was a battle of the motion offenses, with neither team managing to pull away.
Ultimately, Olsen was the difference-maker for the Wildcats. The Big East All-Freshman guard looked poised and comfortable leading the floor for Villanova, and in the end, it was her sharp passing and ability to find Siegrist’s steady hands inside that finally allowed the Wildcats to hold onto their lead.
