The opener gave Nova fans a player performance to appreciate and a defensive result they can't wave away. Neither is a season verdict.
Jasmine Bascoe put up 26 points and nine assists against No. 13 Notre Dame in Rome. Villanova still lost 99-75 in its Nov. 1 opener, according to the school's recap.
You can appreciate her afternoon without trying to sell that final score as encouraging.
Nine assists belong next to the scoring total. Bascoe was creating baskets for teammates as well as getting her own. That's worth watching when Villanova visits Princeton on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. ET, the next game listed in the recap.
The problem in Rome was how freely Notre Dame scored. The Irish shot 55.9 percent from the floor. Whatever Bascoe supplied offensively, Villanova didn't get enough stops to make it count in the result.
That doesn't make her production empty. It means a good individual game and a bad team result can share the same box score. Give her the credit without using it to cover the loss.
Yeah, but it's one game against a ranked opponent on a neutral floor overseas. Nobody needs to declare a program crisis or rewrite the season outlook off that. At Princeton, the watch is simple: can Villanova give Bascoe's offense enough defensive help for it to matter on the scoreboard?
Richmond 79, Temple 53. The Spiders scored the first 14 points in a building Temple hadn't played in for four years, on the night it turned 100. One week after a 17-0 start, the Owls had as many turnovers as made field goals.
Halftime was 54-31. Final was 97-93. Penn State set a program free-throw record at 43 of 49 and still watched Anigbata's three cut it to one possession with under a second left. Credit the free throws. Do not hide the second half. Pitt is next.
Burton was the purchase: 42.5 percent on 76 threes at Stephen F. Austin. He led La Salle with 15 points and four threes in the Houston opener. Volume is not a clinic. Homecoming against LIU is where the bet has to look real at home.
Last year Temple beat George Mason in overtime. This year Turner goes for 21 with five threes on the road and the Owls lose by 20. Credit her night. Do not hide the boards or the score. Navy at home is the next read.
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