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.

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. 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 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.

FULL HOUSE

At least 100 fans were lined up outside 1½ hours before game time, and fans packed into the Pavilion for just the second sellout in Villanova women’s basketball history. The student section was full and rocking at tipoff, and the national TV cameras focused in on the action on and off the court.

SIEGRIST’S STAR

Most cameras and eyes were on Siegrist, the 6-foot-2 senior from Poughkeepsie, New York, who entered leading the country in scoring (29.4 ppg) and had a hot hand in her last two contests. Siegrist followed a school and conference record 50-point performance last Saturday against Seton Hall with 39 points in a win over St. John’s on Wednesday. Over those two contests, Villanova’s all-time leading scorer made 35 of 52 shots, including 7 of 13 3-pointers, while adding 21 rebounds.

Siegrist displayed her inside and outside scoring skills in a strong first quarter in which she made 5 of 7 shots and scored 10 points. She followed a nifty layup after a back-door cut with a 10-foot baseline fadeaway during one first-quarter sequence. But the Huskies mostly held her in check from that point, and Siegrist finished 8 of 22 from the field, including 1 of 5 from 3-point range. Her point total matched her season low, the third time this season she has scored 21.

TRAINER’S ROOM

UConn: Azzi Fudd (right knee) missed her 11th straight contest.

UP NEXT

UConn: Hosts St. John’s on Tuesday.

Villanova: Hosts DePaul on Tuesday.

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