In the first half, Pittsburgh fell behind 18-8 after the Wildcats’ Kelly Nash hit a 3-pointer at the 12:22 mark. The Panthers closed the gap to four points (23-19) following an 11-5 run thanks to five points from freshman Brooke Hughes (Wheelersburg, Ohio/South Webster). They cut the lead to two points with 2:40 remaining in the half on a jumper by senior Stacy Moore (Richmond, Va./Meadowbrook), but Villanova entered the locker room with a four-point advantage, 29-25.

Pittsburgh hit 39 percent (10 of 26) of its field goals in the first half while the Wildcats connected on 48 percent (12 of 25) of its shots.

The Panthers pulled back to within two points on separate occasions early in the second half, but Villanova gradually stretched the lead to double figures midway through the half. The advantage ballooned to a game-high 14 points, 55-41, with 1:10 remaining in the contest as the Wildcats won their fifth straight over Pittsburgh in the series history.

For the game, the Panthers shot 38 percent (18 of 47) from the field and 40 percent (2 of 5) from behind the 3-point arc. Villanova made 44 percent (20 of 46) of its field goals and 32 percent (7 of 22) of its 3-pointers.

Sophomore Cheron Taylor (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) led Pittsburgh with 10 points and five rebounds. Moore finished with a career-high (tied) eight points and also pulled down five boards.

Nash hit four 3-pointers to lead the Wildcats and finished with a game-high 14 points.

NOTES: Villanova had 34 rebounds to the Panthers’ 27...each team totaled four steals...Pittsburgh was 7-of-11 (64 percent) from the foul line and the Wildcats were 9-of-16 (56 percent).