#BIGEASTwbb Minute: Jennings, Nogic Lead Teams To WNIT First Round Wins
Butler’s Whitney Jennings goes for 29 points to eclipse 1,000 for her career, while Jovana Nogic sparks Providence with 27 points as both cruise to WNIT First Round victories.
NEW YORK – WNIT First Round action got under way for a trio of BIG EAST teams on Thursday night, with Butler knocking off Northeastern, 89-72, Providence topping Hartford, 71-54, and Seton Hall falling at Toledo, 71-65. The Bulldogs will host Kent State in the second round Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The Friars will face the winner of Friday’s Penn-American tilt set for 7 p.m. in Philadelphia. Two more BIG EAST teams open WNIT play on Friday as Georgetown hosts Sacred Heart and Villanova welcomes Old Dominion, with both tipping at 7 p.m.
Butler 89, Northeastern 72
Whitney Jennings led all players with a game-high 29 points as the senior guard reached 1,001 career points in the victory. The Bulldogs won a WNIT game for just the third time in program history. Jennings hit seven 3-point field goals to help her net 29 points and teammate Kristen Spolyar added 21 points, six rebounds and three steals. Tori Schickel also stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Bulldogs trailed Northeastern 23-17 after the first quarter, but exploded for 35 points in the second quarter to take a 16-point halftime lead. Butler closed the second quarter on a 17-1 scoring run. They did that damage over the final 3:23 of the frame. Any chance of a comeback would be erased in the third quarter with Butler winning that frame 24-8.
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Providence 71, Hartford 54
Jovana Nogic scored 17 points in the opening 20 minutes of action and completed the evening with a season-high 27 points on 10-12 shooting, including an impressive 7-9 clip from three-point land. Her seven threes tied her career single-game high. Mary Baskerville finished the night with a career-high 22 points on 10-13 shooting from the field. The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year hit 7-8 attempts from the field for 16 points in the second half. She also added a team-high eight rebounds. PC trailed for just 1:40 of the contest to claim its first WNIT win since 2010.
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Toledo 71, Seton Hall 65
Despite a huge second half push, Seton Hall dropped a 71-65 decision at Toledo on Thursday. The Hall out-scored the Rockets 36-27 in the second half and got a 17-point deficit as close as four in the final 90 seconds of regulation. Selena Philoxy led all scorers with a career-high 19 points, going 7-of-13 from the floor and grabbing seven rebounds. Seniors Nicole Jimenez and Victoria Cardaci also finished in double-figures in their final games in Pirate blue, adding 15 and 14 points, respectively. The Pirates conclude the 2018-19 campaign record with a 15-16 record, reaching the postseason for the fifth time in six seasons under head coach Anthony Bozzella.
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BIG EAST In The WNIT – First Round Schedule/Results
Thursday, March 21
Northeastern at Butler, 7 p.m.
Providence 71, Hartford 54
Toledo 71, Seton Hall 65
Friday, March 22
Sacred Heart at Georgetown, 7 p.m.
Old Dominion at Villanova, 7 p.m.
All times Eastern