UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The 2021 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Jeep continued on Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena. Afternoon Quarterfinal action saw top-seeded UConn defeat eighth-seeded St. John’s 77-41 in the first game, before fifth-seeded Villanova scored the first upset of the weekend with an overtime victory over fourth-seeded DePaul, 78-72. The evening session tipped off with second-seeded Marquette topping seventh-seeded Providence 68-43, before sixth-seeded Creighton pulled off the day’s second upset, eliminating third-seeded Seton Hall, 83-76. Action continues on Sunday in the Semifinals as the Huskies and Wildcats tipoff at 3 p.m. ET, followed by the Golden Eagles and Bluejays at 6 p.m. Both semifinals will air live on FS1, with Sarah Kustok and Lisa Byington on the call.
 
UConn and Villanova meet in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals for the third time, with the Huskies winning the two previous meetings (2002, 83-39; 2009, 72-42). UConn owns the 4-2 BIG EAST Tournament series advantage, adding Quarterfinal victories in 1991 and 1997, while Villanova scored wins in the 1986 Quarterfinal and 2003 Final. The Huskies won the lone regular-season meetings with the Wildcats this year, 90-52 on Dec. 22 at Finneran Pavilion. Creighton and Marquette have met in the BIG EAST Tournament twice previously with both times being in the Semifinals. The Golden Eagles won both contests, including the 2017 edition (72-65) and the 2018 meeting (76-70).  Marquette won both regular-season meetings this year – 66-53 in Omaha on Feb. 1, and 65-51 in Milwaukee on Feb. 22.
 
No. 1 Seed UConn 77, No. 8 Seed St. John’s 41
The Huskies punched their ticket to their 26^th straight BIG EAST Semifinal, dating back to the 1989 Tournament, scoring their 12^th straight win on the year. Playing her first game since being crowned BIG EAST Player and Freshman of the Year, UConn’s Paige Bueckers scored a game-high 17 points, while teammate and Co-Defensive Player of the Year Olivia Nelson-Ododa notched her seventh double-double of the year with 10 points and game-high 11 rebounds. Unique Drake and All-BIG EAST First Team pick Leilani Correa tied for the St. John’s high with seven points apiece. UConn (22-1) never trailed in the contest, jumping out to an 18-6 lead after the first quarter before leading 38-15 at the half. Of note, UConn’s Anna Makurat played in a game for the first time since Jan. 21, grabbing three rebounds in 11 minutes on the court. St. John’s finishes the year 8-15.
Full Recap | Box Score| Quotes | SJU Press | UConn Press | Highlights
 
5 seed Villanova 78, 4 seed DePaul 72 OT
The fifth-seeded Wildcats scored the first upset of the BIG EAST Tournament, bouncing the fourth-seeded Blue Demons in overtime in the second game of the day. Trailing by nine with five minutes to go, DePaul closed regulation on a 12-3 run to force overtime. BIG EAST scoring and rebounding champion Maddy Siegrist continued with that trend, posting game highs of 30 points and 11 rebounds for Villanova. Siegrist scored 10 in overtime, outscoring 25^th-ranked DePaul (14-8) which totaled eight points in the bonus frame. Saturday’s loss marked the first time the five-time BIG EAST Tournament champion Blue Demons didn’t advance in the tournament, having won at least one game in their previous 15 appearances. The Wildcats (15-5) advance to their first BIG EAST Semifinal since 2015 and will face top-seeded UConn for the seventh time in the conference postseason and first since 2009. Four Blue Demons finished in double figures against Villanova on Saturday, including a team-high 19 for Deja Church. DePaul edged Villanova on the boards, 42-40, but the Wildcats outshot the Blue Demons, including 11 made triples to DePaul’s seven.
Full Recap | Box Score| Quotes | DPU Press | VU Press | Highlights
 
2 seed Marquette 68, 7 seed Providence 43  
The Golden Eagles opened the game on a 9-0 run and never looked back, advancing to the BIG EAST Semifinals for the fifth straight year. Lauren Van Kleunen scored a game-high 17 points to lead MU, draining 7-of-11 shots from the field. Selena Lott did it all for the Golden Eagles (18-5), totaling seven points, nine assists and six boards. Chanell Williams scored a Providence-best 12 points, while Alyssa Geary joined her in double figures with 10. Marquette was dominant inside, winning the rebounding battle 46-22, including 11 on the offensive glass. Providence finishes the season 7-14.
Full Recap | Box Score| Quotes | PC Press |MU Press | Highlights
 
6 seed Creighton 83, 3 seed Seton Hall 76 
For the third time in the last four season, the No. 6 seed upset the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, with Creighton being that No. 6 pulling off the upset for the second time in the last three seasons. The Pirates led by 12 early in the third quarter before Creighton (9-10) went on a 19-5 run to take its first lead of the game with 2:38 to go in the frame. Seton Hall (14-7) regained the lead in the fourth before a 7-0 Creighton run gave the Bluejays the lead with four minutes to go and they never gave it up. Both squads shot well from the field, with Creighton tallying a .483 clip to Seton Hall’s .476 mark, but the difference came in threes as the Bluejays buried 12 to the Pirates’ five. Emma Ronsiek and Morgan Maly each made four triples for Creighton to finish with 20 and 18 points, respectively, while teammate Temi Carda scored a career-best 29. Ronsiek and Maly also recorded double-doubles, with 10 and 11 rebounds, respectively.  Desiree Elmore led three Pirates in double figures with 22. The loss ended The Hall’s winning streak at five games.
Full Recap | Box Score| Quotes | CU Press |SHU Press | Highlights
 
For more information on the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament, click HERE, or follow @BIGEASTwbb on Twitter.
 
2021 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Jeep
Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, Conn.
March 5 – First Round
Game 1: 8 seed St. John’s 65, 9 seed Xavier 57 (BEDN on FloSports)
Game 2: 7 seed Providence 63, 10 seed Butler 61 (BEDN on FloSports)
Game 3: 6 seed Creighton 56, 11 seed Georgetown 42 (BEDN on FloSports)
March 6 – Quarterfinals
Game 4: 1 seed UConn 77, 8 seed St. John’s 41 (FS1)
Game 5: 5 seed Villanova 78, 4 seed DePaul 72 OT (FS2)
Game 6:  2 seed Marquette 68, 7 seed Providence 43 (FS2)
Game 7: 6 seed Creighton 83, 3 seed Seton Hall 76 (FS2)
March 7 – Semifinals
Game 8: 5 seed Villanova vs.  1 seed UConn, 3 p.m. (FS1)
Game 9: 6 seed Creighton vs. 2 seed Marquette, 6 p.m. (FS1)
March 8 - Final
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs Game 9 winner, 8 p.m. (FS1)
All times Eastern