Feb. 11, 2006

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VILLANOVA, Pa. - Senior guard Jenna Viani (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) scored 19 of her 24 points in the first half and Villanova (14-8, 5-6 Big East) built an early lead on the way to a 64-40 victory over Cincinnati (14-8, 4-7 Big East) on Saturday afternoon at the Pavilion.

Viani was 7-of-12 from the field in the first 20 minutes and drained five three-pointers while outscoring the Bearcats by two points for the period. The Wildcats stormed away with a 23-6 run and led 32-12 in the closing minutes of the first half. Cincinnati never trailed by fewer than 17 points the rest of the way.

Villanova took advantage of 16 turnovers by Cincinnati - 10 in the first half - and outscored the Bearcats 25-3 off turnovers for the game. The Wildcats, meanwhile, turned the ball over only two times in the first half and eight times for the game.

Viani wound up shooting 9-of-17 overall and made a career-best six three-pointers. She added five rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes. Senior guard Betsy McManus (Pearl River, N.Y.) contributed 10 points and three assists, while junior forward Jackie Adamshick (Allentown, Pa.) pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Villanova made a season-high 13 three-pointers and outrebounded Cincinnati 32-30.

Michelle Jones led the Bearcats with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and was the lone player in double figures. Shelly Bellman had a team-high seven rebounds.

The Wildcats continued their hot shooting from beyond the three-point arc in the second half, making six more three-pointers and holding Cincinnati scoreless for more than seven minutes during a 12-2 run early in the period.

Villanova next plays conference-leading Rutgers on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.

NOTES: Viani has scored over 20 points in back-to-back games and has reached double figures in six of their last eight games ... The Wildcats had made 12 three-pointers on two previous occasions this season ... Senior guard Courtney Roantree (Philadelphia, Pa.) made two three-pointers and had six points ... She is shooting 54 percent (7-of-13) from beyond the three-point arc in Big East games this season.