Nov. 20, 2005

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior center Kate Dessart Mager (Media, Pa.) hit the game-winning shot with 13 seconds remaining and then secured the victory by converting two free throws with 3.2 seconds left, leading Villanova (2-0) to a 62-59 victory over Penn State (0-2) on Sunday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The teams traded leads on three straight possessions in the final 44 seconds but the Wildcats answered last, scoring on each of their last three trips down the floor. The frantic ending began when senior forward Liad Suez-Karni (Even-Yehuda, Israel) drained her fifth three-pointer of the game with 43.4 seconds showing, giving Villanova a 58-57 lead.

However, junior forward Amanda Brown answered for the Lady Lions moments later, banking a layup off the glass with 25 seconds remaining to give Penn State a 59-58 lead. The Wildcats, who rallied from a double-digit deficit for the second straight game, were unfazed. On their ensuing possession after Brown's layup, senior guard Jenna Viani (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) found Dessart Mager open on the baseline. The Villanova sharp-shooter then sank a 15-footer for the game-winner.

Suez-Karni committed a foul with 6.3 seconds on the clock, giving the Lady Lions a 1-and-1 chance at the line. Brown missed the front end and junior forward Jackie Adamshick (Allentown, Pa.) rebounded and was fouled with 4.7 seconds to play. After each side used a timeout, the Wildcats threw the ball in bounds and Dessart Mager was quickly fouled. Her trip to the charity stripe was the only one of the game for Villanova, and the two free throws capped the victory. A last-second attempt by the Lady Lions from inside half court was well off the mark.

Suez-Karni led all scorers with a game-high 21 points and Adamshick contributed 18 points as the Wildcats defeated their long-time rivals for the fourth straight time. Suez-Karni shot 8-of-16 overall, including 5-of-10 from three-point range, and added four assists. Adamshick made good on her first seven shots of the game and wound up shooting 8-for-11 from the field to go along with a team-high six rebounds and career-high five assists. Dessart Mager finished with 10 points and sophomore forward Stacie Witman (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) contributed eight points.

Villanova trailed 57-55 late in the game but Penn State turned the ball over on three straight possessions. After failing to tie the game following the first two turnovers, the Wildcats went ahead on Suez-Karni's three-pointer. Viani and Dessart Mager had scored consecutive baskets to erase a four-point deficit and tie the game at 55-55, but Brown made a layup with 3:16 remaining to restore the Lady Lions lead. There were four ties and seven lead changes in the final 20 minutes.

A young Penn State team came out firing in the first half and hit 4-of-5 three-pointers on the way to building a 20-9 lead in the first eight minutes. The Lady Lions maintained that lead and led 29-18, but a three-pointer by Witman with 6:07 left before the break started a 13-1 run in a span of 3:29. Witman drained both of her three-pointers on the afternoon during that run, and Adamshick scored the final five points of the spurt, giving Villanova its first lead of the game at 31-30 on a three-pointer with 2:38 left in the opening period. Penn State answered with two baskets of its own and Dessart Mager hit a jumper with three seconds left before intermission. The Lady Lions led 34-33 at the half.

Brown had 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds to lead Penn State, while freshman guard Mashea Williams had 13 points and six rebounds. Penn State missed its final seven three-point attempts after making four of five early in the game.

The Wildcats will next head to the Rhode Island Invitational during the Thanksgiving weekend. Villanova takes on Mississippi on Friday at 2 p.m. and will then play in either the championship or consolation game on Saturday. The host Rams square off against Brown in the other game on the first day of the tournament.

NOTES: Penn State still leads the all-time series between the schools by a 10-5 margin, but the Wildcats have won four straight meetings in the series ... The last win by the Lady Lions was an 81-70 victory at Villanova on November 17, 2000 ... Villanova has trailed at halftime and faced a deficit of as many as 11 points in each of their first two games ... In the Wildcats season-opener at Marist on Friday night, they trailed by nine points at halftime and were down 31-20 early in the second half ... Villanova was just 3-9 last season when trailing at halftime ... Suez-Karni was the game's high scorer against both Marist and Penn State ... Adamshick scored 16 of her 18 points in the first half ... The Wildcats are 19-1 in their last 20 games against in-state opponents.