Nov. 26, 2005

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KINGSTON, R.I. - A balanced attack by Villanova (4-0) allowed four different players to score in double figures, and the Wildcats defeated Rhode Island (1-3) 65-44 on Saturday afternoon in the championship game of the URI Invitational. Junior forward Jackie Adamshick (Allentown, Pa.) was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while senior center Kate Dessart Mager (Media, Pa.) and senior forward Liad Suez-Karni (Even-Yehuda, Israel) each were named to the all-tournament team.

Villanova raced away from a close game with a 24-5 run that spanned both halves. Trailing 22-21 with 8:43 left in the first half, the Wildcats launched a 12-2 spurt and led 33-24 going into the intermission. The Rams' shooting woes continued early in the second period, and a 12-3 run by Villanova in the opening five minutes of the half forged a 45-27 lead with 15:17 remaining in the game. The Wildcats led by as many as 27 points before settling on the 21-point victory.

The big run ended with eight unanswered points by Villanova in a span of 59 seconds. Dessart Mager hit her second straight jumper with 16:16 left before senior guards Jenna Viani (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and Courtney Roantree (Philadelphia, Pa.) each drained three-pointers. Both players reached double figures for the first time this season and Dessart Mager scored nine of her 11 points during the 24-5 run.

Suez-Karni had a team-high 13 points and Roantree came off the bench to shoot 4-of-7 from long range and tally 12 points. Dessart Mager contributed 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and Viani tallied 10 points and five assists in 25 minutes. Adamshick added eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds, reaching double figures in caroms for the second straight day.

Tanya Rhodes led Rhode Island with game highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds, but was the only Ram to score in double figures. Rhode Island grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and held a 44-39 rebounding edge, but managed just 29.6 percent (16-of-54) shooting for the game.

There were three ties and three lead changes in the first half and the Rams led by as many as five points in the first seven minutes of the game. Adamshick made her second basket of the game with 10:12 remaining before the break to give Villanova its first lead at 21-20, and sophomore forward Stacie Witman (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) hit a three-pointer with 5:50 left to give the Wildcats the lead for good at 26-23. Roantree scored nine of the team's first 14 points with three 3-pointers in a span of 2:40 early in the half to keep the game close.

Adamshick averaged 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in the tournament to earn MVP honors. She scored a game-high 24 points in Villanova's first game of the tournament, a 60-49 victory over Mississippi on Friday. Suez-Karni contributed 15.5 points and 5.0 assists per game for the weekend, while Dessart Mager added 8.5 points. 7.0 rebounds and shot 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the field. Tanya Rhodes earned a spot on the all-tournament team for the Rams, as did Arminte Price of Ole Miss.

Villanova went undefeated on its four-game road stretch to start the season, and will now play its next four games at The Pavilion. The homestand begins with the home opener against George Washington this Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

NOTES: The Wildcats are 4-0 for the first time since starting the 2002-03 season with six straight wins ... It is the ninth time overall that Villanova has won at least its first four games ... The team's composite winning percentage in the other eight seasons is .785 (179-49) ... The team's best start ever was 18-0 in the 1979-80 season ... Villanova emerged as the champion at a tournament for the first time since winning the Coors Classic at Colorado in 2002-03 ... The Wildcats have limited their first four opponents to just 53.0 points per game, and the team owns a +9.8 scoring advantage and +1.8 rebounding advantage through four games.