Belmont is next up for Villanova in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament semifinals

Villanova has advanced to the semifinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament for the second straight year, with the Wildcats facing Belmont on Monday at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis (2:30 p.m., ESPNU).

The fourth-seeded Wildcats (21-14) advanced Thursday by beating Portland, 71-61, after beating Boston College and Big 5 rival St Joseph’s in earlier rounds.

“For us to still be going into April, it’s fantastic, and I couldn’t be happier to coach another day with this group and get on the road,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said.

Nashville-based Belmont (25-12, 15-15 Missouri Valley Conference) advanced to the semifinals with a dominating 90-45 victory over top-seeded James Madison.

The Wildcats missed an NCAA Tournament bid for the second consecutive season, but Dillon is excited about the team’s growth and persistence in the postseason.

“It’s an incredible feat for this group, having so many challenges and an incredibly tough nonconference schedule,” Dillon said.

Villanova is a much different team from last season. After falling to Illinois in the WBIT championship, six Wildcats entered the transfer portal. The most difficult losses for Dillon were guard Lucy Olsen, who relocated to Iowa, and forward Christina Dalce, who headed to Maryland.

Villanova bounced back this season, led mostly by new players. Freshman point guard Jasmine Bascoe is averaging a team-high 16.4 points and has totaled 140 assists.

“It’s cool knowing that those who came in became a huge part of this season, and [the team] not wanting it to end is so special,” Dillon.

Sophomore guard Maddie Webber is averaging 13.1 points and graduate guard Maddie Burke has been especially impactful in the WBIT, hitting a game-winning three that lifted the Wildcats past St. Joe’s in the second round. After battling injuries earlier this season, guards Lara Edmanson and Ryanne Allen scored in double digits against Portland.

“With [Edmanson] being back and feeling healthy, you can just see changes in practices,” Dillon said. “It’s changing in her game, and it was great to see her in the last couple of games feel more like herself. It’s obviously been showing on the stat sheet.”

Bascoe has dominated in the WBIT, averaging 19.7 points in the last three games. But the Canadian rookie has also been exceptional on the defensive end. With four steals against Portland and 65 for the season, Bascoe surpassed Villanova’s all-time record for steals by a freshman.

“[Breaking the record] felt great,” Bascoe said. “It wasn’t really something I was aware of, but it feels good. I’ll take that, but I just have to keep going. So I’m happy but it’s part of the game.”

» READ MORE: Jasmine Bascoe’s big night sends Villanova to second straight WBIT Final Four appearance

Dillon expects Bascoe’s agility on the floor to help the Wildcats curb a hot-shooting Belmont team. The efforts of junior forward Denae Carter, Villanova’s leading rebounder, will also be key against the Bruins.

“It always comes back to the defensive end of being in position and making it as challenging for them as possible,” Dillon said. “It’s off our defense, rebounding the ball, getting down the floor, and [Bascoe] finding a person for some easy buckets.”

Last season in the WBIT, the Bruins lost to Penn State in the second round. In this year’s run to the semifinals, Belmont defeated Middle Tennessee, Northern Arizona, and JMU.

Belmont’s three-point shooting was a major factor in its win over JMU, a team that beat Villanova, 71-67, on Dec. 15. In Thursday’s rout, the Bruins were 18-for-39 from the long range while limiting JMU to just three three-pointers.

Tuti Jones scored 26 points and Kendall Holmes added 22 for Belmont.