It’s March, and that means survive and advance. That’s just what Villanova did Thursday night with a 61-57 win over Saint Mary’s.

We got the slow, deliberate game we expected with each team content to work to its strengths.

‘Nova jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but Saint Mary’s responded and went in front 13-11 with 11:04 to go in the half. Things stayed tight for the remainder of the half as the teams played within four points of each other before the Gaels took a two-point advantage into the break.

The Wildcats passed the eye test in the first half, playing excellent defense and generating good looks offensively. While the look of the game was encouraging, the statistical indicators relating to our keys to the game weren’t quite as good. Saint Mary’s had a three-point advantage from beyond the arc, outrebounded ‘Nova while taking a 6-0 advantage on the offensive boards, and while both teams took care of the ball well, the Gaels had one fewer turnover than the ‘Cats.

Phil Booth scored five-straight points to open the second half, spurring a 12-3 Wildcat push to put them in front 40-33. Saint Mary’s climbed within four before the ‘Cats pushed the lead back to eight.

Unfortunately, the Wildcats missed a couple of opportunities to start to put the game out of reach. ‘Nova continued to get stops on the defensive end, put a pair of turnovers prevented it from extending the lead before the Gaels finally broke through with five-straight points to pull within three at the six-minute mark.

The ‘Cats pushed the margin back to eight with 2:24 to go but ‘Nova missed a pair of front ends on one-and-one opportunities, and that plus a turnover allowed the Gaels to hang around before Saddiq Bey sealed the win with a steal.

The inability to put the game away, both with about eight minutes left and down the stretch, was frustrating, but overall it was a very solid performance from the ‘Cats.

Phil Booth was fantastic leading the way for ‘Nova, with 20 points, six assists, two rebounds, and two steals.

Eric Paschall chipped in 14 points after a cold start, adding six rebounds, an assist, and a block.

Jermaine Samuels made some absolutely massive plays for the ‘Cats, including several late. He finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and a block. He didn’t commit a single turnover and showed some impressive composure and awareness. He’s coming into his own at the right time.

Saddiq Bey knocked down a pair of 3’s for six points. He also had two rebounds, an assist, and the game-sealing steal, and would have had more points if he had gotten a little more respect from the officials. There were several instances where it appeared he was fouled but the whistles remained silent. Regardless, he looked completely at ease in his first NCAA tournament game and flashed some nice offensive versatility while filling a variety of roles defensively for the ‘Cats.

Collin Gillespie had five points, three assists, and two rebounds. But the real story for Gillespie was his defense. He did an incredible job fronting the post when forced into a mismatch and was sound on the perimeter as well. He embodied the toughness we’ve come to expect from Villanova, and in particular from Villanova guards.

Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree had a couple big buckets for ‘Nova, netting four points and five rebounds while adding a block. Like Gillespie, he did a nice job defensively.

The teams ended up even from beyond the arc, each connecting on eight long-balls, but ‘Nova was slightly more efficient, finishing the game at 40 percent to Saint Mary’s 36.4. The ‘Cats were outrebounded 33-29 and lost the battle on the offensive glass 10-5, but they were fantastic taking care of the ball, committing just seven turnovers.

The defensive effort was incredibly encouraging. There were a few breakdowns, but generally the ‘Cats were connected and sound at that end of the floor. In addition to holding the Gaels to 36.4 percent from deep, ‘Nova held them to 45.5 percent from 2-point range, well below their season average.

The ‘Cats showed great poise and the patented Villanova toughness was on full display. All in all, it was a very good effort against a disciplined opponent.

Thursday's win gave the 'Cats an NCAA tournament win in six straight years.

‘Nova now awaits the winner of #3 Purdue and #14 Old Dominion, who they will play on Saturday for a trip to the Sweet 16.