Published Nov 24, 2019
Cats Fall to Baylor 87-78
Josh Naso  •  NovaIllustrated
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Villanova fell just a bit short in its bid for a seventh-straight early-season tournament title, falling to a tough Baylor team in a hard-fought game in the final of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Sunday.

We saw a pretty high-level first half with both teams executing and making plays. The teams traded blows, and neither was able to open up much of a margin. Saddiq Bey was fouled shooting a three just before the halftime buzzer and connected on all three free throws to give the ‘Cats a three-point lead at the break.

Collin Gillespie again led the way scoring 16 points and two assists. Bey joined him in double figures with 10 while adding three rebounds and three assists. Cole Swider had nine points and three rebounds off the bench.

The ‘Cats did a decent job keeping the Bears off the glass, giving up four offensive rebounds but winning the overall rebounding battle 17-12. There were a few hiccups offensively with too much dribbling, but the ball movement was still strong for the most part and ‘Nova had nine first-half assists.

The back-and-forth play continued throughout the second half as neither team would give any ground. The ‘Cats built a six-point lead with 12:57 to go in the half, but Baylor came right back and regained a 60-59 lead three minutes later. The battle continued and the teams had played to a tie at the 5:35 mark, 67-67.

It was there that things fell apart for the ‘Cats a little bit. Jared Butler hit a three on the ensuing possession, and that proved to be a sign of things to come. Butler would score seven points down the stretch including his go-ahead three, and also dish out an assist. ‘Nova couldn’t seem to get a stop and the offense stalled a bit, and the Bears were able to pull away and earn an 87-78 victory.

It was a tough loss to swallow, as it felt like the ‘Cats had the game under control for a decent part of the second half. They were playing well and were in position to win, but unfortunately, they wilted a bit down the stretch.

Two things really stand out from the box score. First, Baylor shot the ball extremely well. The Bears connected on 52.5 percent from the floor and a scorching 57.9 percent from three. Part of that was due to some defensive lapses from the ‘Cats, but Baylor also made some really tough shots and sometimes you just have to tip your cap to the opponent.

The other thing that stands out is the turnover battle. ‘Nova wasn’t terrible taking care of the ball, committing 12 turnovers. But Baylor excelled at it, with just five. Between Baylor’s hot shooting and the sizable advantage in the turnover department, it was too much for ‘Nova to overcome.

The ‘Cats didn’t look quite as sharp as they had in the previous two games in Myrtle Beach. They had some more glaring defensive miscues and while the offense played well overall, it wasn’t as crisp as it was on Thursday and Friday as it grew stagnant at times and there were instances of too much dribbling.

Still, the ball movement was generally solid. The ‘Cats showed decent poise and played an overall solid game. They just happened to run into a very good opponent who played just a little bit better. It was a disappointing result but should be a great learning experience for the young ‘Cats and one that should prove helpful later in the season.

Gillespie led the way for the ‘Cats with 27 points and six assists. He did, however, commit five turnovers. Still, it was a very encouraging three games from Gillespie.

Bey added 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists and made a lot of big plays.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had another double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, adding three assists.

Swider had 11 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Brandon Slater chipped in seven points. Jermaine Samuels had five points.

Justin Moore had a quiet game, going scoreless while only attempting two shots. Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree didn’t record a stat in just three minutes of action.

The ‘Cats will look to get back on track when they open Big 5 play on December 1, hosting La Salle.