Villanova and Seton Hall produced a classic Big East battle at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon with the ‘Cats coming out on top, 73-67, in an intense, wild game.

Kadary Richmond opened the scoring with a 3, setting the stage for a strong first-half shooting performance from the Pirates. But despite the strong shooting, Seton Hall was unable to open up too large of a lead. The lead was six with just under 11 minutes to play, but that deficit was manageable for ‘Nova considering how things had played out to that point.

By the under-8 timeout, the lead was down to two at 24-22. That was despite Seton Hall being 6-9 from 3 at that point and having a 12-point advantage from beyond the arc. Villanova was able to overcome that deficit and hang in the game courtesy of Seton Hall turnovers. The Pirates had five at the under-8 timeout, leading to 11 Villanova points. The Wildcats hadn’t committed a turnover at that point.

Jermaine Samuels scored five-straight points out of the media timeout, part of a larger 12-3 Villanova run, to give the Wildcats their first lead at 27-24. It wouldn’t last long, however, as Villanova would go scoreless over the final 4:56 of the half, missing its last eight shots and committing four turnovers during that span. The Pirates were able turn that stretch into a three-point halftime lead.

Seton Hall shot 50% from 3 in the period while ‘Nova managed just 25%. The Pirates were +12 from deep. And yet they were only up three, thanks largely to turnovers. Seton Hall committed nine and Villanova was able to build a 14-3 advantage in points off turnovers. The ‘Cats also held their own on the glass, holding Seton Hall to five offensive rebounds while grabbing seven of their own, and were able to again establish an advantage inside, winning points in the paint 16-6.

The Seton Hall lead hovered between two and five through the first four minutes of the second half before things really got wild.

Villanova used a 9-0 run to take a four-point lead and get the Wells Fargo Center rocking. Seton Hall answered with an 11-0 push to re-establish a seven-point lead, stunning the ‘Nova crowd. The ‘Cats, however, kept their composure and followed that Seton Hall push with another 9-0 run to go back up two with 7:19 to play.

A huge 3 by Chris Arcidiacono off an offensive rebound by Brandon Slater put the ‘Cats up five with 4:35 to go, but Seton Hall ripped off six straight on back-to-back 3s from Tray Jackson to go back up one with 3:16 left.

The teams traded buckets over the next two minutes, with the ‘Cats getting huge baskets from Samuels, Justin Moore and Slater. Those buckets were sandwiched around a Richmond layup and a pair of free throws from Jackson, with Slater’s layup giving the ‘Cats a two-point advantage with 1:26 to play. ‘Nova got a stop on the defensive end, and then secured two offensive rebounds on the ensuing offensive possession that eventually forced the Pirates to foul. Moore drained two from the line to push the lead to four, the ‘Cats got another stop, and then Moore hit two more from the line to give the ‘Cats a six-point win.

The 3-point defense left something to be desired as Seton Hall knocked down 11 from beyond the arc. The Pirates shot 42.3% from deep on Saturday despite hitting just 32.4% for the season. That’s something that will have to be addressed, and the inability to get it cleaned up on Saturday nearly cost the ‘Cats.

That said, this was an impressive win for Villanova. Despite Seton Hall having two key frontcourt players back that missed the first meeting between the teams, Villanova was again able to build an advantage inside. The ‘Cats outscored the Pirates 32-20 in the paint, kept the rebounding battle close (34-33 Seton Hall) and kept second-chance points close (16-13 Seton Hall). ‘Nova shot 50% on 2-point attempts while limiting Seton Hall to 43.3%. Seton Hall’s inside numbers have been phenomenal this season, so it was a strong effort from the ‘Cats.

Even more impressive was Villanova’s mental makeup. From shots not falling in the first half while Seton Hall was hot, to the gut punch of seeing a 9-0 run immediately answered with an 11-0 run and watching so much of the hard work you just did get undone in the process, the ‘Cats never wavered. They stayed calm, kept playing, and made enough plays to get the job done. Similarly, the ‘Cats also made a lot of the key plays down the stretch, an encouraging sign after some trouble closing games at times this season.

It was great to see the ‘Cats respond the way they did. It was the kind of win that can be helpful down the line and it’s always nice to earn the win plus the experience when you find yourself in those kinds of games. Of course, the win also keeps the ‘Cats within striking distance at the top of the Big East.

Speaking of the top of the Big East, the ‘Cats will now prepare for a game that will have huge implications on the Big East race as they travel to Providence on Tuesday.