Cats grind out big 73-67 win over No. 15 Seton Hall

The Seton Hall defense was as advertised, harassing ‘Nova into 17 turnovers and holding the ‘Cats to 44% shooting overall and 30% from 3. Villanova’s defense answered the call, however, and the ‘Cats made some absolutely huge plays down the stretch to help seal the win.

“I think it’s a good win for us to come in, have a tough night shooting because of their defense and physicality and just finding a way,” Jay Wright said.

The Wildcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead, quieting a raucous Prudential Center crowd, but anyone who has watched these teams play over the years knew it wouldn’t be an easy afternoon. While the ‘Cats kept the Pirates at bay through the first 10 minutes of the first half, Seton Hall eventually made its run, ripping off a 10-2 spurt to take a two-point lead with 6:34 to play in the period.

Villanova would trail by as many as five before ending the half on an 11-3 run to take a three-point lead into the break.

It was an uncharacteristically sloppy first half for the ‘Cats, who committed 11 first-half turnovers that led to 12 Seton Hall points. The Pirates, who have struggled from beyond the arc this season, hit 4-7 from deep, led by a 3-3 showing from Jamir Harris. That, combined with Villanova’s turnovers, helped keep the Pirates close. A 5-2 advantage for ‘Nova from the foul line was the difference in the first half.

Wright credited Seton Hall’s physicality for disrupting the Villanova offense and causing turnovers. “Pure physicality,” Wright said of the Hall’s defensive effort. “They’re always as physical a team as you’ll play in the country. It’s really difficult to go against.”

The Pirates opened the second half with a 9-5 run to take a one-point lead with 16:35 to go. But the Wildcats came right back with an 8-2 push to reestablish a five-point advantage with 14:58 left. Seton Hall clawed back within a point at the 10:37 mark, but the ‘Cats ripped off an 8-0 spurt to push the lead back to nine with 8:13 to play.

Of course, Seton Hall wasn’t going to go down without a fight and the Pirates were back within one with 5:45 to go. The roller coaster continued, with ‘Nova managing to go back up by six with a quick burst over the next minute, but a 7-0 run from Seton Hall put the Pirates up one with just two minutes to play.

A huge offensive rebound led to a clutch Justin Moore jumper with 1:36 left to put the ‘Cats back up by one, and from there the ‘Cats were able to ice the game from the free throw line on the way to their six-point win.

Over the final 41 seconds, Villanova hit 11-12 from the line, finishing the day 25-30 from the charity stripe. We noted that both teams were among the best in the country at defending without fouling, but Saturday’s officials had other ideas, calling 44 total fouls and fouling out FOUR players. Villanova was able to convert and ended up building a nine-point advantage from the line, an advantage that was ultimately the difference in the game.

Villanova was also dominant on the glass, building a 42-28 rebounding advantage and pulling down 13 offensive rebounds to Seton Hall’s nine. Brandon Slater (4), Eric Dixon (4) and Jermaine Samuels (3) were particularly effective on the offensive boards. The ‘Cats had a 12-10 advantage in second-chance points.

“I thought Brandon Slater was great on the glass and Jermaine Samuels was outstanding inside and on the glass and that was a big key to the game,” Wright said.

The Wildcats did a nice job attacking the aggressive Seton Hall defense and getting to the rim. They shot 50% on 2-point attempts and had a 28-24 advantage in points in the paint.

Villanova also did a nice job defensively, holding Seton Hall to 38.6% shooting overall and 36.8% from 3. The Wildcats also piled up seven blocks, doing a really nice job recovering, rotating and helping.

Collin Gillespie led the way with 21 points, hitting 6-12 overall and 4-8 from 3 and adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal. But it was Slater, Samuels, and Moore who stole the show.

Slater finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. He grabbed some absolutely huge offensive rebounds and was 4-4 on free throws in the final minute. Overall, he shot 5-8 from the field and 7-8 from the line. Likewise, Samuels made some major plays for the ‘Cats, particularly on the offensive glass and defensively. He finished with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, adding three assists and a career-high four blocks. Moore made his mark as well, finishing with 13 points, including that go-ahead jumper with just under two minutes left. He added five rebounds, two steals and a big block.

Bryan Antoine took on a bigger role in the absence of Caleb Daniels, playing 16 minutes and scoring seven points while grabbing a career-high four rebounds, including the big offensive rebound to set up Moore’s go-ahead bucket. He also had an impressive block. His length and quick hands gave ‘Nova a boost defensively and he looked increasingly comfortable as the game wore on.

It was a really nice win for the Wildcats against a really good team in a hostile environment. It’s Villanova’s third top 25 win of the season and keeps the ‘Cats within a game of Providence at the top of the Big East. The ‘Cats will now prepare to take on Creighton at home on Wednesday.