Cats handle Georgetown 73-57

It wasn’t quite as comfortable as the final margin would indicate, however, at least early. Hampered by another slow start, Villanova hit just one of its first five shots and quickly fell behind 7-2. The Wildcats were able to steady the ship, using an 8-4 push to pull within one before a pair of Brandon Slater free throws gave the ‘Cats their first lead, 18-16, with 9:21 to play in the half.

The ‘Cats were unable to extend the lead, however, and fell behind again by as many as five. A pair of threes from Caleb Daniels late in the first half helped ‘Nova get into the break tied at 35.

“Georgetown came out to start the game, I thought they were clicking, especially offensively,” Kyle Neptune said. “They got a lot of guys who can beat you, they got a little hot to start the game. A lot of credit to our guys, who were resilient.”

The ‘Cats shot just 39% in the first half to Georgetown’s 48%. The Hoyas were taking it to ‘Nova in the paint, building a 10-point edge in points in the paint. The ‘Cats were helped by the three-point line, hitting 5-12 to Georgetown’s 2-10 and by the free throw line, where ‘Nova had a five-point advantage.

The second half was a different story. ‘Nova scored the first five points of the period and would get to work building the lead from there. A Slater three at the 10:56 mark pushed the advantage to double-figures, and it reached 14 a minute and a half later as a Cam Whitmore jumper capped a 7-0 run for the ‘Cats. Georgetown wouldn’t threaten again, as the lead remained in double-figures the rest of the way, getting as high as 17 before settling on the final 16-point margin.

‘Nova was strong defensively in the second half, as Georgetown had just 10 points through the first 12 minutes of the period. The Hoyas shot just 21.4% in the second half. Villanova had nine steals, with five of those coming in the second half. The ‘Cats were also better on the glass, outrebounding Georgetown 20-17 after getting outrebounded 19-14 in the first half. Likewise, ‘Nova kept Georgetown out of the paint in the second half. After that 10-point edge for the Hoyas in the first half, in which they scored 20 points in the paint, ‘Nova surrendered just two points in the point in the second half and had a 10-point edge of their own in the category.

On the other end of the court, ‘Nova connected on 46.1% in the second half, including a scorching 72.7% from two-point range.

“I thought we came out and just played a little bit harder defensively, I thought we were nastier defensively,” Neptune said. “We kept them out of the paint. I think we just did a better job cohesively getting it done and getting stops.”

Daniels was fantastic for the ‘Cats, pouring in 20 points to go with six rebounds and four steals.

“He’s a very experienced player, very talented scorer,” Neptune said. “I think even more than scoring, his effort defensively and then him as a leader has really been amazing for us this year.”

Brandon Slater added an efficient 14 points on just five shots, hitting 6-6 from the line. Mark Armstrong had a career-high 14 points along with three steals. Eric Dixon rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10, adding eight rebounds.

“Just coming in every day trying to be my best,” Armstrong said of his progress this season. “Playing for my brothers and just listening to the captains and the coaches and having an open mindset and getting better every day.”

Whitmore chipped in eight points and seven rebounds. Jordan Longino had three points before leaving the game with an apparent leg injury in the first half, a concerning development that we’ll keep an eye on heading into Saturday’s game against Xavier. Chris Arcidiacono and Trey Patterson had two points each.

It wasn’t a perfect performance, and the first half left a lot to be desired. But the ‘Cats responded nicely in the second half and got a win they absolutely couldn’t afford to leave on the table. They’ll look to build on the win on Saturday with a huge game against Xavier.