After an incredibly difficult end to the month of November, Villanova is headed in the right direction to start December. Big 5 rival the University of Pennsylvania visited Finneran Pavilion Wednesday night and the Wildcats handled business, earning their second straight victory with a 70-59 win.
It was another slow start for Villanova as the Wildcats hit just one of their first five shots. Some of the other problems that have plagued ‘Nova through the early part of the season were again present, particularly rebounding. The ‘Cats were getting out rebounded 14-4 just over halfway through the period, with the Quakers converting seven second chance points.
Fortunately, Penn’s offense was middling as well, and the Quakers were only able to turn the cold shooting and poor rebounding by ‘Nova into a 16-11 lead. It was then that Villanova got a spark from a freshman, but maybe not the one you think. This time it was Brendan Hausen, who hit a pair of threes sandwiched around a Penn basket to pull the ‘Cats within one.
After two Penn free throws, a Chris Arcidiacono three tied the game at 20 and started a 13-0 Villanova run that would give the ‘Cats a 10-point lead with just under three minutes to go in the half. It was during this spurt that Cam Whitmore made his presence felt, hitting a pair of threes as well as two free throws, producing a personal 8-0 run amid Villanova’s larger 13-0 push. The ‘Cats led 30-20 before the run was broken and would trade baskets with Penn the rest of the way to take a 36-26 lead into the break.
A few things changed that helped spur Villanova’s surge. First, the three-point defense tightened up. After the Quakers hit two of their first four attempts of the half, they missed their final four attempts to finish the half 2-8. On the other hand, Villanova started to find the range from deep, finishing the half 10-21 from beyond the arc (and just 1-5 from two-point range, interestingly). The Wildcats also forced eight Penn turnovers and converted them into 14 points, helping to offset a 20-11 disadvantage on the glass that lead to a 9-2 Penn edge in second chance points. Villanova also did an excellent job on Penn’s leading scorer, Jordan Dingle, who missed all four of his attempts from the floor and had just two first-half points.
The teams traded baskets through the first few minutes of the second half before Penn used a 10-4 spurt to pull within six, as close as the Quakers had been since the 5:04 mark of the first half. ‘Nova responded with a 9-0 run, punctuated by a thunderous put-back slam by Cam Whitmore off his own miss that sent a jolt through the Finn and gave the ‘Cats their biggest lead of the game at 15.
It wasn’t quite time to celebrate, however, as Penn immediately responded with a 7-0 run of its own to get back within eight. Brandon Slater broke the run with a pair of free throws, and while the Quakers would pull within seven one more time at the 5:22 mark, Villanova would restore the lead to double figures with 3:50 to go and would cruise the rest of the way, ultimately earning an 11-point win.
The second half was a complete reversal for the Wildcats offensively. Villanova missed all nine of its three-point attempts in the half but made up for it by going 10-15 from two-point range. ‘Nova was also 14-17 from the free throw line.
The Quakers struggled from deep as well, thanks in part to improved perimeter defense from ‘Nova, hitting just 4-15 in the period and 6-23 for the game. Penn’s 26.1% three-point shooting was the second lowest by a Villanova opponent this season.
The Wildcats also rebounded better in the second half, with each team grabbing 14 after the ‘Cats were outrebounded by nine in the first half. ‘Nova also had a slight 5-3 edge in offensive rebounds and won second chance points 8-2.
Turnovers played a big role in the outcome as well. Villanova committed just six turnovers while forcing Penn into 14, turning those into 23 points.
“In a lot of ways that was the difference,” said Penn coach Steve Donahue.
“Our calling card has always been our defense, we always wanted to be the hardest playing team and I think that’s starting to click for our squad,” Kyle Neptune said.
Whitmore was fantastic, leading Villanova with 21 points on 7-13 shooting. He added six rebounds, two assists and a steal and was a +14. After settling for three-pointers on his first four attempts (making two), Whitmore began to show the full range of his offensive arsenal, getting to the basket and using his size and speed to his advantage.
Eric Dixon (12), Caleb Daniels (12) and Slater (10) joined Whitmore in double figures. Chris Arcidiacono and Hausen each chipped in six points while Jordan Longino had three.
It was a pretty solid effort overall. Perhaps most encouraging was Villanova’s adjustments and ability to turn around areas of struggle within the game. It was also encouraging to see the Wildcats turn defense into offense.
‘Nova will go for its third win in a row on Saturday when it takes on Boston College in Newark, NJ.
