Despite getting a break from the Big East gauntlet on Saturday, Villanova still got quite a challenge from UConn. The Huskies delivered a series of blows to the 'Cats, but as they have many times this season, the Wildcats responded each time to earn a hard-fought win.

We once again saw somewhat of a slow start from Villanova, although it wasn’t quite as pronounced as some of the other recent slow starts. Still, UConn used its elite rim protection and a decent offensive start to take an 11-4 lead just over four minutes in.

A pair of Saddiq Bey threes quickly got ‘Nova back in it, and a three from Justin Moore two minutes later gave the ‘Cats their first lead. Five straight points from Jermaine Samuels helped push the ‘Nova lead to four, and the Wildcats were able to carry a six-point advantage into the break.

UConn had its way in the paint, but Villanova made up for it by starting 5-5 from beyond the arc and taking a 15-point advantage from deep. Despite the hot start, the ‘Cats did a good job not falling in love with the three or settling for too many long balls. In addition, despite UConn making an impact with blocked shots, ‘Nova continued to attack the rim. The defense was pretty good from Villanova, and the ‘Cats did a decent job keeping UConn off the offensive glass.

A 6-0 run from the Huskies to start the second half to even the game. ‘Nova briefly answered but had no answer for UConn in the paint and allowed UConn to make 10 of their first 12 second-half attempts. After giving up just 21 first-half points, Villanova allowed 20 over the first eight and a half minutes of the second, getting outscored 20-8 and finding itself down six with just under 12 minutes to go.

As they have all season, the ‘Cats again responded. Collin Gillespie, who was scoreless in the first half, went on a personal 8-2 run to help Villanova tie the game at 43 with 7:42 left.

UConn pushed the lead back to five a minute later, but Villanova again responded with an 11-3 push to go up three with just over two minutes left. After an Alterique Gilbert jumper, Samuels hit a three and that would be enough for the ‘Cats to pull out the win, icing it by going 4-4 from the charity stripe in the final 30 seconds.

Samuels was huge for the ‘Cats, scoring a team-high 19 points, hitting 4-6 from three. He added five rebounds, three steals, an assist, and a block. He also made some huge plays for ‘Nova down the stretch.

Gillespie finished with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and he provided a spark for Villanova in the second half when they desperately needed it.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists. He came down with some big rebounds late, and was a perfect 4-4 from the line in the final 2:05.

Saddiq Bey added nine points, while Justin Moore had five, Bryan Antoine had three, and Cole Swider had two.

It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t pretty, but once again you have to be pleased with the heart and toughness down the stretch. UConn came to play and pushed ‘Nova time and again, and each time the ‘Cats had a response.

We knew rebounding might be an issue, and the ‘Cats were outrebounded 35-23. However, ‘Nova did a decent job limiting UConn on the offensive glass despite the Huskies pulling down 10 offensive boards.

The most encouraging stats were ‘Nova winning the turnover battle by seven and only committing 10, the fact that ‘Nova shot 47.8 percent from deep, and that the ‘Cats got to the line 16 times.

Between the way ‘Nova started hot from three and the issues it was having with UConn’s shot blockers, it would have been easy to understand if this became one of those 40 three-point attempt games. Instead, the ‘Cats stayed balanced and kept challenging UConn at the rim, finishing with 26 two-point attempts and 23 three-point attempts.

It was imperative for ‘Nova to not have a letdown while taking a break from the Big East schedule. They accomplished that goal and got another character-building win. The ‘Cats move to 14-3 with the victory, and will now prepare for a huge matchup with Butler on Tuesday.