It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t easy. But Villanova came away with a hard-fought road win Tuesday night, taking down Seton Hall 76-72 to win its third straight game and sixth in its last seven.
The first half was a great battle. Seton Hall’s largest lead was four, while Villanova’s largest lead was six. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the Pirates responded to Villanova’s biggest lead with their own biggest punch of the half, a 12-2 push that turned the Wildcats’ six-point lead into a four-point deficit. The ‘Cats would respond with a 9-3 run of their own to retake the lead, only to see Seton Hall score the last five points of the half to take a 37-34 lead into the break.
Adding to the frustration for ‘Nova fans was yet another bout of bad luck that unfolded with a pair of sequences that have become all too familiar this season. First, the ‘Cats got a deflection to force a loose ball into the Seton Hall backcourt. It appeared it would be a steal and fast-break opportunity for ‘Nova. Instead, for the umpteenth time this season, the opponent somehow ended up with the loose ball and, as opponents have done throughout the season, finished the turn of events with a backbreaking three. Making matters worse, this particular iteration of bad luck contained another familiar source of frustration: a late-half three-pointer.
The three-point defense stands out in the first half as the ‘Cats allowed Hall to shoot 58% from beyond the arc. But each team connected on seven three-pointers in the half, so Hall’s efficiency didn’t translate into a huge advantage. Seton Hall’s four second chance points were really the difference in a closely contested half.
The second half brought much of the same. The teams played within a possession of each other for the first 14 minutes of the half. A 6-0 run from ‘Nova, spurred by a Cam Whitmore-initiated fast break leading to two free throws for Eric Dixon and a Caleb Daniels block leading to an impressive Whitmore fast break layup around two Hall defenders, spotted the ‘Cats a four-point lead with 4:57 to play.
But Hall would respond, scoring six straight points to retake a two-point lead with 1:55 left. ‘Nova would have a response of its own, however, scoring the next six points to go back up four with just 25 seconds to play.
Seton Hall did a masterful job extending the game from that point, aided by ‘Nova electing to foul with four-and-three-point leads down the stretch. It was an interesting strategy from ‘Nova, especially considering that the ‘Cats had no timeouts and inbound plays had been an adventure late in the game. At the very least, I would have liked to see them let a few more seconds elapse before committing a few of the fouls. As it was, both teams kept trading intentional fouls and made free throws. Again, Seton Hall did a good job giving ‘Nova every opportunity to make a mistake and the ‘Cats refused to oblige. It was the Pirates who ultimately blinked, turning it over on their final inbounds play with four seconds left and trailing by three, and Dixon hit a free throw to earn ‘Nova the four-point win.
Villanova went 11-12 from the line over the game’s final 43 seconds, with the lone miss being an inconsequential one by Dixon with the ‘Cats up four with four seconds left.
“We got guys who are really confident,” Kyle Neptune said of the free throw shooting down the stretch. “Justin Moore I think made six or seven there at the end (he was 8-8), he’s a big time player. We expect nothing less.”
The game was remarkably close throughout. Villanova led for 18:20 while Hall led for 15:52. There were 20 lead changes and 10 ties. Villanova’s biggest lead was six, while Hall’s biggest lead was four. It was the type of game Villanova has had trouble closing this season, and Tuesday’s performance was a great example of the progress the team has made.
“I think we’ve been in tough games all year long,” Neptune said. “We’re pretty seasoned, been playing in single-possession end of the game type situations. I think it’s something our guys have become comfortable playing in and now we’re starting to pay dividends.”
It wasn’t the prettiest game for ‘Nova. The ‘Cats had some concerning defensive breakdowns in the first half, committed 14 turnovers and gave up 12 offensive rebounds, getting outscored 12-2 in second chance points. It was those second chance points that really kept Seton Hall in the game.
“They made some tough shots early,” Neptune said. “I thought our defense was decent. And in the second half they really hit us on the offensive glass. They’re a really good team, they find ways and I’m really proud of our guys. I thought we were pretty resilient.”
The ‘Cats were resilient. And they did some good things, too. Villanova outshot the Hall 54% to 45% and the ‘Cats were +6 from beyond the arc. They also scored 14 points off 13 Hall turnovers and shot a sparkling 22-23 from the foul line, including that aforementioned 11-12 over the game’s final minute. In general, ‘Nova made the big plays when they needed them most.
The program always says its goal is to be playing its best basketball/be the best team it can be by the end of the season, and the ‘Cats are certainly doing that right now. They have done a remarkable job of battling back from the setbacks throughout the season.
Tuesday night’s win secured sixth place in the conference for ‘Nova and set up a likely first round matchup with Georgetown in the Big East Tournament. The ‘Cats will close the regular season with one last challenge against a strong UConn team that has found its stride after losing five of six from late December through mid-January before seeing what kind of noise they can make at the Garden.
