With 1 minute and 7 seconds left Wednesday night, Villanova led No. 9 UConn by one precarious point. The Wildcats had two choices: lose narrowly to the two-time defending men’s national champions, or claim a massive Big East upset.
Villanova survived three UConn possessions in the final minute. The Huskies missed two critical free throws with three seconds left, then Villanova senior guard Wooga Poplar split a pair to cap the 68-66 win at Finneran Pavilion.
“I was really proud of the way our guys came out defensively in the first half,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “In the second half, they threw some punches and we knew they would. They’re a great team. But the stops we got down the stretch propelled us to the win.”
It was an especially meaningful win for Villanova. The Big East rivalry hadn’t taken place in front of fans at the Pavilion since 1995. Villanova typically hosts UConn at the Wells Fargo Center.
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The loss ended an eight-game winning streak for the Huskies.
Graduate forward Eric Dixon led the Wildcats with 23 points and 9-for-9 shooting from the foul line. Poplar contributed 18 points on 60% shooting, while senior guard Jhamir Brickus had a team-high five assists.
A full-team effort
UConn’s game plan was clear from the jump ball: stop Dixon. The sixth-year forward entered the game as the NCAA’s leading scorer with 25.9 points per game.
With 5:52 left until halftime, Dixon had shot an uncharacteristic 1-for-8 from the field. But the score was tied, 21-21, as Villanova’s offense worked around a limited Dixon, who was sometimes triple-teamed.
“There’s a lot of talented guys in here, and they showed it today,” Dixon said of his teammates. “They helped me, picked me up for sure, they talked to me in the locker room.”
Poplar’s nine points and Jordan Longino’s seven paced the Wildcats in the first half.
Meanwhile, Villanova got a boost from the bench. With less than three minutes left in the half, sophomore guard Tyler Perkins blocked a UConn layup and set up redshirt freshman Kris Parker for a fast-break layup to give Villanova a 25-23 lead.
Dixon scored just five first-half points, but Villanova held a 32-25 advantage at the half.
Off-balance Huskies
Villanova’s defense stifled UConn’s leading scorer, forward Alex Karaban. In the first half, Karaban scored two points while Jaylin Stewart scored 10.
The Huskies were without their second-leading scorer, freshman forward Liam McNeeley, due to an ankle injury.
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UConn finished the night shooting 54% from the field. Villanova notched critical stops in the first half.
“Our guys just took on the challenge to try to pressure [UConn] as much as we could,” Neptune said. “There’s nothing tricky. You’re not going to trick them into getting stops. You just have to go out there and play hard, and I thought our guys did that.”
UConn’s comeback bid
In the second half, the Huskies quickly cooled off Villanova. UConn went on a 13-2 run capped by sophomore guard Solo Ball’s three-pointer to take a 48-47 lead with 11:44 remaining.
The Wildcats benefited from the Huskies’ disproportionate foul trouble, especially in the second half. Four UConn players finished with at least three fouls. Villanova made 12 of 13 shots from the foul line, while UConn finished just 2-for-4.
Neptune called a timeout with Villanova ahead 67-66, approaching the final minute. After neither team made a basket, UConn possessed the ball with 22 seconds left.
While Villanova knocked the ball out of bounds twice, a Longino block and Parker rebound kept UConn from scoring. Karaban, who finished with 10 points, went to the line for two free throws with three seconds left and the Wildcats leading 67-66. He missed both and Poplar hit 1 of 2 for Villanova to set the final score.
Up next
With the win, Villanova (11-5, 4-1 Big East) is fourth in the Big East standings, while UConn (12-4, 4-1 Big East) stands at third.
On Saturday, Villanova will travel to Madison Square Garden to take on Big East foe St. John’s (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network).