Villanova Edges Out Texas in Top 25 Matchup

Villanova Wildcat Cole Swider speaks with Head Coach Jay Wright on the sideline. (David Butler II/USA Today Sports).

"I'm proud of the guys," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "They keep getting better every day. We had had a good week of practice."

Article by Dave Nguyen, AKSM Sports

AUSTIN, TX - In a game that came down to the final minutes of play, the 12th ranked Villanova Wildcats were able to grind out a 68-64 win against the 17th ranked Texas Longhorns on Sunday. The Wildcats were able to make some clutch plays down the stretch on both ends of the floor in order to secure its victory on the road. With the win, Villanova earns its fifth victory in the state of Texas, dating back to 2016.

"I'm proud of the guys," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "They keep getting better every day. We had had a good week of practice."

The Wildcats jumped out to a 14-7 lead in the opening six minutes of the first half, sparked by an 8-0 run in that time frame, large in part to seven points from sophomore guard Justin Moore. But Texas would respond as it was able to get Collin Gillespie in foul trouble midway through the first half. A traditional three-point play from Texas guard Matt Coleman III gave the Longhorns their first lead of the game at 19-18, giving Gillespie his second foul in the process. With Gillespie on the bench, Coleman sunk another triple on Texas' next offensive possession and pushed its lead to 27-20 with 6:30 to play in the opening period. Even though Gillespie had two fouls, Wright had confidence to insert his senior guard back into the game and not pick up his third foul.

"We trust Collin in those situations," Wright said. "He did a good job and didn't get his third."

In the final six minutes of the first half, Villanova locked down defensively, holding the Longhorns to 1-of-10 shooting from the floor. On the offensive end, the Wildcats went on a 12-3 run to end the half, as a triple from Gillespie and free throws from Jermaine Samuels and Justin Moore gave Villanova a 32-30 lead after the game's first 20 minutes.

Moore and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl led Villanova in the opening four minutes of the second half, as the Wildcats went on an 11-6 run to give it a 43-36 lead. Both sophomores were consistent throughout the game, especially in the second half, dropping 19 points a-piece. A three by Cole Swider, followed by a lay-up by Moore extended Villanova's lead to 51-43 with just under 12 minutes to play. A dunk by Coleman, who finished with 17 points, stopped the Villanova run on the ensuing possession.

Over the next six minutes the Longhorns would claw its way back into the game, cutting the Wildcats lead to 53-51 with 6:44 to play. A jumper by Robinson-Earl about 40 seconds later extended Villanova's lead to four, and a Samuels free-throw gave Villanova a 56-51 lead with five minutes remaining. A jumper by Courtney Ramey cut Texas' deficit to two with four and a half minutes left, and he was able to tie the game at 57 with a triple roughly two minutes later. Ramey, along with Coleman, kept the Longhorns in the game as he also scored 17 points.

With two minutes left in regulation, the Wildcats' experience was displayed on the floor, not displaying any weakness in a tie game. In a triple-threat position at the top of the key, Jeremiah Robinson earl kicked it out to Cole Swider on the right wing at the perimeter. A shot fake by Swider was able to draw Ramey in the air, which allowed Swider to take a side dribble to create separation and knock down a clutch three-pointer for the Wildcats to re-take the lead at 60-57. On the next possession, Gillespie created a steal on the defensive end, outletted a pass to Samuels, who found Robinson-Earl flying in for an easy transition slam, giving the Wildcats a 62-57 advantage with 99 seconds left on the clock. Robinson-Earl scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half while corralling eight-boards. Ramey continued to keep Texas within striking range, hitting a triple from the left-wing with 59 seconds left to cut Villanova's lead to 62-60.

The play of the game came from Samuels. An entry pass from Gillespie to Robinson Earl at the top of the circle put the sophomore in another triple threat position, and he dished it off to Samuels on the left wing. A shot fake put Samuels' defender off balance, giving the senior forward a lane to glide to the basket, as his scoop lay-up put Villanova in front 64-60 with 31 second left. Samuels would finish with eight-points and 12 boards while playing with an injured finger.

"I am especially proud of Jermaine Samuels," said Wright of the senior forward's performance. "He did not practice one day this week. Our substitute trainer Shawn (Keane), who normally works with the women's team, made a nice splint for him and he played tough with that damaged finger."

Four important free-throws from Gillespie sealed Villanova's fourth win of the season in the waning seconds. These shots from the charity stripe were critical for the senior, as he had foul trouble in the first half and was held without a field-goal in the second. The four foul shots were his only points of the last 20 minutes, giving him a total of 12 points.

The Wildcats go on the road Friday to face Georgetown in their first game of Big East play. Coverage is set for 7PM ET on Fox Sports 1.