Nova Beats Seton Hall After COVID Layoff

Jermaine Samuels takes a shot during a game against Seton Hall. (Charles Fox/Philadelphia Inquirer).

With the long lay-off Head Coach Jay Wright didn't know what to expect, but was happy with the result.

Article by Dave Nguyen, AKSM Sports

VILLANOVA, PA - After a 27 day lay-off the third ranked Villanova Wildcats earned a hard-fought 76-74 win over the Seton Hall Pirates on Wednesday night. The win marked the ninth win of the season for Villanova, and its fourth in Big East play.

With the game tied at 74 with 10 second left, Villanova's defense tightened up and forced Pirates guard Shavar Reynolds to miss a three. The rebound fell into the hands of Cole Swider, who was fouled with 1.9 seconds left, and sank the go-ahead free throw to give Villanova a one-point advantage. On the ensuing in-bounds for the Pirates, the full-court pass from guard Takal Molson slipped through the fingertips of center Sandro Mamukelashvili, causing the ball to go out-of-bounds. Another free-throw by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl sealed the deal for the Wildcats at Finneran Pavilion.

Despite practicing for only one day due to COVID, senior forward Jermaine Samuels scored a season-high 20 points off the bench, coming up clutch late in the game with a jumper to give the Wildcats a six-point advantage with under three-and-a-half minutes to play. Along with Samuels, senior guard Collin Gillespie was solid all-night, leading the way for the WIldcats with 22 points.

With the long lay-off Head Coach Jay Wright didn't know what to expect, but was happy with the result.

"I didn't have any expectations – I just wanted to see what happened," said Wright. "There was some good, some bad. It's great to get a win. I'm happy for our guys. Seton Hall is a very good team. I'm happy that we survived."

"I am truly amazed by Jermaine Samuels", added Wright. "He literally practiced one day. Had Covid and couldn't practice until (Monday). To come out and be able to play like that is truly incredible. Collin Gillespie had four days of practice and played 38 minutes. Those guys' stamina and Cole hitting a big free throw at the end was huge."

Many were wondering how the Wildcats were going to start the game after not playing for nearly four weeks, and some may have expected the 'Cats to start flat. But from the opening tip, Villanova was on fire hitting five-of-seven from beyond the arc in the opening six minutes. The Pirates were able to keep pace as guard Jared Rhoden connected on three triples, having his team only down four with the score 17-13.

Villanova would hold the lead until the 10 minute mark of the opening stanza when Mamukelashvili hit a three to give the Pirates its first lead at 23-22. The Wildcats would respond by scoring the next four points, but Rhoden hit another three - the sixth triple for Seton Hall- to knot the game at 26 with under eight to play in the first half.

The Hall would continue to shoot the ball well out of the under-eight media timeout, building a 32-28 lead with under four minutes to play. On the defensive end, the Pirates held Villanova without a field goal for five minutes. With 2:55 left in the first, Gillespie hit a jumper to end the drought and would lead the WIldcats on an 8-3 scoring run to end the half with the lead 38-35.

Despite the Pirates forcing two ties in the opening nine minutes of the second half, Villanova was able to answer both times, and held the lead a majority of the time, including a 53-52 advantage with 10:30 to play. Similar to the late stretch in the first half, Gillespie scored four consecutive points to lead an 8-0 run by the 'Cats, giving it a 61-52 lead with 7:14 left. Yet the Pirates would not show quit as Reynolds responded for his team, scoring seven straight points to pull his team within five with 5:11 to play.

With Villanova holding a 64-59 lead five five minutes to play, Samuels and Gillespie showed their senior leadership by scoring 10 of the Wildcats final 12 points to earn the victory. The Pirates continued to fight until the end, as it made six-of-eight from the field at one point of the final stretch, including a basket for Mamukelashvili that tied the game at 72. The basket gave him his 23rd points to lead all scorers, setting up the drama for the last possessions of the contest.

"I thought we did a good job on Rhoden in the second half," stated Wright. "He killed us in the first half. Mamu got it going though and hurt us. We were able to survive against a very good team."

Villanova's next game is scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 pm against Providence and will be aired nationally on Fox. Additionally, the Wildcats will make-up its postponed game against UCONN on January 28th at 9pm.