City of Basketball Love

Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21)
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The third-ranked Villanova Wildcats (2-0) snatched a tight win in a road test Monday night, holding the No. 15 Purdue Boilermakers (1-1) at bay with clutch free throw shooting to escape Mackey Arena with a 79-76 victory.

At First…
As was to be expected, it was a tight affair in the early-going, as Purdue opened up a slim 13-11 lead. Purdue was able to go on a quick spurt to then take the lead, and with five minutes remaining, they held their biggest lead of the game at 28-18 following a layup by Darryl Reynolds.

The Boilermakers clawed back by the end of half, and entered the break tied at 39 thanks to a halfcourt heave by P.J. Thompson.

Turning Point…
After a back-and-forth second half, Villanova entered the final minute with just a one-point lead, after 7-footer Isaac Haas made a clutch layup. ‘Nova continued to break Purdue’s press and make its free throws, but the Boilermakers continued to go to Haas who dominated down low and keep them within one.

But no matter how many times Purdue went to their big man down the stretch, six straight made free throws by Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart were just enough to keep the Wildcats on top and squeeze out the victory.

Standout Stars…
Senior Josh Hart was outstanding for the Wildcats, dropping a game-high 24 points in the win, while adding three rebounds. Eric Paschall came off the bench and chipped in 11 points.

Haas had a phenomenal second-half and ended up finishing with a team-leading 22 points for Purdue, on top of three rebounds. Caleb Swanigan also dropped 20 points and added eight rebounds.

Noteworthy Numbers…
6: Not only did Villanova make six straight free throws in the final minute to close out the win, but six ended up also being the difference in made foul shots between the Wildcats, who shot 18-of-22 at the stripe, and the Boilermakers, who shot 12-of-19.

Up Next…
Following the road win Villanova (2-0) will head to Charleston, S.C., for the Charleston Classic. The Wildcats open up the three-day event by facing Western Michigan on Thursday, November 17 at 11:30 a.m.