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Spellman hot from deep as Villanova tops Seton Hall

02/04/2018, 4:00pm EST
By Owen McCue

Omari Spellman (above) and Villanova are off to the best start in school history after beating Seton Hall on Sunday. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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Omari Spellman said he had no extra motivation in a personal matchup with Seton Hall big man Angel Delgado on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Going up against the Big East veteran--a 6-foot-10, 245-pound bruiser averaging 13.4 points and 12 rebounds per game--was a good test for the the redshirt-freshman forward though.

Delgado did his fare share of damage with 18 points and nine rebounds, but the less experienced Spellman guided his team to 92-76 win over the Pirates with a 26-point, 11-rebound performance.

Though the offensive performance was impressive, Spellman’s coach found his heady play on defense as the most impressive takeaway from the matchup.

“I think he’s maybe the smartest big man in the country,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said of Delgado. “So when you go against a young guy that’s excited to play against you, you can take advantage of his inexperience, and I thought Omari played like a veteran. He stayed on his feet, didn’t foul him, worked hard to get position. I just thought he really played intelligently.”

With the win, Villanova improved to 22-1 and 9-1 in the Big East, extending its best start in program history and pushing the Wildcats’ win streak to nine games.

The game was tight throughout until a 22-6 run by the Wildcats from the 8:30 mark to the 2:22 mark in the second half bumped Villanova’s lead from five to 21 points.

During that stretch, Spellman, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward, knocked down two threes and a pair of free throws. He finished 6-of-7 from 3-point range. His three with 4:34 left put Villanova up by 12 and started a stretch of nine consecutive points for the Wildcats.

“I thought we did a really good job for a lot of the game, and sometimes you just have to give credit,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “That kid Spellman hit some tough threes and I really thought that was the difference in the game.”

Spellman’s point total was his second highest of the season after the 27 points he scored against Temple on Dec. 13. The six 3-pointers were, however, a career high. He made four in a game three previous times.

His 3-point percentage is now up to 46 percent on the season, which ranks second on the Wildcats behind Jalen Brunson, who is shooting 48 percent from deep.

When asked if the perimeter was where he felt most comfortable, Spellman’s answer simple, yet effective.

 “I mean I can shoot,” he said.

Wright said Spellman was more of a perimeter player when the Wildcats first recruited him. He later grew into the more traditional forward body type.

It’s no surprise for the Villanova staff that their young big man is turning into a sharpshooter.

“This is really natural for him to be out on the perimeter, handling the ball, and I think it just gives him a quicker path to being a complete player,” Wright said.

With Phil Booth inactive, Spellman is the Wildcats fourth leading scorer at 11 points per game, trailing Brunson (19.4), Mikal Bridges (16.9) and Donte DiVincenzo (13.8). Redshirt-junior forward Eric Paschall is also averaging double figures.

Spellman has recorded 10-or-more points in 13 games and is more than capable of providing an offensive outburst, but he said the Wildcats’ other weapons are what allowed him to shine on Sunday.

“I think that’s just a testament to how great my teammates are,” Spellman said. “You gotta worry about Jalen, you have to worry about Mikal, you have to worry about Donte, you have to worry about Eric. You have to worry about everybody, and sometimes they just pick me.”


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