On Monday night the Villanova Wildcats got sweet revenge against Seton Hall. Villanova used a balanced offensive attack and impressive defense to get an 80-54 win over the Pirates.
Villanova made it clear right away who was the better team on the floor. Darrun Hilliard started the game off with a three-pointer which was followed by baskets from Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu, to give Villanova an early 7-0 lead. Seton Hall finally managed to get on the board after Sterling Gibbs made a three-pointer 3:34 in. After Villanova got an early 14-4 lead Seton Hall coach Kevin Williard was forced to take a timeout. The timeout seemed to help the Pirates as they were able to capitalize on two Villanova turnovers and bring the game back to a near even 14-13 affair.
However, the game did not remain that close for long as Darrun Hilliard took control of the action. Hilliard was fouled as he was shooting a three-pointer and was able to cash in on a four-point play. Hilliard would then lead the Wildcats to an 8-0 run that would put them up 26-13. Seton Hall never got close again in the first half as they went cold from three-point range. Seton Hall missed eight straight 3's before issaiah Whitehead eventually knocked one down. The Wildcats finished the half with six straight points to take a 36-20 lead into the locker room.
Hilliard got the Wildcats stated in the second half with a layup to give them an 18 point lead. However, the Pirates were not going to quit. Issaiah Whitehead connected on back-to-back three pointers to bring Seton Hall within 11 points. Howver after a couple possessions from Villanova they they got back to a strong 44-28 lead.
After Villanova's Josh Hart fought for a pair of offensive rebounds, Dylan Ennis hit a jumper, Arcidiacono made a three-pointer, Pinkston scored on a layup and Ennis sank two free throws to give Villanova a 61-40 lead. Villanova built their lead to as many as 30. The impressive defense of Villanova forced Seton Hall into a 32.3 shooting percentage on the night. After the big scoring burst Villanova was able to build an untouchable lead of 71-43.
The game was marred by an incident involving Seton Hall's Sterling Gibbs who was ejected after hitting Arcidiacono in the face late in the game. A clearly frustrated Gibbs apologized on to the Wildcats point guard Twitter after the game.
Next Games:
Seton Hall @ St John's on 2/21/15
Villanova @ Marquette on2/21/15