Written By Lisa Chung
Boston MA –Jalen Brunson exploded for a team high 27 points to lead Villanova to a 90-78 win over West Virginia Friday evening as they punched their ticket to the Elite Eight. Things were close most of the way, until the end of the game drew closer and the Wildcats started to put a bit of distance between them and the Mountaineers.
The Wildcats started red hot scoring the first basket of the game and hitting all six of their first shots from the field. After that things slowed down a bit for Nova as they shot fifty one percent overall in the first half of the game, going 15-29. West Virginia wasn’t going to let them run away with the first half with ease though. With 16:59 on the clock the Wildcats were leading by 7 points due to their hot shooting. Then, things slowed down and the two squads traded the lead four times in the first half. Villanova ended the first half leading WVU 44-42.
The Mountaineers needed to continue to defend the perimeter and be consistent with the defense in order to get Villanova out of their rhythm. WVU found their flow and kept scoring in the second half. With 11:08 left on the clock, they had taken their largest lead of the game, up 60-54 over Nova. As the second half continued on WVU seemed to lose their rhythm due to foul trouble and inability to get baskets to fall, they tallied 17 fouls in the second half alone.
As WVU lost their flow, Villanova found their rhythm, going on an 11-0 run to take a five-point lead with 9:03 left to play. This was just the start of a downward spiral for the Mountaineers. By the time that the clock reached 2:12, the Wildcats were up by 12 points. That “Press Virginia” defense that I had mentioned had finally ran out, as the Mountaineers got worn down and outplayed by a very competitive Villanova team.
This marks the fourth year that the Mountaineers has lost in the sweet sixteen. Seniors Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles are the only two players that WVU expect to lose for next season. They made an impact on the WVU basketball program their four years as Mountaineers. It just wasn’t enough to beat the Villanova Wildcats.
Villanova now moves onto the Elite Eight in a matchup with Texas Tech on Sunday, for a chance to get back to the Final Four for the 2nd time in three years. The last time Nova made it in 2016, they took home the title.
The Wildcats started red hot scoring the first basket of the game and hitting all six of their first shots from the field. After that things slowed down a bit for Nova as they shot fifty one percent overall in the first half of the game, going 15-29. West Virginia wasn’t going to let them run away with the first half with ease though. With 16:59 on the clock the Wildcats were leading by 7 points due to their hot shooting. Then, things slowed down and the two squads traded the lead four times in the first half. Villanova ended the first half leading WVU 44-42.
The Mountaineers needed to continue to defend the perimeter and be consistent with the defense in order to get Villanova out of their rhythm. WVU found their flow and kept scoring in the second half. With 11:08 left on the clock, they had taken their largest lead of the game, up 60-54 over Nova. As the second half continued on WVU seemed to lose their rhythm due to foul trouble and inability to get baskets to fall, they tallied 17 fouls in the second half alone.
As WVU lost their flow, Villanova found their rhythm, going on an 11-0 run to take a five-point lead with 9:03 left to play. This was just the start of a downward spiral for the Mountaineers. By the time that the clock reached 2:12, the Wildcats were up by 12 points. That “Press Virginia” defense that I had mentioned had finally ran out, as the Mountaineers got worn down and outplayed by a very competitive Villanova team.
This marks the fourth year that the Mountaineers has lost in the sweet sixteen. Seniors Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles are the only two players that WVU expect to lose for next season. They made an impact on the WVU basketball program their four years as Mountaineers. It just wasn’t enough to beat the Villanova Wildcats.
Villanova now moves onto the Elite Eight in a matchup with Texas Tech on Sunday, for a chance to get back to the Final Four for the 2nd time in three years. The last time Nova made it in 2016, they took home the title.