After a monumental 71–60 win over Providence on March 2, Villanova was defeated by Seton Hall, 66–56, on Wednesday, March 6.
Seton Hall now stands fourth in the conference, looking to get a bye in the first round of the Big East tournament. The Wildcats fall to eighth in the conference after Wednesday’s loss at the Prudential Center, their first loss to the Pirates in the 2023–2024 season.
Wildcat starters consisted of senior guard TJ Bamba, sophomore guard Mark Armstrong, graduate guard Justin Moore, graduate forward Tyler Burton, and senior forward Eric Dixon. Villanova won the tip-off and scored the first points of the game.
Moore made a three-pointer nearly thirty seconds into the game, but did not score again for another eight minutes. Moore recorded just six points across the game.
Dixon is closing in on 1,400 career points, with over 450 this season. However, the Pirates held Dixon to 14 points with two three-pointers.
Bamba finished the night with 11 points and five rebounds.
The Wildcats fell into several scoring droughts throughout the game, allowing the Pirates to extend their lead. Twice during the first half, the ‘Cats did not score for over three minutes.
Nearly midway through the first half, the ‘Cats allowed the Pirates to notch six points from a pair of back-to-back threes, taking the lead, 13–12. Moore broke the three-minute Villanova scoring drought with one of his only shots on the night.
Toward the end of the first half, Seton Hall managed to go on a 10–0 run in a period of just two minutes and ten seconds.
Graduate guard Hakim Hart scored the last shot of the first half, making the halftime score, 24–30.
Seton Hall achieved its biggest lead of the game in the second half, ahead, 50–37, with just over nine minutes left to play.
Meanwhile, the ‘Cats were on a six-minute scoring drought, but held the Pirates to seven points.
The Wildcats made a late effort to come back that put them behind just 52–48 with five minutes left to play. Sophomore guard Brendan Hausen led the 11–2 run with a shot from deep and three points from free-throws.
Players on both ends of the court recorded fouls that put star players in jeopardy in the game’s final moments. A successful pair of free-throws allowed Seton Hall to regain a ten-point lead in the last minute, putting the game out of Villanova’s reach.
On the Wildcat side, Bamba accrued four fouls, Moore had three, and Dixon committed two across the night. For the Pirates, senior guard Dylan Addae-Wusu had four fouls against the ‘Cats. Senior guard Dre Davis had three while his teammate, senior guard Al-Amire Dawes, acquired two in Seton Hall’s final home game.
Villanova struggled against Seton Hall’s top players who gained confidence late in the season.
Pirate senior guard Kadary Richmond scored 20 points, while Davis scored 18 points. Graduate center Jaden Bediako led both teams in rebounds with 12 on the night.
Villanova last beat the Pirates 80–54 on Feb. 11 at Wells Fargo. This was Dixon’s first career loss against Seton Hall after seven previous wins.
The Big East Tournament begins on Wednesday, March 13 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The top five teams in the conference will get a bye for the first round.
Villanova plays its final regular season game in a must-win matchup against the Big East number three seed Creighton this weekend. The Wildcats will take on the No. 10 Bluejays on Saturday, March 9 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA.
Tip-off is at 2:30 pm and the game will be broadcast on Fox.
