Villanova (2-2) went on the road for the first time this season, losing a Big 5 matchup to Saint Joseph’s, 83-76, on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Villanova has lost to Saint Joe’s in back-to-back seasons. Villanova was last defeated, 78-65, in the Finn on Nov. 29, 2023. This marks the first time the Hawks have won two straight against the Wildcats since 2004-2005.
Villanova trailed out of the gate. The Wildcats struggled to make shots fall early but toward the end of the first half, they went on a 10-0 run. Graduate guard Jhamir Brickus’s three-pointer capped off the run.
Brickus scored a Villanova career-high 22 points, five rebounds and three assists.
The 10-0 run helped Villanova keep it close in the first half. The Wildcats held Saint Joe’s senior guard Erik Reynolds II to zero points and sophomore guard Xzayvier Brown to in the first half. It allowed Villanova to lead Saint Joe’s, 37-36, at the half
Reynolds II finished with nine points, after averaging 17 points entering the game this season. Saint Joe’s was still able to pull away from Villanova and finish the game on top.
The game was close until Reynolds II led Saint Joe’s on a 15-0 run just four minutes into the second half. From then on Villanova was playing from behind.
Graduate forward Eric Dixon continued his dominance on the court, posting 24 points and nine rebounds, just one rebound shy of a double-double.
The bench scored 29 points for Villanova in its 91-54 win against NJIT on Friday, Nov. 8. Against Saint Joe’s, Villanova’s bench contributed just five points.
Meanwhile, Saint Joe’s won the assist battle 20-9. The biggest contributing factor was Villanova’s turnover struggles, giving up the ball 16 times compared to the Hawks’ 10.
The Hawks finished with a 43.3% on field goals. Villanova finished shooting 40.9% from the field and 34.8% from beyond the three-point line.
With 13:49 left in the game, Villanova trailed Saint Joe’s, 53-42. The possibilities to win began to run thin for the Wildcats. Senior guard Wooga Poplar and Brickus helped cut the deficit to just three points with 24 seconds left in the game.
Again, Villanova was able to work its way back for a chance to win the game, but could not put it away. Junior Rasheer Fleming brought down two fastbreak dunks to seal the game for the Hawks.
Villanova will face its toughest matchup of the season so far against UVA on Friday, Nov. 15, in CFG Bank Arena. The game is a part of the Hall of Fame series and will be televised on TNT.
Tipoff against the Cavaliers is set for 5 p.m.
