When Villanova (2-3) took the court against Virginia (3-0) in Baltimore on Friday evening, the Wildcats’ wounds from earlier in the week were still fresh.
On Monday, the Wildcats lost to Big 5 rival St. Joseph’s for the second consecutive season, 83-76. On Wednesday, the program received final word that freshman forward Matthew Hodge was deemed ineligible for the 2024-25 season by the NCAA.
The ‘Cats added another wound to heal in Charm City, falling to Virginia in the Hall of Fame series at CFG Bank Arena, 70-60. Interim Head Coach Ron Sanchez’s Cavaliers shot 51% from the field and led by 18 with 1:55 to play. Graduate forward Eric Dixon led the Wildcats with 20 points and eight rebounds.
The matchup with Virginia was the Wildcat’s first game of the season against a power conference opponent and the second game played away from Finneran Pavilion. The ‘Cats are now 0-2 away from home, with both losses coming this week.
The Wildcats started off as the dominant team, going on a 9-0 run and holding a 9-5 lead at the first timeout.
After the timeout, the Cavaliers went on a run of their own. They outscored the Wildcats, 21-5, over 9:49 of the first half. Virginia held Villanova scoreless for 6:36 seconds in the middle of the Cavaliers’ run. Virginia’s lead reached 12 points with 2:17 remaining in the half.
Virginia junior guards Andrew Rhodes and Isaac McKneely both put pressure on the Wildcats defense. McKneely finished as the games leading scorer, posting 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including a perfect 6-for-6 from three.
The Wildcats struggled to shoot the ball Friday night. The team shot 35% from the field and 28% from beyond the arc.
Dixon finished the first half with eight points and senior Jordan Longino finished with six, despite going 2-6 from the field.
To end the half, the Wildcats forced several Virginia turnovers and knocked down two threes, including a four point play from Dixon.
Dixon’s three, plus the foul shot, capped a 7-0 run for the Wildcats in the final 45 seconds of the half. The Cavaliers went into the half leading, 31-26.
The second half started with the Cavaliers in possession and a bucket from McKneely that was quickly answered on the other end by Longino.
Dixon continued to put in a strong performance. Despite the Wildcats struggling to shoot, Dixon continued to be the teams main threat on offense. He converted 6 of his 12 shots from the field, including three from beyond the arc.
McKneely hit a three with 16:24 remaining in the second half that boosted Virginia’s lead back to double-digits. It would remain at least a 10-point margin for the rest of the game.
Cavaliers freshman forward Jacob Cofie struggled in the first half but started to make more of an impact in the second half. A Cofie three with 13 minutes remaining gave the Cavaliers a 16-point lead.
The Wildcats struggled to find the momentum they ended the first half with. While Dixon remained consistent, other players continued to struggle.
Graduate guard Jhamir Brickus, who scored 22 points against St. Joe’s, scored five points against Virginia.
Graduate guard Wooga Poplar also struggled against Virginia. Poplar was familiar with Virginia from his time at ACC foe Miami, but struggled to make an impact. He finished the game with six points on 2-of-12 shooting.
Following a frustrating week, the Wildcats focus will shift to its second Big 5 matchup of the season, a Tuesday night matchup with Penn.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Finneran Pavilion. The game will be streamed on Peacock.
