Late in the first half, freshman forward Josiah Moseley dove for a ball at midcourt and scooped it up. Moseley tossed it to senior guard Jordan Longino from the ground who then passed it to graduate guard Jhamir Brickus for the reverse layup finish.
That sequence was just a glimpse of the intensity Villanova is capable of.
On Tuesday, Dec. 17, Villanova (8-4, 1-0 Big East) kicked off Big East play, beating Seton Hall (5-7, 0-1 Big East), 79-67, in the Finneran Pavilion. The win marks a five-game win streak for the Wildcats, their longest win streak since Nov. 2022.
Sophomore guard Tyler Perkins dropped a season-high 17 points, knocking down four-of-five on three-pointers. Perkins has come alive over the past three games, averaging 10.6 points and shooting 55% from three.
The Wildcats finished with 42.9% on three-pointers.
“I think [Perkins] has adjusted really well [to playing at Villanova],” Longino said. “Coming into the summer he was a guy that brought that defensive and rebound mentality. He’s coming out here to defend and rebound for 40 minutes.”
Villanova was limited to three bench players with freshman Aleksandar Gavalyugov (left ankle sprain), redshirt junior Nnanna Njoku (right knee soreness) and freshman Malcolm Thomas (left knee soreness) all out due to injury.
Perkins had no issue propping up the Villanova bench, accounting for 17 of the 24 bench points.
In the first half, graduate forward Eric Dixon was limited to nine points. He would go on to finish with 25 points and six rebounds.
“[Dixon] just does so many different things, so many different ways,” head coach Kyle Neptune said. “He’s a special scorer. Thank God he is on our side.”
Longino filled Dixon’s quiet first half, scoring a season-high 15 points and five assists. It was the best all-around performance by Longino this season.
Villanova led Seton Hall, 37-29, at the half. Over the past three games, Villanova has led at the half and closed out strong and it was no difference against the Pirates. Dixon led the Wildcats, scoring 16 of his 25 points.
“We were gonna have to be ready for their toughness and their defensive pressure,” Neptune said. “I thought our guys did a decent job of handling it. I thought we were pretty good defensively as well. I think if we continue to defend that way, we always give ourselves a chance [to win].”
Despite the defensive success in rebounding, the Wildcats only managed to haul in three offensive rebounds, a season-low.
The Wildcats had 17 assists, marking their fifth consecutive game with double-digit assists. As the Wildcats have consistently improved through the last five games, ball movement has led to offensive opportunities.
“I think it’s our guys who are just unselfish,” Neptune said. “They’re making the right reads and I think they’re starting to trust each other.”
Villanova’s 79 points were the second-most points allowed by Seton Hall this season.
“We talk about it every day in practice, being physical, defending rebound and playing a full 40 minutes,” Longino said. “Tonight, I think that’s something we accomplished. I think we just take it one day at a time, nothing changes for us in our mindset. We just take every day the same way, trying to get better.”
Now, the Wildcats will prepare for a road game against Creighton (7-4 overall) on Saturday, Dec. 21 (4 p.m., FS1).
