On Wednesday, Feb. 4, Villanova men’s basketball defeated Seton Hall, 72-60, at the Finneran Pavilion. Sophomore guard Malachi Palmer had a career-high of 15 points, shooting 5-for-7 (71.4%) from field goal range and 3-for-5 (60%) from the three-point line.
“I think defensively, [Palmer] is playing really well,” head coach Kevin Willard said. “Offensively, I know everyone looks at that, but I think defensively, he gave us a huge lift.”
Seton Hall (16-7, 6-6 Big East) has not managed to win a basketball game in the Finneran Pavilion since 1994.
Villanova (17-5, 8-3 Big East) was 23-of-51 (45%) from field goal range, 9-of-29 (31%) from the three-point line and 17-of-22 (77%) from the foul line.
Junior guard Tyler Perkins led Villanova in scoring with 18 points and five rebounds.
Graduate forward Duke Brennan earned his ninth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Seton Hall was paced by junior guard Adam Clark, who totaled 18 points.
Freshman guard Acaden Lewis opened the game’s score sheet with a three-point bucket after both teams went scoreless for nearly three minutes. Villanova maintained the lead for the rest of the game. Lewis totaled 11 points for the night.
Villanova managed to extend its lead to seven within the first eight minutes.
With 4:17 remaining in the half, the Wildcats went on an 8-0 scoring run. Seton Hall was forced to call a timeout after committing a turnover that the ‘Cats capitalized on.
Shortly after, Palmer sank a three-pointer to put Villanova up nine.
The Wildcats went on another 8-0 run over the remaining 1:38 to close out the half, hitting their last 3-of-3 triples. Energy filled the Pavilion as Villanova headed into the locker room leading, 40-25.
In the first half, Villanova was 14-of-30 (46.7%) and 7-of-19 (36.8%) from the three-point line. Malachi Palmer led the Wildcats with 10 points.
“I’ve got confidence in all these guys,” Willard said. “They all put the work in, so I have confidence.”
Seton Hall struck first in the second half with a mid-range jumper. Villanova responded with a 7-0 run, sinking three field goals in a row.
The Pirates ended the run, managing to cut their deficit to 17.
About five minutes in, Villanova began to let up, committing back-to-back turnovers, which led to a 9-0 run from Seton Hall.
Palmer got things going again with a three-pointer and a jumper on the next possession, putting Villanova up 53-36.
The ‘Cats entered a scoring drought, hitting only 1 of 8 of their last field goals over 5:06. However, they extended their lead with foul shots.
With two minutes remaining, the Pirates cut their deficit to 10, but Villanova managed to stay ahead. They finished the game with a final score of 72-60.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Willard said. “February is not a time to be satisfied.”
Villanova will travel to Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Feb. 7, taking on Georgetown University (13-10, 5-7 Big East). The Wildcats lead the all-time series 52-46, and in their last meeting defeated the Hoyas, 66-51, on Jan. 21. Tip-off is set for noon and will be broadcast on TNT + truTV.
