NEW YORK — Villanova lost to the University of Connecticut on Thursday night, 73-56, ending its Big East Tournament run in the quarterfinals for the third year straight.
The matchup got off to a late start on Thursday night, tipping off at 10:18 p.m. and ending past midnight.
Despite Villanova (19-14, 11-10 Big East) leading for most of regulation, UConn (23-9, 15-6) drilled in a 22-5 run within the final eight minutes to seal the double-digit victory.
Senior guard Wooga Poplar dropped 25 points for Villanova along with four rebounds.
The Huskies succeeded in largely keeping Villanova’s Eric Dixon away from the basket. The nation’s leading scorer finished the night with eight points on 2-of-15 shooting, snapping his 47-game streak of scoring double-digits.
“[Dixon] missed some shots that he normally makes,” Neptune said. “That happens. Yeah, he’s had a lot of great games throughout this season, his career. You’ve got probably Hall of Fame coach game-planning to stop him every game. It makes it tough on him.”
The Huskies jumped out from the tipoff with back-to-back dunks from senior center Samson Johnson.
Villanova picked up some momentum midway through the first half. The Wildcats put together a 10-0 run, with four free throws and a pair of three-pointers from Poplar and graduate guard Jhamir Brickus.
The Wildcats quickly went ahead by nine. UConn head coach Dan Hurley was charged with a technical foul just 9 minutes and 55 seconds into the first half.
Villanova locked UConn from outside the arc in the first half. The Huskies went just 3-for-12 from three in the first half, while scoring 20 points in the paint.
UConn’s Liam McNeely pulled the Huskies offense back into the game. McNeely sank a three-pointer with just 2 minutes and 5 seconds left in the half to tie the score at 33.
Poplar drove in a basket in the final moments of the half to put Villanova up 36-31 going into the locker room.
Poplar continued fueling Villanova’s offense to start the second half. He drained back-to-back three pointers, keeping Villanova ahead in the opening four minutes. When UConn bobbled the ball, Poplar swept in for the steal and converted it into a dunk to put the Wildcats up, 45-41.
“I wasn’t really thinking about myself,” Poplar said. “I was just trying to win the game. I was more so thinking about my team.”
With a layup from junior guard Aidan Mahaney, UConn tied the game at 41, setting up an intense final ten minutes of play.
The Huskies began to not just run, but sprint away with the game.
UConn continued to capitalize on Villanova’s scoring drought, building up a 22-5 run. A pair of free throws from sophomore guard Solo Ball with 43 seconds left gave UConn a 19-point lead, its largest of the game.
With the win, the Huskies will move onto the Big East semifinals against Creighton on Friday, March 14 (9 p.m., FOX).
The future of Villanova men’s basketball is in question following the loss, with the highest possibility being an invite to the inaugural College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas, NV. The 16-team postseason tournament, an alternate destination to the NCAA Tournament, runs from March 31 to April 6.
