Wildcats Shock No. 9 UConn in Thrilling 68-66 Upset!

Final Score: Villanova 68, UConn 66
 
Summary
 
In a memorable BIG EAST encounter, Villanova faced No. 9 UConn before a crowd of 6,501 at Finneran Pavilion Wednesday night. The Wildcats established a 46-34 advantage early in the second half until UConn rallied back, shooting 17-of-29 in the final 20 minutes, including 7-of-15 from beyond the arc, to reclaim the lead.
 
Eric Dixon, who was limited to only five points in the first half, netted 15 in the latter half, including nine free throws, to assist the Wildcats. He received support from senior Wooga Poplar who contributed 18 points (totaling 994 points for his college career) and Jordan Longino with 912 points, three rebounds, and two steals.
 
Villanova had to withstand three attacks by the Huskies in the final 30 seconds – including two free throw attempts with 3.1 seconds remaining – to secure the victory.
 
“That’s what it’s about,” remarked Dixon. “Going out there, defending and rebounding, making stops against a formidable program like UConn and gauging your performance.”
 
The Wildcats have triumphed in eight of their last nine encounters.
 
Others Contributed
 
UConn quickly took a 5-2 lead before a 6-0 surge on 3-pointers from Longino and Jhamir Brickus enabled the Wildcats to seize control. The Wildcats led 8-7 after 4:12 in the first half.
 
The Huskies committed significant effort in denying and double-teaming the nation’s leading scorer Dixon, resulting in the fifth-year player completing only 1-of-8 shooting from the field in the first 17 minutes of the game. However, the rest of the Wildcats stepped up, connecting on 10-of-17 from the court to take a 25-23 lead with just 2:51 left in the period.
 
When Tyler Perkins secured a steal from Poplar and converted the fast break by finding an open Poplar, who made a 3-pointer, the Wildcats pushed ahead to 28-23.
 
“The atmosphere here,” expressed Villanova coach Kyle Neptune, “was fantastic.”
 
Dixon was fouled during the Wildcats’ final offensive endeavor of the half. After he made both, Villanova held a 32-25 advantage heading into halftime.
 
Turnovers Shifted Momentum
 
Villanova’s surge in the last five minutes of the first half was greatly attributed to their defense. The Huskies missed their last four field goal attempts and committed nine turnovers during the first 20 minutes. Nova led 10-4 in points off turnovers in that stretch.
 
By the end of the contest, the Wildcats held a significant 15-4 margin in points off turnovers.
 
Scoring Increased in the Second Half
 
Dixon contributed six points in the opening two minutes of the second half, propelling Villanova to a 46-34 lead over the Huskies with five minutes gone in the period.
 
However, UConn responded with an 8-0 run, which included a pair of 3-pointers, narrowing the deficit to 46-42 with just over 13 minutes remaining in the contest. Two free throws from Dixon elevated the score to 48-42, but when Solo Ball made a contested 3-pointer from the top of the key, UConn closed the gap to 48-47.
 
A driving score by Dixon extended the ‘Cats lead to 50-47 at the 11:07 mark in the half.
 
The Huskies converted 10-of-13 field goal attempts, including seven straight, within the first 10 minutes of the half, trimming the margin to 51-49.
 
When Ball connected on a corner 3-pointer, UConn regained the lead at 57-55. At that point, the Huskies shot an impressive 13-of-17 from the floor in the half.
 
There were 7:51 left in the contest.
 
Final Moments
 
The closing minutes became a thrilling spectacle as both teams exchanged scores. Poplar hit a critical 3-pointer to reclaim the lead for Villanova at 62-59. Dixon followed with another at 3:27, pushing the score to 65-59. UConn answered back with a 3-pointer from Alex Karaban, narrowing the margin to 67-64 with 2:07 remaining. A layup from a Husky with 1:20 left brought the score to 67-66.
 
This set the stage for a dramatic last 80 seconds.
 
After Dixon missed a jumper, UConn was denied twice by the Wildcats but managed to retain possession. On their third attempt, Karaban drove to the basket only to be fouled by Longino with 3.1 seconds remaining. Despite this, Karaban missed both free throws. Poplar then converted 1-of-2 at the charity stripe with 1.4 seconds left, and a final shot by UConn was off mark.
 
Villanova improved to 10-0 this season when keeping an opponent under 70 points.
 
Their Remarks
 
Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune: “We have immense respect for the UConn program and their achievements this season and in previous years. I was proud of our team’s defensive performance in the first half, and how they weathered the storm in the second half and down the stretch. It was only fitting that we made crucial stops when it mattered most. That definitely aided us in clinching the win.”
 
UConn head coach Dan Hurley: “That was an extremely hard-fought contest. Credit to Nova for finding a way to come out victorious. Clearly, the turnovers were detrimental to our efforts. We played quite efficiently when we held onto the basketball. We anticipated this would be a challenging match.”
 
What’s Next
 
Villanova travels along the New Jersey Turnpike to New York City for a Saturday night showdown against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden (CBS Sports Network and the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart). The tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.