UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Villanova earned their 1,800 victory in program history on Wednesday night, rebounding from a nine-point deficit in the second half to claim a 76-67 victory over Boston College in the 2020 regular season -21 starter for both teams. The Wildcats held a 67-66 lead with 3:36 to play before outscoring the Eagles 9-1 down the stretch.
After missing 13:25 of the first half due to knockout problems. early fouls, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl made a big difference in the second half. The Kansas City, Kansas, native finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Top guard Collin Gillespie recorded 15 points, including 1,000 career points in the last minute.
In his regular season debut for Villanova, the junior transfer Caleb Daniels added 14 points, including a whopping triple in the second half.
"It was a good basketball game," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright . "It was a lot of fun playing a basketball game. Boston College was really tough. I thought their guards gave us a lot of trouble.
" Not having Jeremiah in the first half hurt us. But you have to give them credit. They attacked us hard from the dribble. I thought Collin's leadership in the second half helped us. It's a really good BC team. "
Jay Heath led the Eagles with 16 points. After being outscored 20-10 in the first half, the Wildcats turned the tables after intermission, getting 24 of 35 boards. Senior Jermaine Samuels added nine carom to go with seven points.
The Wildcats scored the game's first five points and methodically built an 18-11 lead thanks to the second-year guard's first seven points Justin Moore . The lead expanded to 22-13 midway through the period before Boston College began holding back the Wildcats.
Second-year forward Robinson-Earl left with two Fouls after just 6:35 of the period also played a role.Without Villanova's leading rebounder on the court for the entire period, Boston College flexed its muscle on the glass, rebounding the Wildcats 20-11. The Eagles returned. to take the d Forward at 30-29 with just under four minutes to play in the period.
A bit of late scoring from Gillespie helped Nova forge a 34-34 tie at intermission. While the 'Cats were able to keep Boston College under control from beyond the arc (2 of 10), the Eagles were 12 of 17 inside the arc thanks to a series of impulses towards the goal.
Robinson- Earl again scored the first two points of the second half and gave Nova a 36-34 lead. But the Eagles hit a 15-5 flurry to create a 49-41 lead. A Moore 3-pointer led the Wildcats to 49-44 at the 15-minute mark.
Villanova came off the hole with some key baskets from Cole Swider and Moore to regain a lead by 63-61 with 5:48 to play in the second half. Robinson-Earl was excellent on both ends, controlling the glass and connecting 9 of 14 field goal attempts on the night.
Villanova advances to face Arizona State, which beat Rhode Island in the opening game on Wednesday night. The Wildcats and Sun Devils will meet as the second game of an evening doubleheader at Mohegan Sun Arena on Thanksgiving night.
Tipoff will arrive at approximately 9:30 PM. Eastern Time and Nationwide Air on ESPN. The radio broadcast can be heard on 95.7 Ben FM.
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