Villanova Athletics's user profile page. Match highlights, posts and more on site!

Men's Basketball: Feb. 10, 2021 - Marquette Post-Game Interviews

VILLANOVA, Pa. – Another scintillating second half offensive display powered No. 5/4 Villanova past Marquette 96-64 Wednesday night at Finneran Pavilion. The Wildcats connected on 70 percent of their field goal attempts after intermission, scoring a season-best 56 points over the final 20 minutes. Sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl fell one shy of a career high with 27 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field, including 5-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc. Senior Collin Gillespie added 16 points and 11 assists. The 96 total points were also a Villanova season high. The Wildcats are now 13-2 overall, 8-1 BIG EAST while the Golden Eagles fall to 9-11 overall, 5-9 BIG EAST. Freshman Dawson Garcia scored 28 points for Marquette, which opened a stretch of five straight on the road in this one. This was the 11th time in 15 games this season that Nova has scored 40 or more points in the second half. "The shots were falling for us in the second half," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "It was just one of those nights. You're happy when you have them but you know you aren't going to have them every night. We'll take it. "Defense is such a big part of what we do and it's probably where we're being affected the most by everything going on this season. I think we're behind where we'd like to be but we stepped up a little bit in the second half." 3-point baskets by Jermaine Samuels and Gillespie staked the Wildcats to an early 6-2 lead but Marquette responded with a 5-0 spurt of its own. A short jumper by Robinson-Earl gave Nova a 10-9 edge through 6:03 of the first half. Robinson-Earl and Samuels fueled the Wildcats' offense, but Marquette stayed close as D.J. Carton heated up, scoring seven quick points midway through the period. For every Villanova bucket, Marquette seemingly had an answer. VU led 23-20 with 7:53 to play in the period. Villanova was able to stretch the margin to 29-22 after a Gillespie steal led to a Justin Moore uncontested dunk at the other end. But Garcia drained a 3-pointer as part of spurt that closed the Golden Eagles gap to 31-27 at the final official timeout of the first half. Over the final three minutes, Villanova slowly pushed its lead forward despite a field goal drought of nearly five minutes. In their final offensive possession of the half, Villanova set up Caleb Daniels for a 3-point attempt with five seconds left. The shot was off, but Nova chased the rebound down near mid-court and reversed the ball back to an open Daniels, who this time buried the triple. "I just chased down the rebound out near the 3-point line and was surrounded by a couple of their guys," Gillespie said. "I saw Caleb was open and got it to him. I think it did give us a lift going into halftime." At halftime, Villanova led 40-32. Part of the reason they held the advantage was a 16-5 edge in points off turnovers. The Wildcats forced eight Marquette miscues, though they did commit seven themselves. Samuels led Villanova with 12 points in the first period. A strong 2:30 to begin the second half helped Villanova build a 45-32 lead highlighted by a Robinson-Earl corner 3-pointer. Two 3-pointers from Justin Moore and a Robinson-Earl drive helped Villanova craft a 61-46 advantage. However, a pair of Theo John interior scores and two Garcia free throws shaved the deficit to 61-52 at the 11:33 mark. At that point, the Golden Eagles were 7-of-9 from the field in the second half. But as Marquette seemed to be gaining traction on its comeback bid, Robinson-Earl drained 3-pointers on consecutive possessions. By the time Gillespie added another deep ball at the 8:08 mark of the second half, the Villanova lead was 73-54. The Wildcats weren't challenged the rest of the way. "Jeremiah is so valuable to any team because he always does the little things to help you win – rebounding, screening, great team defensive player," noted Wright. "Now, he's really developing as an offensive player. He's really been working on his game. You don't expect this every night, but he's been more consistent every night he steps on the court. "He never, ever has a poor game defensively or on the glass. Sometimes he doesn't get a lot of rebounds, but he keeps the opponents best rebounder from rebounding." Villanova next heads to Omaha to meet No. 19 Creighton Saturday afternoon at CHI Health Center. Tipoff is set for just after 5 p.m. eastern time on the Fox broadcast network (Fox 29 in Philadelphia) and 95.7 Ben FM in the Delaware Valley.

Men's Basketball: Feb. 7, 2021 - Georgetown Post-Game Press Conference

VILLANOVA, Pa. – A career high 32 points from senior forward Jermaine Samuels and some timely second half defense helped carry No. 3/3 Villanova past Georgetown 84-74 Sunday afternoon. After falling behind 67-66, the Wildcats outscored the Hoyas 18-8 over the final 5:46 to claim the win. Villanova improves to 12-2 overall, 7-1 in the BIG EAST, bouncing back from a 70-59 loss at St. John's Wednesday night. Georgetown drops to 5-9 overall, 3-6 in the BIG EAST. "That was a really tough Big East game against a Georgetown team that is playing really well," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "They are really well-coached, so intelligent offensively and long and physical defensively. So that was a good victory for us." The temperatures outside were frosty, courtesy of a fast-moving storm that dropped more than four inches of snow in the area Sunday. Yet both teams shot if well from the field in the opening minutes. Georgetown converted 5-of-7 field goals while the 'Cats were 3-of-4 from the field. Four Nova free throws helped give VU an early 12-10 edge. The Hoyas connected on their next three field goal attempts, including two from long distance, to stay close at 20-18 at the 11:41 mark of the first period. Jermaine Samuels keyed a 10-4 spurt for the Wildcats that gave them a 30-20 advantage. But the Hoyas reeled off nine consecutive points, capped by a 3-pointer by Chudier Bile that closed the gap to 30-29 with 5:54 to play in the half. When Donald Carey sank two free throws, the game was tied at 33. "In that first half, Jermaine just carried us," stated Wright. "We really had nothing else going." A pair of Jeremiah Robinson-Earl free throws with 4.5 seconds left in the half gave Villanova a 37-35 lead at halftime. Villanova held the lead in large part due to the offensive work of Samuels, who finished the period with 18 points. The Wildcats, though, had a hard time with Georgetown's interior size, specifically center Qudus Wahab, who connected on all four of his field goal attempts despite picking up two early fouls. The Wildcats finished the half making just one of its final seven field goal attempts. It was 12-of-32 (.375) for the period. Georgetown, meanwhile, connected on 15-of-28 from the floor (.535) but surrendered eight turnovers to four for VU. Wahab continued to be a force inside early in the second period, scoring seven points in the first 4:31 of the period. Villanova was able to stretch its lead with Samuels and Justin Moore providing offensive fuel. After a Cole Swider 3-pointer, Villanova moved in front 57-49. However, Georgetown's offensive firepower brought it back. The Hoyas went on an 11-3 burst and were back in a tie at 60 with 8:27 left on the clock. Yet Swider's work on Wahab anchored a defense that rose to the occasion in the final eight minutes. "Cole did an incredible job in the second half," said Wright. "He's worked so hard at defending. When you play Wahab, you aren't just defending him but guarding pick and roll and you have to rebound against him. Cole was just outstanding." Swider also dropped in a key 3-pointer with 2:02 left to play, to extend Villanova's lead to 78-71. Samuels also grabbed a key rebound after missing a dunk that allowed the Wildcats to retain possession with just more than a minute to play. "Jermaine," stated Robinson-Earl, who finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists, "was phenomenal." Villanova finished the day with 21 assists on 26 made field goal and drained 17-of-18 at the free throw line. Jahvon Blair led Georgetown with 18 points while Wahab added 17 points. Next up on the 2020-21 Villanova schedule is a Wednesday night appointment at the Finn against Marquette. That game will air on FS1 and 95.7 Ben FM with tipoff set for just after 9 p.m. on the Nova campus.

Men's Basketball: Jan. 30, 2021 - Highlights vs. Seton Hall

An outstanding first half defensive effort and timely second half offense helped propel No. 3 Villanova past Seton Hall 80-72 Saturday at Prudential Center.

Men's Basketball: Jan. 30, 2021 - Post-Game Interviews

NEWARK, N.J.– An outstanding first half defensive effort and timely second half offense helped propel No. 3 Villanova past Seton Hall 80-72 Saturday at Prudential Center. Sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl scored 23 points despite playing only 20:46 due to second half foul trouble. Senior Jermaine Samuels added 17 points, Justin Moore had 16 points and Collin Gillespie established a new career high with 11 assists while contributing 11 points. The Wildcats improved to 11-1 overall, 6-0 BIG EAST with their ninth consecutive victory. The Pirates fell to 9-8 overall, 6-5 BIG EAST. "That's a really good road win against an outstanding team," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "They always play us well. We've played each other so much it makes everything difficult. I thought they did a really good job on Collin Gillespie and because they did it was really important that Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Jermaine Samuels stepped up. "Their forwards have great length and for Jermaine to be as effective as he was, especially in the second half when Jeremiah was in foul trouble, was big for us." Five points from Robinson-Earl in the game's first 4:42 helped Villanova edge out to a 9-7 advantage in the game's opening minutes. After a Seton Hall basket tied the game at nine, the Wildcats put together 8-0 spurt capped by a Cole Swider 3-pointer to build a 17-9 lead with 12:15 left in the first half. The Wildcats ability to get stops helped it extend its margin midway through the period. Some nifty passing from Gillespie led to another score by Robinson-Earl and after a Caleb Daniels free throw at the 7:46 mark, Villanova held a 26-12 lead. "I thought that when we had our starters in there in that stretch we were really clicking defensively," said Wright. Villanova pushed its lead to 35-19 on the third 3-pointer of the first half by Moore. But Seton Hall closed on an 8-2 burst to narrow the margin to 37-27 at halftime. The Wildcats limited Seton Hall to 11-of-27 shooting for the period (.407), including 2-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc. They also forced eight Pirates turnovers which led to a 13-2 advantage in points off of turnovers. Robinson-Earl led all first half scorers with 12 points. The second half more closely resembled the potent scoring that these two teams demonstrated on Jan. 19 at Finneran Pavilion, when Villanova prevailed 76-74. Samuels scored the first four points after the break and Robinson-Earl added five more before picking up his fourth foul at the 16:24 mark of the period. By that juncture the Wildcats held a 46-32 lead. Seton Hall shaved the gap to 46-37 before Samuels scored on a drive and added a free throw to make the count 49-37 with 11:55 to play in the second half. After the Pirates closed to 51-41, the Wildcats got 3-pointers from Samuels, Moore and Caleb Daniels to make it a 60-44 margin with 8:16 on the second half clock. "I thought about bringing Jeremiah back every time they scored," noted Wright. "But we were able to keep scoring ourselves so we were able to hold him out. We got contributions out of Cole, Brandon Slater and Eric. Collin was outstanding in getting the ball to our guys in great scoring position." The Pirates, however, reeled off a 16-7 spurt on the strength of a flurry of 3-pointers, including one by Myles Cale that pulled the Hall to within 67-60 with just over two minutes on the clock. Robinson-Earl did return late to drain some key free throws as the Wildcats were able to keep the Pirates at bay in the final minutes.

Men's Basketball: Jan. 19, 2021 - Cinematic Recap vs. Seton Hall

VILLANOVA, Pa. – After 27 days between games, No. 3 Villanova returned to action Tuesday night with a thrilling 76-74 BIG EAST victory over Seton Hall (9-6 overall, 6-3 BIG EAST) at Finneran Pavilion. The game was tied at 74 with Seton Hall in possession as the clock wound under 10 seconds. The Wildcats, however, successfully defended that possession, forcing a missed 3-pointer by Shavar Reynolds Jr. Junior Cole Swider grabbed the key defensive rebound and sank one of two free throw attempts with 1.9 seconds left. A Jeremiah Robinson-Earl free throw after a Seton Hall turnover provided the final margin of victory. Villanova (9-1 overall, 4-0 BIG EAST) was carried by seniors Collin Gillespie (22 points) and Jermaine Samuels (20 points and nine rebounds). Samuels provided that lift after having been sidelined for the duration of the 'Cats most recent COVID-19 pause. The Wildcats last played on Dec. 23 at Marquette. "I didn't have any expectations – I just wanted to see what happened," stated Wildcats head coach Jay Wright. "There was some good, some bad. It's great to get a win. I'm happy for our guys. Seton Hall is a very good team. I'm happy that we survived. "I am truly amazed by Jermaine Samuels. He literally practiced one day. Had Covid and couldn't practice until (Monday). To come out and be able to play like that is truly incredible. Collin Gillespie had four days of practice and played 38 minutes. Those guys' stamina and Cole hitting a big free throw at the end was huge." The two teams showed no early rust despite the fact both the Pirates and Wildcats were returning from long layoffs (a 10-day gap between games for the Hall). Villanova was 5-of-7 from beyond the arc in the opening six plus minutes while the Pirates' Jared Rhoden connected on all three of his long attempts. It was 17-13 Nova after Collin Gillespie's second made triple of the night. The Wildcats held the lead until a Sandro Mamukelashvili 3-pointer gave the Pirates the advantage at 23-22. Four straight Wildcats points gave Nova back the lead but Rhoden drained another 3-pointer – the Pirates' sixth straight to open the game – and the contest was tied at 26 with 7:49 to play in the first half. While the Hall maintained its sizzling shooting, the Wildcats cooled. A 4:55 stretch without a field goal helped the Pirates craft a 32-28 lead with a tick less than four minutes to play in the period. Seton Hall was 13-of-19 from the field at that juncture (.684). A short jumper in the lane by Gillespie ended the drought. A 10-3 spurt over the final minutes of the period allowed the Wildcats to take a 38-35 lead into the locker room at halftime. Gillespie led Villanova with 10 points while Samuels added nine points. Rhoden's 17 points paced all scorers at intermission. The Wildcats built a 53-47 lead at the 10:35 of the second half. The Hall answered with five straight points from Mamukelashvili to draw to within 53-52 as the game approached the midpoint of the second half. An 8-0 run helped Villanova push its margin to 61-52 at the 7:14 mark. But Reynolds heated up for the Hall, scoring seven consecutive points, to pull the Pirates to within 64-59 with 5:11 to play in the second half. Gillespie and Samuels helped the Wildcats maintain the lead, but the Pirates surge continued, as they sank 6-og-8 from the field to close the deficit to 72-70 with 2:23 to play in the period. A Mamukelasvili basket with 1:28 to play tied the contest at 72. That set up the final seconds. "I thought we did a good job on Rhoden in the second half," noted Wright. "He killed us in the first half. Mamu got it going though and hurt us. We were able to survive against a very good team."

Men's Basketball: Dec. 19, 2020 - Cinematic Recap vs. Saint Joe's

VILLANOVA, Pa. – A 47-point second half and some defensive stops midway through the period helped No. 7/6 Villanova pull away from Saint Joseph's for an 88-68 victory at Finneran Pavilion Saturday night. Sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl – playing with a protective mask after suffering a broken nose in Wednesday night's 85-66 win over Butler – scored 25 points, including 14 in the second half. Junior Caleb Daniels added 19 points and sophomore Justin Moore contributed 18 points for the Wildcats, who improved to 7-1 overall, 2-0 BIG EAST with their fifth consecutive triumph. Saint Joseph's fell to 0-4 overall, 0-0 Atlantic Ten, in this battle of Philadelphia Big Five rivals. The Wildcats connected on 17-fof-29 second half field goals (.607) after struggling to find the range in the first half (.417). "This was a very good game for us," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "They are a very difficult team to guard. They are very unorthodox offensively with five guys out who can really shoot it. They cut hard and move well. "I thought we had a really good stretch in the second half where we defended them and that's what created the separation. They're going to be good and they're missing a couple of good players. They'll get healthy and be better. That's going to be a good win." The Wildcats built a 14-5 lead through first five minutes of action thanks to a sharp offensive attack. But the Hawks turned four straight defensive stops into a 10-0 run to take the lead at 15-14 with just more than 12 minutes to play in the period. A Cole Swider 3-pointer gave Nova back the lead 17-15 on the next possession. "They can do that to you because they play fast and can score quickly," Wright noted. After sinking five of their first nine, Villanova struggled to find an offensive flow, dropping in just 5-of-21 over the next 10 minutes of action. Saint Joseph's pulled to within 26-25 before the Wildcats responded with a 13-3 surge sparked by Jermaine Samuels, who provided five points in that stretch. At halftime, Villanova held a 41-33 lead over Saint Joseph's. Robinson-Earl supplied 11 points in the period while Samuels added nine points. Villanova offset a .417 first half field goal percentage by forcing seven Hawks turnovers, which resulted in a 9-0 edge in points off of turnovers. In the early stages of the second half, Robinson-Earl asserted himself as the offensive end. The sophomore scored 10 points in the first 8:29 of the period to help the Wildcats build a 62-50 lead over the Hawks. He explained after the game that this was the second time he had broken his nose. It also happened in the eighth grade. As luck would have it his mother, Katie Robinson, still had the mask he had donned back then and dropped it off at Villanova. It fit and he donned it in time for Friday's practice. "It's not too bad," he said. "You're focused on what you're doing and don't really pay that much attention to it while you're out there." Robinson-Earl also added seven rebounds to the cause as part of a 37- carom effort by the Wildcats. Wright also pointed to the efforts of Daniels and Moore. "They are two talented guards," said Wright. "Teams pay so much attention to Collin (Gillespie), as they did tonight, that it really frees Caleb and Justin up to make plays." Villanova is next slated to visit Marquette in a BIG EAST clash set for Wednesday night (FS1 and 95.7 Ben FM). That will be the Wildcats' final scheduled contest before Christmas Day.

Men's Basketball: Dec. 16, 2020 - Cinematic Recap vs. Butler

VILLANOVA, Pa. – It took some time for Villanova to find its defensive footing but the No. 7/6 did so in plenty of time to record an 82-63 BIG EAST victory over Butler in its home opener Wednesday night at Finneran Pavilion. The win was the 600th of Jay Wright's coaching career, which began in 1994 at Hofstra. Senior Collin Gillespie and sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl led the Wildcats with 18 points each. Villanova (6-1 overall, 2-0 BIG EAST) connected on 29-of-58 shots from the field on the night (.500) and forced 15 Bulldog turnovers, which led to a 21-7 edge in points off of turnovers. "That's a good BIG EAST win for us," stated Wright, who now has 478 Villanova victories to go with 122 registered at Hofstra. "It was a really good team effort." Wright said he was unaware of the personal milestone until informed by Villanova President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A. immediately after the game. "It just means that I have a really good job," said Wright. "Every coach who has been here has won a lot of games. We've been blessed." Butler showed no early rust from its lengthy layoff – its only prior action came on Nov. 25 – due to a COVID-19 pause. Jai Bolden scored seven early points and the Bulldogs claimed an 11-8 lead after the first 4:08 of action. The Bulldogs stretched the lead to 17-10 after another Bolden 3-pointer. "There are going to be a lot of challenges this season," noted Wright of a pattern of slow starts that has revealed itself in the early going. "This is one of those challenges. I have some thoughts about it. With Bryan Antoine and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree out, our practices aren't as competitive as I would like. I think maybe at the start of the game we are not prepared for the quickness and then we settle in. "At least that's what I'm hoping it is." The Wildcats, though, were nearly as efficient at the offensive end, however, draining 8-of-10 to begin the game and it saved them. Villanova regained the lead at 22-21 and then began to gain a defensive foothold, limiting the Bulldogs (1-1 overall, 0-1 BIG EAST) "to 2-of-10 shooting in one stretch. That helped the Wildcats grow their lead to nine points before a last second bucket by Aaron Thompson ahead of the buzzer made it 41-34 at halftime. Robinson-Earl led a balanced Wildcats attack with nine first half points while Gillespie added seven points. Villanova generated eight assists on its 15 field goals over the first 20 minutes. Both teams were 4-of-9 from beyond the 3-point line in the period. Butler held the Wildcats to 2-of-9 shooting over the first 4:32 of the second half, which allowed it to narrow its deficit to 45-41. But Villanova re-ignited its offense with Robinson-Earl and Justin Moore playing pivotal roles and slowly stretched its lead. It pulled away to the 85-66 victory. "This was their first game after a pause," Wright noted. "That's a tough spot to be in. There's no way to prepare for that." Prior to the game, Villanova and Virginia announced that Saturday night's game between the two teams at Madison Square Garden will not take place. The game will not be rescheduled in 2020-21. "We've worked closely with Virginia on this," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "Both schools tried to make this game happen. Due to COVID-19 issues, we will not be able to play."

Villanova/Xavier Postgame Press conference