Feb. 15, 2006
#4/4 Villanova (20-2, 10-1) vs. #1/1 Connecticut (22-2, 9-2)
FINAL SCORE: Villanova 69, Connecticut 64
Monday, February 13, 2006
Wachovia Center (Philadelphia, Pa.)POST-GAME NOTES
Villanova stretched its Big East winning streak to nine games and extended the best-ever start in league play (10-1) in school history. The Wildcats are one win away from tying their longest winning streak ever in Big East regular season games, and have also won nine games in a row overall.
Junior forward Will Sheridan registered his first double-double of the season and the third of his career with 13 points and 10 rebounds tonight. Sheridan hit 6-of-11 from the field and added three blocks, two steals and an assist while playing nearly the entire game. A span of 23 seconds in the first half marked the only time Sheridan was not on the floor. His 10 rebounds tonight were one off a season best effort (11 rebounds vs. Stony Brook on Nov. 18).
Sophomore guard Kyle Lowry scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half. Lowry played all 20 minutes of the opening period and was 6-of-6 from the floor - including a three-pointer - and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Many of those baskets came on drives in the lane that split the Connecticut post defenders. Lowry also had all four of his steals in the first half.
Freshman forward Dante Cunningham tied his season-high with seven rebounds in tonight's game. Cunningham had previously pulled down seven boards in a game three times on the season. Against the Huskies, Cunningham also contributed a season-best three blocks, two assists and two steals. His 24 minutes matched the second-most he has played in a game this season.
The Wildcats and Huskies traded big runs during the game, with both sides showing their dominance at various times. A 12-2 run by Connecticut in the first half provided the Huskies a 21-15 edge, but Villanova came back to regain the lead at 25-23. After Connecticut stormed out of the gates in the second half with a 13-0 run and a 45-33 lead, the Wildcats launched a 17-2 run that had Villanova ahead 50-47. That run expanded to 22-4 and the Wildcats eventually led 66-58, but the Huskies scored six of the next seven points to pull within 67-64 in the final minute.
Villanova rallied to win tonight after trailing by as many as 12 points in the second half. That deficit (45-33 Connecticut) marked the fifth time this season that the Wildcats had faced a double-digit deficit, including the third time it trailed by 10 points or more in the second half. Villanova has rallied to win all five of these games on the season. The five games that Villanova trailed by double figures are against Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Marquette, Saint Joseph's and Connecticut.
Opponent Largest Deficit Faced Score and Time Villanova Run Final ScoreOklahoma 10 Points 15-25 (7:39, 1st Half) 10-3 in 2:36 85-74 VillanovaSeton Hall 13 Points 16-29 (6:23, 1st Half) 18-6 in 7:11 73-64 VillanovaMarquette 10 Points 40-50 (11:31, 2nd Half) 16-2 in 3:42 72-67 VillanovaSaint Joseph's 13 Points 16-29 (3:29, 1st Half) 21-3 in 6:52 71-58 VillanovaConnecticut 12 Points 33-45 (16:22, 2nd Half) 17-2 in 4:13 69-64 Villanova
Senior guard Allan Ray scored 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half to help Villanova overcome the 12-point deficit. Ray was the driving force behind a 17-2 run that put the Wildcats ahead for good. He made back-to-back three-pointers to start the run and wound up hitting four shots from beyond the arc in a span of 3:12. Ray added another three-pointer later in the run to finish with a total five for the second half. He has made at least five three-pointers in a game four times this season, but had not previously made as many as five in one half.
With his five three-pointers in last night's game, senior guard Allan Ray moved into a tie for 11th place on the all-time list of made three-pointers in Big East Conference games. Ray passed Boston College guard Dana Barros (1985-89) in last night's game and now has 147 career three-pointers in regular season league contests. He is tied with Darius Rice of Miami (2000-04) and needs two more shots from long range to tie Chris Thomas (2001-05) of Notre Dame with 149. Ray is second in career conference three-pointers among active players. Syracuse senior guard Gerry McNamara currently has 161 career three-pointers in conference games.
Senior guards Allan Ray and Randy Foye continue to move up the ranks of the all-time scorers at Villanova. Ray now has 1,830 career points and needs 35 more to tie current assistant coach Ed Pinckney (1981-85) for seventh on the school's all-time list. Foye contributed 10 points against Connecticut and now has 1,728 career points. He currently stands in 11th place all-time at Villanova and needs nine more points to tie Larry Hennessy (1950-53) for 10th place.
Villanova and Connecticut entered the game in a three-way tie atop the conference standings, along with West Virginia. All three teams had a 9-1 record. The victory for the Wildcats puts Villanova in sole possession of first place atop the standings.
Updated Records in Jay Wright's Coaching Career at Villanova:
43-38 (.531) against Big East teams (all games); 14-20 (.412) against ranked teams, including 4-3 (.571) against ranked teams at the Wachovia Center; 8-5 (.615) against ranked opponents when Villanova is ranked; 1-0 (1.000) against teams ranked #1 in the nation; 4-2 (.667) against teams ranked in the top five; 6-9 (.400) against teams ranked in the top 10
