Feb. 19, 2006
No. 4/4 Villanova (21-2, 11-1) vs. No. 17/17 Georgetown (17-7, 8-5)
FINAL SCORE: Villanova 75, Georgetown 65
Saturday, February 19, 2006
The Pavilion (Villanova, Pa.)POST-GAME NOTES
The Wildcats win today was their 10th consecutive victory. Villanova won its first 10 games of the season and have now registered o winning streaks of at least 10 games for the first time in their history. The win also improved the team's record to 21-2 on the season. It is only the second time that Villanova has ever been 21-2 in a season, and the first time since the 1937-38 season. That year, the Wildcats started 22-2, the best start in school history.
Villanova extended its Big East winning streak to 10 games with today's victory. That streak ties the team's all-time record for consecutive league wins. The Wildcats had won 10 straight Big East games on two other occasions. Those two occasions were from February 10, 1982 through January 19, 1983, and from January 18 to February 18, 1995.
In today's game, the Wildcats returned to their traditional four-guard starting lineup, with seniors Allan Ray and Randy Foye, along with junior Mike Nardi and sophomore Kyle Lowry all joining junior Will Sheridan in the starting lineup. It was the first time since the Wildcats game against Louisville on January 30 that this group of five players all started. Villanova had played four games since then, using freshman forward Dante Cunningham in the opening five. Today's traditional lineup has been used in 18 of 23 games this season. All four of the guards scored in double figures in the game.
Villanova made its first six three-pointers in today's game before a miss by senior guard Randy Foye with 8:05 remaining in the first half. Prior to that miss, the Wildcats had gotten two three-pointers each from Foye and senior guard Allan Ray, and one three-pointer from sophomore guard Kyle Lowry and junior guard Mike Nardi. After hitting those first six three-pointers, the Wildcats missed their final 11 three-point attempts of the half.
The Wildcats opened the game by shooting 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the field. After that, however, Villanova connected on just 14.3 percent (3-of-21) of its field goals during the remainder of the half. Neither team made a field goal in the final 4:57 of the first half, as Villanova was held scoreless during that time period and Georgetown settled on making three free throws. The Hoyas did not make a field goal in the final 6:52 of the half.
After a layup by sophomore guard Kyle Lowry with 4:57 left in the first half, Villanova missed its next 14 consecutive field goal attempts. The drought ended when senior guard Mike Nardi drilled his second three-pointer of the game with 18:04 remaining in the second period. His three-pointer ended a scoreless drought 6:53 for the Wildcats, who were only outscored 5-0 during that stretch. The Hoyas tied the game at 30-30 early in the second half before Nardi's three-pointer returned the lead to Villanova.
Georgetown took a 7-3 lead at the 17:48 mark of the first half, but the Wildcats then exhilarated the Pavilion crowd with a 12-0 run in just 2:42 to take a 15-7 advantage with 14:14 remaining in the first period. The Hoyas came back to tie the game at 30-30 early in the second half, and finally took back the lead at 35-34 with 16:44 left in the game.
Jeff Green made a three-pointer with 15:59 to play that gave the Hoyas a 38-37 lead. It would turn out to be their final lead of the game, though, as two free throws by senior guard Randy Foye with 14:39 remaining ignited a 16-5 run in a span of 4:11 that put Villanova ahead 53-43 midway through the period. The run culminated with a slam dunk by junior forward Will Sheridan with 10:28 play.
In a span of 6:32 during the second half, senior guard Randy Foye scored 12 of his game-high xx points. Foye delivered eight of Villanova's points during the 16-5 run and then added four more points after that. His streak of points lasted from the 14:39 mark of the second half to the 8:07 mark. The Wildcats outscored Georgetown 20-9 during that stretch.
Villanova committed just three turnovers in today's game, a low for the season. Even more remarkably, all three of the turnovers came in the opening 10-plus minutes of the game. The Wildcats did not commit a turnover in the final 29:51 of the contest.
Senior center Jason Fraser played 21 minutes in today's game. It was the ninth time this season and first time since the game against University of South Florida on January 24 that he had played in at least 20 minutes in a game. Fraser's line today included six rebounds, all in the first half, and one blocked shot.
Georgetown is the fifth ranked team that the Wildcats have beaten this season. Villanova is 5-2 against ranked foes, with wins over Connecticut (#1), Oklahoma (#5), Louisville (#9), Georgetown (#17) and Syracuse (#20). The losses have come against Texas (#8) and West Virginia (#24).
The Wildcats and Hoyas were the only two Big East teams playing today. With the week's slate of action complete, Villanova sits in sole possession of first place with an 11-1 record in league play. Connecticut is second in the league with a 10-2 record, while West Virginia is 9-3 and is in third place.
