Jan. 10, 2009
Recap | Box Score
VILLANOVA AT WACHOVIA CENTER
Today marked the 44th regular season game that Villanova played in the Wachovia Center and the Wildcat are now 22-22 all-time in the building. The mark includes a 15-18 record against BIG EAST foes. Of the 44 games played, 26 of them (59.1%) have been decided by single digits. Today's game also marked the third straight game in the building against a nationally-ranked opponent for the Wildcats. Villanova is 7-13 (.350) against ranked teams at the Wachovia Center.
VILLANOVA-LOUISVILLE AS CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
The Wildcats are now 3-2 against Louisville since the Cardinals joined the BIG EAST Conference for the 2005-06 season. Four of the five games have been decided by seven points or less, including today's one-point margin. Villanova had won each of its two previous games against Louisville at the Wachovia Center, including a 79-73 win in 2005-06 and a 57-53 victory in 2006-07.
BREAK FROM THE NORM
Villanova went 2-of-6 (33.3%) from the foul line in the final 47 seconds of today's game and fell one point short of the Cardinals. The misses from the charity stripe were a late-game anomaly for the Wildcats, who entered the game having made 52-of-62 (83.9%) free throws in the final two minutes and overtime of games. In fact, the Wildcats made their first six free throws at the beginning of today's game to extend their streak of made shots from the line to 24 consecutive, including the last 18 from Tuesday night's game at Seton Hall. The two free throws that Villanova did make at the end of today's game tied the contest and gave the Wildcats a one-point lead before a game-winning layup by Louisville with 7.4 seconds to play.
NOTABLE RUNS
Villanova fell behind by as many as 11 points in the second half of today's game and trailed 47-36 after a jumper by Earl Clark with 13:12 to play. The Wildcats still trailed by nine points, 54-45, with 7:26 left but then went on a 13-3 run to take a 58-57 lead on Dante Cunningham's jumper with 3:11 to play. The shot by Cunningham gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game. At that point, the team's had only been tied on one previous occasion, when the score was 22-22 in the first half following an 11-0 run by Villanova to pull even with the Cardinals.
Louisville went scoreless for a period of 4:24 in the closing minutes while Villanova rallied. After Earl Clark hit a three-pointer with 6:34 left to make the score 57-49 in favor of the Cardinals, the team did not score again until Terrence Williams made a put-back layup with 2:10 left to restore the Louisville lead at 59-58.
COUNTING CUNNINGHAM
Senior forward Dante Cunningham scored a game-high 21 points on 9-of-19 shooting in today's game. It marked the eighth time in his career and sixth time this season that Cunningham has scored at least 20 points in a game.
RANKED OPPONENTS
Villanova is 0-2 against ranked opponents this season, having also been defeated by then-No. 8 Texas, 67-58, on December 9 at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic.
