Jan. 6, 2009
Recap | Box Score
VILLANOVA IN OVERTIME
The last overtime game for Villanova came in an 84-78 win at Rutgers on January 11, 2006. That game was also sent to an extra period on a late three-pointer by the Wildcat opponent, as the Scarlet Knights' Jimmie Inglis made a three-pointer with two seconds left to send the game to overtime tied at 70-70. Villanova is now 6-3 in overtime games under eighth-year head coach Jay Wright. Tonight's game was the first overtime league contest of the early conference season.
VILLANOVA-SETON HALL SERIES
Tonight marked the seventh consecutive win for Villanova in the series against Seton Hall. The Wildcats are 7-2 against the Pirates head coach Jay Wright and improved to 60-36 overall in the series. The 60 wins against Seton Hall are the most Villanova has against any one opponent in its history and the 96 games played are the second-most in any series for the Wildcats, who have faced St. John's 100 times.
FIRST VISIT TO PRUDENTIAL CENTER
Villanova made its first-ever visit to the Prudential Center, which opened in the fall of 2007. The Wildcats had been 8-12 against Seton Hall at its previous home in the Meadowlands.
BIG EAST ROAD GAMES
Under head coach Jay Wright, Villanova is now 28-31 (.475) in BIG EAST road games, including going 1-1 while playing its first two conference games on the road this season. The Wildcats have posted at least a .500 record on the road in conference play in 2004-05 (5-3), 2005-06 (7-1) and 2006-07 (4-4).
NEW JERSEY RECORD
Villanova is now 9-4 (.692) in games played in the state of New Jersey under Jay Wright.
REYNOLDS SCORING
Junior guard Scottie Reynolds tied a season-high with 40 points in tonight's game. It was his third career game with at least 30 points and marked the 25th time in his career he has netted 20 or more points. Reynolds finished the night 10-of-17 from the field, 5-of-8 from three-point range and 15-of-16 at the foul line. The 15 free throws were a career high. He made two foul shots with 21 seconds left in regulation and was 4-of-4 at the line in the final 14 seconds of overtime. Reynolds raised his season scoring average from 14.2 points to 15.9 points per game.
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON SCORING 40
The 40 points scored by Scottie Reynolds tonight is the most scored in a game by any BIG EAST player this season, surpassing the 39 points that Notre Dame's Kyle McAlarney scored against North Carolina on November 26. It was the 16th game of at least 40 points by a player in Division I this season.
Reynolds now owns the last two 40-point games in regular season BIG EAST play. He also had 40 in a 78-74 win at Connecticut on February 28, 2007. His performance against Seton Hall tonight marked the 18th game in league history in which a player scored at least 40 points (counting only conference games). Reynolds joins Eric Murdock of Providence as the only players who have ever had two 40-point games against a conference foe. Murdock scored 40 against Seton Hall on January 2, 1991 and then had a league-record 48-point performance against Pittsburgh three weeks later on January 23, 1991.
VILLANOVA FREE THROW SHOOTING
The Wildcats went 24-of-30 (80.0%) from the free throw line in tonight's game and made their last 18 consecutive foul shots of the contest in a stretch that covered the last three seconds of the first half (2-of-2) as well as the entire second half and overtime. Villanova went 8-of-8 in the second half and 8-of-8 in the extra period. Of the 18 straight free throws made, junior guard Scottie Reynolds was 10-of-10, senior forward Dante Cunningham was 7-of-7 and junior guard Reggie Redding was 1-of-1.
The Wildcats entered tonight's game ranked first in the BIG EAST and 10th in the nation in free throw percentage at 77.0 percent (244-of-317). Villanova has been even better at the end of games from the charity stripe. In the last two minutes of regulation and overtime for the entire season, the Wildcats are shooting 83.9 percent (52-of-62).
CUNNINGHAM DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior forward Dante Cunningham recorded his sixth double-double of the season and the 11th of his career with 21 points and a career-high tying 13 rebounds in tonight's game. Cunningham had a double-double in the first half alone, with 10 points and 10 boards in the first 20 minutes. His previous games with 13 rebounds had been achieved twice, both last season, in wins over Hartford and DePaul. Prior to his 10-rebound effort in the first half, Cunningham's season-high for caroms in one half was eight in the second half against both Rhode Island and Navy. This was the seventh time in Cunningham's career (fifth this season) that he has had at least 20 points in a game and the fifth time (all this season) he has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a contest.
ANDERSON'S CONTRIBUTION
Senior guard/forward Dwayne Anderson had nine points and a career-high 15 rebounds for the night.
REBOUND COUNT
Villanova had a season-high 49 rebounds in tonight's game, surpassing the 47 caroms it pulled down in a 69-47 win at Penn on December 2. The total included 20 offensive rebounds.
REDDING HAD BIG SECOND HALF
Junior guard Reggie Redding scored all 10 of his points after halftime to help spark the Wildcats in a tensely played contest against Seton Hall. His contributions included a three-pointer with 11:01 left in regulation to extend a one-point lead to four points (55-51), a jumper with 8:55 left to restore the Villanova lead (57-55) and a put-back layup and eventual three-point play with 7:26 to play that turned a one-point deficit into a two-point lead (62-60). In the extra period, his layup in the lane with 2:51 to play established an 83-81 Villanova lead. Overall, three of Redding's four baskets for the evening gave his team the lead.
BACK AND FORTH
There were 12 ties and 11 lead changes in tonight's game. Both were season highs in any game for Villanova, eclipsing the 10 ties and nine lead changes in a 79-72 loss to Marquette last Thursday.
RUNS BY BOTH TEAMS IN REGULATION
The back-and-forth nature of the game did not stop each team from making runs during the game. After Villanova led 27-20 in the first half, Seton Hall went on a 17-6 run in a span of 4:45 to take a 37-33 lead with 37 seconds left in the first half. The Wildcats hit two free throws before the period ended to trail 37-35 at the break.
In the second half, Villanova trailed 47-40 but needed just 1:56 to launch a 9-2 run that tied the game at 49-49 with 12:56 remaining. Later in the half, a 13-4 spurt by the Wildcats forged a 72-64 lead with 4:04 to play. Seton Hall closed regulation with a 12-4 run to send the game to overtime tied 76-76. Villanova led 76-73 after two free throws by Scottie Reynolds with 21.4 seconds to play but Jeremy Hazell's three-pointer with 9.2 seconds left tied the score. A game-winning layup attempt in traffic by Reynolds with two seconds showing was just off the mark.
