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NEWARK, N.J. ââ'¬" The No. 4 ranked Villanova Wildcats got two clutch plays from their senior captains, Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu, in the final minute to hold off an upset bid from Seton Hall by the final count of 72-71 at the Prudential Center Wednesday night.

Arcidiacono scored on a drive with 26.5 seconds left in the second half to snap a tie game at 69. Then Ochefu sank one free throw to extend the margin to 72-69 before a frantic few final seconds and came up with two huge defensive plays to help the Wildcats survive two late free throws and a key turnover.

"That was a tough road win," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "I thought our defense in the final minute was good ââ'¬" we had a tough time containing them before that. Seton Hall is one of the best teams in the country at driving the ball and finishing around the rim.

"In the end, it was just a matter of two seniors who have been there making big plays for us in the final minute."

Josh Hart finished with his fifth double-double in the last nine games ââ'¬" 15 points and 10 rebounds ââ'¬" to lead Villanova.

The Wildcats used an 8-0 run midway through the first period to grab a 16-12 lead over the Pirates. They did so with improved accuracy from beyond the 3 point arc as Villanova sank eight in the first 20 minutes after connecting on just 3-of-18 in Saturday's 55-50 victory at Georgetown.

The Wildcats pushed their lead out to 27-17 with just over seven minutes remaining in the period.

However, Khadeen Carrington heated up for the Pirates, sparking a 16-6 spurt over seven minutes to pull even with Villanova at 33 with under 30 seconds remaining in the first half. A Mikal Bridges basket on the Wildcats' final possession of the period allowed VU to claim a 35-33 lead at halftime.

Villanova used two more 3-pointers by Jalen Brunson to create a bit of a working margin, moving out to a 54-47 lead in the second half.

But the absence of Ochefu, who went to the bench with his fourth foul with more than 13 minutes remaining in the period began to take a toll, despite good work from Darryl Reynolds. Seton Hall answered by draining four straight field goals on a 9-4 run and was back to within 58-56 after a Derrick Gordon runner with 9:21 to play in regulation.

"Darryl really did a good job in there ââ'¬" getting eight rebounds, helping us defensively," stated Wright, "But not having Daniel is big for us. He just does so much for us defensively and is our best rebounder."

Villanova was able to retain the lead but was unable to create any separation. The Pirates crept back and finally regained the lead at 69-67 on a corner 3-pointer by Isaiah Whitehead with 2:32 to play in the second half.

Yet Villanova persevered, rallying to pull out the 72-71 win.

The Wildcats are slated to make their first regular season appearance of 2015-16 at their home away from home, the Wells Fargo Center, Saturday as Providence comes to South Philadelphia. Tipoff in that contest is set for noon (Fox Sports and 610 Sports Radio WTEL).

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