AUSTIN, Tex. –  The Villanova Wildcats made the key plays down the stretch to claim a 68-64 victory over No. 17 Texas here Sunday afternoon. Senior Collin Gillespie sank four critical free throws and Jermaine Samuels was a force in the final minutes, helping Nova down the Longhorns.
 
Sophomores Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Justin Moore each had 19 points to lead the Wildcats. Samuels had eight points to go with 12 rebounds despite playing with a sprained finger on his right shooting hand.
 
"I'm proud of the guys," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "They keep getting better every day. We had had a good week of practice.
 
"I am especially proud of Jermaine Samuels. He did not practice one day this week. Our substitute trainer Shawn (Keane), who normally works with the women's team, made a nice splint for him and he played tough with that damaged finger."
 
An 8-0 spurt early in the first period highlighted by a 3-pointer from Moore and another by Collin Gillespie helped Villanova jump out to a 14-7 lead six minutes into the action at the Frank Erwin Events Center. However, Texas had an answer, reeling off a 9-2 run to pull even at 16 after 8:57 of the first half had been played.
 
Texas re-took the lead at 19-18 after a traditional 3-point play by Courney Raney. Gillespie was whistled for his second foul on the play. The Longhorns drained another 3-pointer on the next possession and were up 22-18 at the midway point of the first half thanks to 9-of-14 shooting from the field (.647).
 
With Gillespie on the sidelines, the Longhorns were able to extend their defensive pressure and force four turnovers in a stretch where they held Nova without points. Texas held a 27-20 lead with 6:30 to play in the first half when Gillespie re-entered the contest.
 
"We trust Collin in those situations," Wright said. "He did a good job and didn't get his third."
 
The  'Cats locked in defensively over the final minutes of the period. They limited the Longhorns to 1-of-10 shooting in the span and regained the lead at 32-30 after four points from Samuels..
 
Sophomores Moore and Robinson-Earl fueled the offense as Villanova built a 46-38 advantage six minutes into the second half. Texas scored the next five points before some more good work by Moore and Samuels helped the Wildcats push the lead back up to 51-45 with 11:03 on the clock.
 
Texas used its defense to claw back to 53-51 after a Raney basket on an inbounds play with 6:40 to play. The Longhorns kept pushing after an interior basket by Robinson-Earl and were back to within 56-54 at the final official timeout of the second half (3:57 on the clock). When Ramey drained a 3-pointer from the left wing with under three minutes to go, the game was tied at 57.
 
A clutch 3-pointer by Cole Swider gave Villanova the lead back at 60-57 and the Wildcats kept the Longhorns at bay the rest of the way. The final count was 68-64, improving Nova's record to 4-1 while Texas dropped to an identical 4-1 record.
 
"That's an outstanding team with great length," said Wright. "This was a good step for us but we have a lot of work to do."
 
Matt Coleman III and Ramey led Texas with 17 points each.
 
Villanova is slated to begin its 20-game BIG EAST regular season slate this Friday at Georgetown's McDonough Arena (5 p.m. on FS1 and 95.7 Ben FM). This will be the 'Cats first appearance on the Hoyas' campus since 1981, their first season in the BIG EAST.