VILLANOVA, Pa. – An outstanding effort at the defensive end of the floor helped No. 10/7 Villanova to a 68-60 victory over Connecticut Saturday afternoon at Finneran Pavilion. The Wildcats (14-3 overall, 9-2 BIG EAST) limited the Huskies (10-6 overall, 7-6 BIG EAST) to .364 shooting on the day. That helped Nova overcome a subpar 5-of-22 effort from long range (.227).
 
Senior Collin Gillespie scored 20 points, including a pair of 3-point daggers in the final minutes, for the Wildcats. Sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl delivered a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds while junior Brandon Slater provided a critical defensive spark, helping to slow the offensive fireworks of Huskies' standout guard James Bouknight, who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
 
"That's a really good team," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright of the Huskies, who faced Villanova in a BIG EAST game for the first time since 2013.
 
The 60 points were the fewest allowed by Nova since a 71-56 victory here on Jan. 23 against Providence.
 
"We've still got some work to make up," said Wright. "A lot of the reason why we are not as good defensively is what we chose as a staff about how to allocate our time at practice. It really wasn't the guys fault. What we ask them to do, they do. We've been trying to get other things organized and we just got away from defense.
 
"The guys really stepped up today after the week of practice. It shows that what we emphasize they're going to be good at."
 
A pair of baskets from Justin Moore on drives helped the Wildcats score the game's first six points. But James Bouknight scored five consecutive points over the next two minutes to draw UConn within 6-5. When Bouknight hit his second fadeaway 3-pointer Connecticut grabbed its first lead at 10-9.
 
Bouknight would convert six of his first seven field goal attempts on the day.
 
Two gritty drives for scores by Gillespie and a 3-pointer from above the key helped the Wildcats regain the lead and stretch it to 19-14 at the 11:16 mark of the first half. The Huskies came right back with points in a row to deadlock matters at 19.
 
UConn entered the day's action as the leader in BIG EAST scoring defense and the Wildcats confronted that later in the half. The game settled into a half-court battle with the Huskies taking a 27-26 lead as the contest dipped below the four-minute mark in the first half. The Wildcats were 1-of-7 from the field in the span leading up to that point.
 
Villanova closed the period with a mini-burst of 8-5 to pull ahead of Connecticut 34-32 at halftime. Gillespie's 10 points led Nova while Bouknight tallied 12 points for the Huskies.
 
The Wildcats, who committed just two first-half turnovers, found the sledding tougher in the early stages of the second half. Connecticut forced four miscues in the first four minutes of the period, allowing the Huskies to grab a 42-41 advantage seven minutes into the half.
 
Slater, however, helped the Wildcats grab hold of the contest with his defense, especially on Bouknight, who made just 1-of-10 after that hot start to the day.
 
"Slater was great," stated Wright. "He's a really good defensive player. I thought he did a great job on (Bouknight). Even in the first half, I thought some of the shots he hit were pretty good defensive possessions. He hits tough shots. That's what makes him a great player.
 
"We just did a really good job in the second half, especially with Slater getting up in him and contested his 3's."
 
Despite misfiring on its first six attempts from beyond the 3-point arc in the second half, Villanova's grit allowed it to craft a 51-45 lead with 8:09 to play. Robinson-Earl capped that small burst with a driving layup.
 
The Huskies narrowed their deficit to 57-50 but Gillespie drained a clutch triple that barely beat the expiring shot clock at 3:18. When the Huskies got to within 60-55, Gillespie dropped in another big 3-pointer with 1:29 left to give Villanova the breathing room it would need to finish off the win.
 
The final was 68-60.
 
This matchup was the first of two in a row on home court for the Wildcats. Villanova is scheduled to host St. John's Tuesday night at 8 p.m. (CBS Sports Network and 95.7 Ben FM Radio).  The Red Storm handed the Wildcats their first BIG EAST defeat of 2020-21 on Feb. 3, 70-59, at Carnesecca Arena.