INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A surge over the game's final 10 minutes helped No. 1 seed Baylor (25-2 overall) rally past No. 5 seed Villanova 62-51 in an NCAA Tournament South Regional semifinal Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
            The Wildcats held a 30-23 halftime lead and the game was tied at 41 midway through the second half. But Baylor outscored Villanova 21-10 over the final seven plus minutes to secure the victory.
 
            Senior Jermaine Samuels led Villanova with 16 points while sophomore Justin Moore added 13 points. Sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl contributed eight points and a dozen rebounds.
 
            "Baylor is an outstanding team and Scott Drew is a great coach," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "That's a team that is definitely capable of winning a national championship.
 
            "We were good enough to beat them. Down the stretch, though, they just played better. Their defense got into us and wore us down. It made the difference in the game."
 
            The Second Sweet 16 game of the day mirrored the first, where Oregon State knocked off Loyola in a rugged defensive display. The Wildcats were able to build an 11-8 lead after a Chris Arcidiacono 3-pointer with a little more than 11 minutes to play in the first period.
 
            The Bears, however, put together a 10-0 run to move in front 18-11 before a Caleb Daniels 3-pointer snapped the spell. That was followed by a triple by Justin Moore and suddenly the Wildcats were back to within 18-17 as the game dipped below the seven minute mark of the first half. When Jermaine Samuels sank a pair of free throws with 6:42 to play in the period, Nova was back on top, 19-18.
 
            The Wildcats would outscore Baylor 11-3 over the final six minutes of the period to claim a 30-23 lead at intermission. 
 
            "We were able to play bigger and that helped us on the offensive glass," noted Wright. "But we knew how explosive they are."
 
            The story of the first half was the Villanova defense, which kept the potent Bears in check to the tune of .345 shooting. Baylor began the day as the nation's top 3-point shooting team (.415) but the 'Cats were able to hold them in check over the first 20 minutes. The Bears were just 2-of-12 from distance in the period (.167).
 
            Meanwhile, Samuels scored nine points while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl contributed six points and five caroms.
 
            Baylor scored on its first two possessions of the second half to narrow the deficit to 30-27 but Samuels helped ignite the Wildcats' offense again. He scored five points and assisted on a Brandon Slater to help Nova grab a 37-31 lead at the 14:22 mark of the second half.
 
            The Bears, though, heated up at the offensive end, connecting on 7-of-11 field goal attempts in the first 7:33 of the period to pull to within 39-37. Villanova called for a timeout. A Macio Teague runner tied the game at 39.
 
            Baylor forced a series of Wildcats turnovers, which sparked an 8-2 burst that took the Bears out to a 47-41 lead as the clock wound below the eight minute mark.
 
            "They really got into us and were physical with us," said Wright. "We had trouble initiating offense. They just contested every pass and every cut. It took us out of running any offense. We had to try to drive the ball and get some post-ups but we didn't do a very good of that.
 
            "I think the credit goes to their defense."
 
            A Moore layup got the 'Cats to within 56-49 with 52.5 seconds left but the Bears pulled away in the final seconds for the victory.
 
            "We've got a lot of room to grow," stated Wright when asked to look back over an 18-7 campaign that included a BIG EAST regular season title despite the season ending injuries to seniors Collin Gillespie and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, both of whom were on hand to watch today's game.
 
            "I feel really good about the team and program. I am especially proud of this group for how they grew this season."