Villanova Univeristy Athletics

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Temple's Damien Dunn dropped in two free throws with 1.1 seconds left in regulation time Friday night to lift the Owls (1-1 overall) past Villanova (1-1 overall) 68-64 at the Liacouras Center.
 
The Wildcats' Jordan Longino gave Villanova a 64-62 lead with just 58 seconds to play but Temple tied it on two Dunn free throws with 45 seconds left. The 'Cats got Caleb Daniels a look in the lane with 28 seconds to go, but the shot fell off the front rim. The Owls grabbed the rebound, wound the clock down, and Dunn was fouled on a shot attempt with 1.1 seconds to play. He dropped in two free throws to effectively seal the outcome.
 
"Credit goes to Temple," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They were tough, physical, played hard and were locked in. They just played better than us tonight."
 
Temple scored six of the game's first seven points in the first 3:15. Villanova's Eric Dixon was also whistled for a pair of fouls, sending him to the bench before the game's first official timeout at 15:55. The Owls pushed their lead to 13-5 eight minutes into the period as the Wildcats struggled to find an offensive flow, connecting on just two of their first nine attempts from the field.
 
Longino scored four points for the Wildcats in one sequence, but Temple answered with consecutive 3-pointers from Khalif Battle to push the Owls advantage to 24-11 with 7:10 left in the first half. Complicating matters for the Wildcats was the fact that Caleb Daniels and Longino also picked up their second fouls of the half.
 
Dixon returned to the court at the 7:10 mark with his two fouls. When Slater picked up his second foul, Nova turned to a 2-3 zone late in the period on defense. After an Angelo Brizzi 3-pointer – Villanova's first of the game – the Wildcats were back to within 31-23 with 2:20 on the first half clock.
 
Two baskets by Dixon just before the break helped cut the margin to 34-29 at intermission. Dixon's seven points led Villanova while Longino added six points.
 
The second half opened much as the first half did with Temple's Jamille Reynolds asserting himself inside (he would finish with 14 points and 12 boards). He scored a post-up goal on the first possession of the period to push the lead to 36-29. But Dixon drew a foul on the Temple big man on the next possession, drained two free throws and then scored a post-up bucket next time down to close the gap to 36-33.
 
A Dunn 3-pointer helped Temple stretch its margin back to 45-37 but Villanova, led by Dixon, kept chipping into that deficit. When Dixon scored near the basket at the 11:08 mark the Wildcats were down by just two, 45-43. A Dixon free throw on the play made it 45-44 and the contest was nip and tuck the rest of the way.
 
A Daniels traditional 3-point play tied the game at 52 with just under seven minutes remaining in the second half. When Longino made a short runner with three and half minutes left, Villanova moved back on top, 59-58. That set up the dramatic final minute.
 
"Hats off to Temple," said Neptune. "They just played really well tonight. They are very well-coached and executed their game plan.
 
"I thought they were really physical to start the game. They went to the offensive glass. I know they had five or six offensive rebounds to start the game. Neither team could score to start the game and I thought that was the difference. They just made it tough for us all night. It was never easy."
 
Daniels led Villanova with 19 points while Dixon contributed 18 points. The Wildcats attempted just seven 3-pointers - making two - their fewest in a game since 2009.
 
Villanova returns to Finneran Pavilion on Monday night to host Delaware State at 6:30 p.m. (FS2 and the Villanova Sports Radio Network).