EAST LANSING, Mich. – A furious Villanova rally over the final seven minutes fell just short when a bid for a game-winning 3-pointer bounced off the back rim, allowing No. 25 Michigan State to edge the Wildcats 73-71 at the Gavitt Games Friday night.
 
The Wildcats trailed 59-43 with just over seven minutes left before using a 28-13 burst to close to within 72-71 with 39.9 seconds to go.
 
"I thought we played really well the first couple of minutes but their speed hurt us as the first half went on," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They made some timely shots.
 
"We came out in the second half and went down again. I'm really proud of the guys. We had a shot to win it at the end. I'm so proud of the way we grinded to have a chance to win at the end."
 
After the Spartans made one of two free throw attempts to make it a 73-71 lead, the Wildcats called time with 7.1 seconds to play.
 
"We were just looking to run a play to score," Neptune noted. "We ran something with a lot of options and it turned out to be a look at a three."
 
The ball wound up in the hands of Eric Dixon, who had already scored 24 points. But his shot was long and bounced off the rim. The Spartans collected the rebound as time expired.
 
Brandon Slater (16 points) helped carry the scoring load for Nova (2-2 overall).
 
A pair of 3-pointers in the opening two minutes staked Michigan State to a 6-0 lead. An interior basket by Dixon gave Nova its first points of the night. He added a free throw to complete the traditional 3-point play. The Wildcats were back to within 6-4, though, after holding the Spartans without a basket for 2:55 as the first official timeout arrived with 15:22 left in the first half.
 
The Wildcats kept the defensive heat on and got 3-pointers from Slater and Dixon to take the lead at 14-11 at the clock dipped below the 10-minute mark in the first half. Two more Spartans 3-pointers gave MSU a 19-16 edge with 6:52 remaining in the first period. A couple of Slater free throws shaved the deficit to one before a Malik Hall made it 22-18 with the Spartans' sixth 3-pointer of the first 14 minutes.
 
Five straight points from Joey Hauser – part of a run of six straight MSU makes – pushed the lead to 27-20, forcing the 'Cats to call time with 4:43 left in the period. The Spartans finished the period on a 7-4 burst to take a 34-24 lead into the locker room at intermission.
 
Nineteen of Nova's 24 points came from Dixon (12) and Slater (seven) points. As a unit, Villanova connected on 9-of-26 field goal attempts (.346) and 2-of-13 from long range (.154). Meanwhile, the Spartans were 8-of-14 from beyond the arc (.577).
 
Five points in the first 4:26 from Chris Arcidiacono helped Villanova close to within 42-34 early in the period. A Dixon put-back shaved the margin to six points but the Spartans dropped in another three, to create a 45-36 cushion. It was part of an 17-7 surge that carried Michigan State to a 59-43 lead with nine minutes left to play.
 
A Brendan Hausen 3-pointer with just over five minutes left got the deficit down to 63-55 but a Malik Hall bucket inside made it a 65-55 Spartans' lead but a Slater transition basket got it down to 65-57 with 3:29 left. He added a free throw to make it 65-58. Caleb Daniels then sank a 3-pointer and it was a four point deficit.
 
However, a Tyson Walker 3-pointer snapped the run and expanded the lead to 68-61. But the 'Cats kept coming and were back to within 72-71 after a Jordan Longino 3-pointer from the left wing with 46 seconds to play. That set up the final sequence.
 
"We found something offensively later in the second half," Neptune said.
 
This contest kicked off a stretch of four in a row played away from the Delaware Valley for Villanova. Next week, the Wildcats travel to Portland, Ore., to take part in the PK Invitational at Thanksgiving. The first of three games in Oregon is set for Thanksgiving Day at 3:30 p.m. eastern, as the 'Cats meet Iowa State.