PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Villanova climbed out of an early 11-point hole to outlast Oklahoma (6-2 overall) in the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle before 17,079 at the Wells Fargo Center Saturday afternoon. Graduate student Caleb Daniels helped power the Wildcats with 22 points, including a huge 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down with 58 seconds to play and Nova nursing a one-point lead.
 
The game also marked the season debut of freshman forward Cam Whitmore, who scored seven points in 20 minutes in his first action of the season after undergoing surgery on his right (shooting) thumb on Oct. 12. Brandon Slater came up with a series of clutch plays, including a defensive rebound as the 'Cats protected a three-point lead in the final seconds.
 
"They jumped on us to start the game," stated head coach Kyle Neptune. "I give our guys credit for battling back. It's been something they've done all year. It seems like we've down a lot, and they just keep battling. This time we got over the hump."
 
This was Villanova's 21st consecutive victory against non-conference opponents at the Wells Fargo Center, dating to 2004.
 
Neptune was asked about the debut of Whitmore, the 2022 McDonald's All-American who missed the first seven games after the October surgery.
 
"Honestly, I'm shocked," Neptune said. "He literally hasn't played basketball in seven weeks. Normal human beings would be completely discombobulated. To his credit, he gave us a big boost, especially defensively with his size and athleticism. And just the energy he brought."
 
The Sooners were executing with precision in the game's first five minutes, dropping in 6-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc, to jump out to a 15-7 lead. Jacob Groves had eight of those points for Oklahoma.
 
Whitmore entered the game at the 14:46 mark.
 
Oklahoma stretched its edge to 20-9 at the under 12 official time-out.
 
Villanova, though, was able to hold the Sooners without a score on their next six possessions. When Jordan Longino scored on a nifty move near the basket, the Wildcats had manufactured a 7-0 run to draw within 20-16 at the 6:59 mark of the first half. A Mark Armstrong 3-pointer off sharp ball movement made it a 10-0 run and got Nova within one point.
 
Whitmore's first collegiate points – a step-back 3-pointer – helped Villanova close the gap to 26-24 with 3:50 remaining in the period. A Daniels post-up basket with 4.9 seconds left in the first half, brought the Wildcats to within two, 32-30 after 20 minutes.
 
Daniels and Whitmore paced Nova in the first half with seven points each. Grant Sherfield's 12 points led Oklahoma in the period.
 
Oklahoma scored the first four points of the second half, but Villanova got its offense in gear with Daniels leading the way. When the graduate student drained a left wing 3-pointer, Villanova had its first lead of the afternoon, 38-37.
 
The Wildcats moved in front 49-47 but the Sooners used a 7-2 burst midway through the period to claim a 54-51 advantage with 7:46 remaining. Two Mark Armstrong free throws cut the gap to one point, 54-53. But a deep 3 under pressure from Grant Sherfield helped Oklahoma stretch its lead to 59-53 with just under six minutes on the clock.
 
"That's a really good team," said Neptune. "A lot of the 3's they made were tough shots."
 
A 9-2 spurt capped by a driving layup by Slater gave VU back the lead at 62-61 with 3:13 to go. An offensive rebound by Groves led to one free throw by the forward to cut the margin to 64-62 as the clock ticked below two minutes to play in regulation. Another offensive rebound by the Sooners led to another free throw, to narrow the VU lead to 64-63.
 
Daniels then drained an enormous 3-pointer from the left wing after the ball with just under a minute left to make it a four point game. The Sooners pulled to within 68-66 on a contested Sherfield triple before Longino sank a free throw to make it 69-66. Villanova then got the biggest stop of the day, with Slater collecting the carom of the missed shot and adding a free throw with 2.0 seconds on the clock.
 
The final count was 70-66.
 
"I'm so proud of this kid," said Daniels of Whitmore's effort. "Coming in, he's willing to struggle. Many freshmen aren't like that and that's the case with all of our freshmen. He had a great showing tonight. Honestly, he's a very poised young man as a freshman."
 
"My brothers just helped me up," Whitmore said. "That's really it. They kept helping me, telling me what to do today. It just helped us get the win."
 
This was the first of two straight on home courts for the Wildcats, who host Philadelphia Big Five rival Penn Wednesday night at Finneran Pavilion (7 p.m./CBS Sports Network and Villanova Sports Radio Network).