Box Score  
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. – The Villanova Wildcats are headed back to the NCAA Final Four for the third time since 2016. On Saturday, the 'Cats held off No. 5 seed Houston (32-6 overall) 50-44 to capture the South Regional title (the 2016 NCAA champions also advanced through the South Regional).
 
Jermaine Samuels, who was named Most Outstanding Player at the South Regional posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win over the Cougars. Caleb Daniels added 12 points and six rebounds and Collin Gillespie drained a huge jumper after Houston had shaved the Wildcats lead to 42-40 with just over five minutes left in the contest.
 
"It was a decision in the moment," said Gillespie of the key play. "They were soft-blitzing me basically the whole game. So Jermaine was in the post and I had a mismatch. I was looking to get someone else a shot or me a shot."
 
The Wildcats won their 30^th game of the season through grit and tenacity, holding the Cougars to .298 shooting on the night, including 1-of-20 from beyond the 3-point arc (.005).
 
"I'm most proud of our guys," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "Having experienced guys, playing in that environment, what felt like a true road game, them making a run. That's a really good team that you know can get on runs. We kept our composure and hit big shots like the one Collin did.
 
"It feels great to be going back to the Final Four. It's the ultimate. We're going to enjoy this tonight and Sunday, and then get back to trying to get better this week."
 
The only downer came late in the game when junior guard Justin Moore went to the floor with a leg injury. Wright said Moore will undergo an MRI when the team returns to Philadelphia but that "it doesn't look good."
 
A Samuels 3-pointer and Eric Dixon post bucket helped Villanova build an early 7-2 advantage over the Cougars after 4:13 of the first half. Five straight points from Caleb Daniels and more stout defense helped the Wildcats maintain the lead at 14-8 as the contest approached midpoint of the first half.
 
More quality work from Samuels helped Nova nudge the margin to 18-10 with 7:19 on the first half clock. A 3-pointer from Justin Moore made it 21-10 before Houston scored four straight points to close its deficit to 21-14 at the 3:35 mark of the period. The Cougars got a basket in response to two free throws by Eric Dixon and Villanova called for a timeout with a 23-16 and 2:19 left until halftime.
 
A short jumper by Taze Moore closed the gap to 23-18. A pair of Collin Gillespie free throws with 1:28 to play in the period made it 25-18 and Nova followed that with a defensive stop and a jump hook by Dixon. That allowed the Wildcat to take a 27-20 lead over the Cougars into the locker room at halftime.
 
Daniels and Samuels led Villanova with seven points each. Dixon contributed six points and four rebounds. Moore led the Cougars with six points.
 
The Wildcats pushed their lead to 32-22 on the strength of another 3-pointer but Houston began to flex its muscle on the offensive glass. A second chance led to an open 3-pointer for Moore, who dropped it in to close the gap to 32-25 with 15:40 on the clock. The Cougars had misfired on their first nine attempts from beyond the arc.
 
Villanova stretched the lead again, this time to 40-29 before Houston scored the next five points to close to within 40-34 with 7:53 to play in the second half. When Moore dropped in two free throws with just more than six minutes to play, Houstin had closed its deficit to 42-38. Another Moore bucket made it 42-40 with 5:15 to play and much of the red-clad crowd at the AT&T Center was on its feet.
 
But Gillespie stepped up with his shot and the Wildcats shut the Cougars down defensively the rest of the way.
 
And the 'Cats are headed to New Orleans to play in next weekend's NCAA Final Four.