Wildcat Wrap
 
Final Score: Wildcats 85, Texas Tech 69
 
First Things: Three early 3-pointers helped Texas Tech craft a 15-9 edge before a couple of nifty plays from Mark Armstrong closed the gap to 15-13 through the first 8:30 of this one. Brendan Hausen followed with the 'Cats first triple of the day to give them their first lead, 16-15.
 
A Justin Moore 3-pointer capped a 10-0 run that lifted the Wildcats to a 26-20 advantage with eight minutes on the first half clock. A 3-pointer by Eric Dixon and two free throws from Justin Moore gave VU a 41-33 edge at intermission. Dixon's 13 points paced the Wildcats in the half.
 
Seven of the Red Raiders 11 first half field goals were from beyond the 3-point arc.
 
The Wildcats were able to stretch their lead to 12 points early in the second half but an 8-0 Red Raiders burst shaved the advantage to 56-52 with 11:02 to play in the period. A free throw got Tech to within three, but Jordan Longino scored in the lane and was fouled in the act of shooting. His traditional 3-point play kicked off a 29-16 surge to close the contest out.
 
One Significant Story: The Wildcats leaned on their most accomplished veterans when the game mattered most. Dixon's early scoring kept Villanova afloat while they were still looking to gain an offensive foothold. He finished with 19 points. Moore scored nine of his 18 points in the second period and was instrumental in the burst when the Wildcats were able to pull away in the final minutes.
 
"They our leaders," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune of the two fifth-year players who entered the program together in 2019 alongside fellow fifth-year Chris Aricdiacono. "We know that. They both have a lot of experience at this level and a lot of experience at Villanova. We go as they go."
 
Carom Count: Texas Tech outrebounded the Wildcats 18-16 over the first 20 minutes but that changed in the second half. Villanova owned the glass, grabbing 23 of 36 caroms after halftime.
 
It was, as it so often has been for the Wildcats over the past decade, a collective effort. Five Wildcats – Dixon, Moore, Tyler Burton, Jordan Longino, and Lance Ware – came down with five or more rebounds on the day.
 
Triple Tales: The Red Raiders ended the day with 14 made from beyond the 3-point arc in 36 attempts (.389). In fact, they had double the number from long range than they scored inside the arc (seven).
 
"I thought they made some tough shots," noted Neptune. "Some guys that hadn't been making shots made them today. That happens. But I thought we kept playing hard, grinding it out defensively, and did a good job on the glass."
 
Turnovers Were a Factor: Although the Wildcats only forced four second half turnovers, they came during a key stretch midway through the period that allowed Villanova to thwart a Red Raiders run. And they ended the afternoon with a 15-7 advantage in points scored off those miscues.
 
Villanova forced 15 Texas Tech turnovers in total.
 
Notable: Villanova won its seventh straight game in this event. It posted 3-0 records in both 2013 and 2017 here at Imperial Arena on its way to a pair of Battle 4 Atlantis titles.
 
What They Said: "I'm really glad," Neptune said while sitting down to the postgame press conference between Dixon and Moore, "that Justin Moore wants to know how many rebounds he had. That's big-time for us.
 
"I thought our guys came out and set the tone. We played hard from the very beginning today. They made some shots, made a couple of runs but I was proud of our guys' resiliency."