Wildcat Wrap
 
Final Score: Drexel 57, Villanova 55
 
D Dominated: Points were tough to come by for both teams in the first 13 minutes of this one. The Dragons crafted a 16-12 advantage by limiting the Wildcats to 5-of-19 shooting over that span, including 2-of-11 from beyond the 3-point arc. Nova forced five turnovers to remain within striking distance.
 
Drexel extended its advantage to 22-16 on a deep 3-pointer by Luke House. The Wildcats chipped away to within 26-25 at halftime. Eric Dixon accounted for just less than half of the Villanova points (12), while Hakim Hart and Jordan Longino contribute four points apiece.
 
The Dragons were able to thwart the Wildcats offense. Villanova converted 8-of-28 from the field over the first 20 minutes (.267). It was 4-of-17 from beyond the 3-point arc (.235).
 
After Intermission: Drexel reeled off a 10-4 spurt to open the second half to push the 'Cats deficit to 36-29 four minutes into the period. The Wildcats climbed back to within 41-40 on a Dixon traditional 3-point play. However, Drexel scored the next four points to push its advantage to 45-40 as the clock dipped below the 10-minute mark.
 
A House 3-pointer gave the Dragons a 50-42 edge with just over seven minutes left. A 3-pointer by Longino and a put-back by Hart helped VU narrow its gap to 54-51 at the 3:33 mark. Two Dixon free throws cut the gap to one before an Amari Williams basket gave Drexel a 56-53 edge. Longino sank another short jumper to close the deficit to 56-55 as the contest dipped below the one-minute mark.
 
Williams sank 1-of-2 at the line to make it a 57-55 Drexel lead with 31.2 seconds on the clock. Villanova worked for a good look before calling time with 6.7 seconds to play. The ball was then knocked away on the 'Cats final possession and the Dragons gained possession just before the final horn.
 
"We had multiple looks at it," said Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune of the final possession that saw the ball in the hands of co-captain Justin Moore. "That was certainly one of them."
 
The Wildcats finished the day 20-of-61 from the field (.328) and 5-of-27 from beyond the 3-point arc (.185).
 
What They Said: "Drexel made some really tough shots early," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They made some timely shots late. They really executed their stuff down the stretch. A lot of credit goes to them."
 
"I thought they did a great job keeping us off balance (offensively). I thought we got some good looks. They got some confidence off the shots they made early. We just couldn't get stops down the stretch."
 
Dixon, who finished with 21 points on the day: "Make shots, missed shots happen. Defense comes first. Making or missing shots doesn't affect us."
 
Neptune on the 0-2 week in Big Five play after winning the Battle 4 Atlantis title eight days ago: "It's a long year. This is part of the growth process for this team. Every team is 100 percent different. We've got to continue to get better."