Final Score: Villanova 79, Seton Hall 67
 
Overview
 
Villanova built a lead late in the first half and then fended off a series of challenges to post a 79-67 victory over Seton Hall Tuesday evening in the BIG EAST opener for both schools. The Wildcats got 25 points from the nation's leading scorer Eric Dixon and his production was supplemented by a season-high 17 points from Tyler Perkins and 15 points from Jordan Longino.
 
The 'Cats delivered 17 assists on 26 made field goals and connected on 26-of-47 from the floor (.553). Perkins was 6-of-7 from the field on the night and Villanova improved to 6-0 this season when the Penn transfer scores in double figures.
 
Point guard Jhamir Brickus finished with seven assists and zero turnovers in 35:43.
 
The Wildcats also won their third straight BIG EAST regular season opener and fifth in the past six seasons.
 
"That was a tough game," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "We have a lot of respect for those guys. We knew we were going to have to be ready for their toughness and defensive pressure. I thought our guys did a decent job of handling it and we were pretty good defensively too.
 
"When we defend that way, we always give ourselves a chance."
 
The Pirates finished the night 23-of-59 from the field (.390).
 
Early Spurt
 
Dixon sank his first field goal attempt of the night to give Villanova a 2-0 lead before Seton Hall reeled off eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to take an 8-2 lead. Dixon scored five more points to narrow the Nova deficit to 10-7 at the first official timeout of the night.
 
Triples from Brickus and Perkins lifted Villanova back on top, 15-13. A Hall bucket a short while later deadlocked matters at 15. At that juncture, both teams were 3-of-7 from beyond the 3-point arc.
 
With Perkins leading the way, Nova got into an offensive flow and built a 30-24 lead. But a whistle with 5:35 left in the period sent Dixon to the bench with his second foul.
 
Weathered the Storm
 
With the nation's leading scorer watching from the sidelines, Villanova held its own, capped by an exciting defensive sequence that led to a Seton Hall timeout. Josiah Moseley dived for a loose ball and kicked it ahead where it ultimately landed in Brickus' hands. Brickus laid the ball in the basket and the 'Cats were up 36-26.
 
Moseley would end the night with six points and five rebounds in 17:34.
 
At halftime, Villanova held a 37-29 lead.
 
Part of the reason for the margin was a team-high 11 points from Perkins and 14-of-24 shooting from the floor (.583). Jordan Longino contributed five of those while Brickus added four.
 
The Wildcats used a combination of defenses – including a healthy sampling of a zone – to help slow the Pirates in the first 20 minutes.
 
"I thought we kept guys in front of us," said Neptune of the defense. "We kept guys out of the paint. If you don't give a team an advantage, you force them into contested looks. That's kind of what our approach is."
 
Perk's Play
 
Seton Hall opened the second half as it did the first, this time using a 7-3 burst to narrow the Wildcats' lead to 40-36 with just under 17 minutes to play in the period. Longino answered with a corner 3-pointer to push the margin back to 43-36 before the Pirates got a transition basket from Scotty Middleton to narrow the lead to 43-38 with 15:05 to play in the contest.
 
The pattern is one that played out throughout the second half. Each time the Pirates would close the gap through full or half-court defensive pressure, the Wildcats responded with a big bucket. Perkins started the trend with two more 3-pointers and was followed by Dixon, who came through with 14 points in the final 20 minutes.
 
The Wildcats expanded the lead to 76-59 with one minute remaining.
 
The final count was 79-67.
 
What They Said
 
Neptune on Perkins: "He's a guy who always brings it defensively. He always brings energy and we know he's a scorer. That's what he does. When he's open, he can make shots. He got free a bunch of times, and his teammates hit him. That's Tyler Perkins. When you leave him open, he can make shots."
 
Up Next
 
Villanova will play its first BIG EAST road game Saturday afternoon at Creighton. Tipoff is set for just after 4 p.m. and the game will air on FS1.