Wildcat Wrap
 
Final Score: Wildcats 70, Georgetown 54
 
Overview: Villanova used a stingy first half defense to build a nine point advantage at halftime and then held off a series of bursts from Georgetown in the second half to earn a 70-54 victory. For the 'Cats, it was their third win in their last four outings, a stretch in which they have held foes to a shade under 54 points per contest.
 
"I was really proud of the way our guys came out," noted Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "I thought they came out with the right mindset, defended and rebounded at a high level, especially during some spurts where we couldn't make shots. We talk about taking pride in that. In a game where there were definitely times we couldn't score, I thought we locked in defensively."
 
TJ Bamba led a balanced Villanova attack with 14 points while Brendan Hausen added 12 points, Eric Dixon 11 points and Justin Moore 10 points. Rowan Brumbaugh paced the Hoyas – who were 21-of-61 from the field on the night (.344) – with 14 points.
 
Hoyas Surged in the Early Minutes: Georgetown scored seven of the game's first 10 points, holding Villanova to 1-of-6 shooting over the first 4:22 of action. The Wildcats (14-11 overall, 7-7 BIG EAST) answered with their own version of stifling defense, holding the Hoyas without a field goal (0-of-6) over 2:44 to draw even at eight with 11:30 on the first half clock.
 
Carom count: Georgetown extended several of its first half possessions with offensive rebounds. One such example came just before the under eight official timeout, when Drew Fielder collected a rebound and found Ismael Massoud, who dropped in a 3-pointer to tie the game at 15.
 
A Hoyas offensive rebound led to the first three points of the second half. Georgetown ended the evening with a 36-31 edge on the glass but it wasn't enough to overcome the Wildcats' stellar defensive work. Dixon led Nova with seven caroms while Tyler Burton added five.
 
Hausen's Heat: When Villanova's sophomore sharpshooter drained his fourth triple of the first half, the Wildcats moved out to a 26-17 lead with 2:41 left in the first half.
 
His 12 first half points led VU, which took a 28-19 edge into the locker room at halftime.
 
"We've got a bunch of guys who can make shots," noted Neptune. "Throughout the year we've had different people do it. BH is certainly making shots at a high level right now. Even more importantly, he's defending at a high level as are our other guys. That will be a key to our season."
 
Mark Armstrong suffered a right ankle injury near the end of the first half. He sat out the final three plus minutes but returned to open the second half. However, he saw limited action but Neptune indicated that the injury is not believe to be serious.
 
"Mark actually twisted the ankle in walkthrough (this morning)," said Neptune. "Now, we've got a couple of days to rest, I think he'll be fine."
 
After Intermission: Georgetown engineered a quick 6-0 spurt courtesy of a pair of 3-pointers. But the 'Cats responded with a trio of triples of their own, getting makes from Eric Dixon, Justin Moore and Tyler Burton to extend their lead to 39-27 with 15:17 on the second half clock.
 
Georgetown answered quickly, however, draining 8-of-13 over the first 8:34, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, to pull to within 45-41 before a Bamba basket for the Wildcats pushed the advantage back to six points.
 
"You know in this league teams are too good not to make runs, especially on the road," Neptune said. "I thought we kept grinding and got some stops."
 
Villanova was able to slow the Hoyas offense and when Hakim Hart knocked down a corner 3-pointer, the Wildcats held a 59-46 lead with 6:09 to play in the period. A dunk from Dixon was part of the Nova surge.
 
Villanova finished the job over the final minutes to make it a 70-54 victory, their sixth in a row over Georgetown.
 
Moore Made His Final Visit as a Wildcat to the DMV: With Armstrong limited by injury, Moore stepped forward with a solid effort. The DeMatha product added four rebounds to go with his 10 points.
 
"He's a big-time player," stated Neptune. "He's a player I've been around for most of his career. I've seen him grow. I know it was a big game for him to come back home. He was locked in just to play Villanova Basketball. I thought he did a great job of leading us tonight."
 
Added Moore: "It's special. It was the last time playing here in a Villanova uniform. Getting the win is all we really care about. Coming out and competing, playing at a high level for each other is (important). I was proud of that."