Wildcat Wrap
 
Final Score: VCU 70, Wildcats 61
 
Overview: VCU outscored Villanova 14-4 over the final 5:35 Wednesday evening at Finneran Pavilion to earn a first-round victory in the National Invitation Tournament. The Wildcats end their season at 18-16 overall.
 
"I thought in the first half VCU got out in a transition a little bit too much," said Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They've got a lot of shooters on this team. I thought they made it hard for us to score in the half-court. Their length and athleticism affected us."
 
Villanova had taken a 57-56 lead on an Eric Dixon field goal with 5:35 left. But the Wildcats couldn't sustain the surge that had helped them regain the lead, and saw VCU ride a 42-12 advantage in bench scoring to this win.
 
Still Down a Man: The Wildcats again played without junior guard Jordan Longino, who suffered a left knee sprain in last week's win over DePaul in the opening round of the BIG EAST Tournament. His status is officially day-to-day moving forward.
 
Opening Act: A Tyler Burton bucket got the Wildcats the game's first points, but VCU answered with 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to grab an 8-7 lead after 5:42 of action. But the Wildcats turned up the defensive heat, forcing four Rams turnovers over 4:46 that helped ignited a 7-0 surge capped by a Mark Armstrong steal and slam.
 
Villanova led 14-8 with 11:38 to play in the first half.
 
VCU came right back with two more 3-pointers to draw even at 14 as the game approached the midpoint of the first half. Joe Bamisile sank the Rams' fifth 3-pointer of the night and the Rams added another basket to make it an 11-0 run. A Hakim Hart 3-pointer ended the surge and pulled Villanova to within 19-17 with 6:29 to play in the period.
 
The Wildcats were hurt by four turnovers in the scoreless span where VCU regained the lead.
 
Baskets by TJ Bamba and Eric Dixon gave VU a brief lead before the Rams scored the next five points to move on top, 24-21, at the final official timeout of the half. A Zeb Jackson triple – VCU's seventh of the first half – extended the VCU edge to 31-25 with just more than a minute left in the period.
 
But Armstrong scored the last five points of the half, including a 3-pointer on the final possession of the period, to shave the deficit to 31-30 at the break.
 
Meaningful Nuggets: VCU owed its slim halftime lead to a 10-5 edge in points off turnovers and its seven made field goals from beyond the 3-point arc. Meanwhile, VU was just 3-of-13 from deep (.231) over the first 20 minutes.
 
After Halftime: TJ Bamba sank a 3-pointer on the Wildcats' opening possession of the period and later added another bucket on a drive to the goal over the first 3:40 of the period. When Dixon sank one of two at the line, the contest was tied at 36.
 
The game remained tight through the middle part of the period, deadlocked at 46 with 10:54 left in regulation.
 
A Brendan Hausen 3-pointer put Nova up 49-46 and his bid for a second straight on the next possession spun off the rim. VCU scored the next seven points to move in front 53-49 with 8:38 left on the second half clock. When Kuany Kuany dropped in a 3-pointer it made it a 10-0 Rams run and pushed the lead to 56-49 with 7:51 left to play.
 
Dixon sparked an 8-0 run that put Villanova back on top, 57-56. But VCU scored four points at the free throw line to go up, 60-58 as the clock ticked below the four-minute mark. The Rams added a free throw and Max Shulga sank a 3-pointer to extend their lead to 64-58. Two more VCU free throws pushed the lead to 66-58 with 1:49 on the clock.
 
Villanova shaved the gap to 66-61 but could get no closer.
 
Dixon finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds, his third double-double of the season.
 
What They Said: Neptune on 2023-24: "Obviously we're not happy with these results. We're going to go back and work our behinds off as a staff. The guys that come back next year we're going to work our tails off to be the best Villanova basketball team we can be."
 
Dixon on the season coming to an end: "The (coaching) staff did a great job preparing us for each and every game. This is an elite program with elite people in it. At the end of the day, I'm proud of my guys.
 
"This hurts. To end like this is kind of difficult. I'm just grateful for the opportunity to have played with TJ, Hak, Arch, Justin, Tyler and those guys."
 
Bamba on 2023-24: "The season meant a lot to me because it challenged me as a man. It challenged my mental strength, my discipline and determination. There were a lot of ups and downs. Some people could choose to fold, to give up. We didn't. We kept fighting no matter what results we got. It just made me stronger with who I am as a person."
 
Neptune on the final college game of Justin Moore's career: "I think you have to evaluate Justin Moore on the entirety of his career. He's meant a lot to this program. He's meant a lot to this campus community. That's how we'll remember him."