Final Score: Villanova 59, Seton Hall 54
 
Overview
 
Villanova used a 22-2 spurt in the second half to overcome a 16 point deficit to down Seton Hall at the Prudential Center Wednesday night. The Wildcats limited the Pirates to 7-of-29 shooting over the final 20 minutes (.241) and got 32 points from Eric Dixon to pick up the win.
 
Wooga Poplar added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
 
"This is a good defensive team we just went against," said Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They make it tough for you in the half court. They make it tough for you the entire game. We weathered some pretty big storms. If you're going to be successful by the end you have to have some games like this, where you figure out a way when things aren't going well."
 
Back and Forth Early
 
Seton Hall jumped out to a 5-2 lead before 3-pointers from Poplar and Dixon helped give Villanova its first lead of the evening at 10-7. An Isaiah Coleman layup following a transition drew the Pirates back to within 10-9. There was 14:04 to play in the first half.
 
Dylan Addae-Wusu heated up for the Pirates midway, though the period, accounting for 11 points as part of a 10-3 Hall burst that put the home team on top 19-13 after 9:23 of the first half had been played. Seton Hall was 8-of-13 from the field at that point, including 3-of-6 from deep.
 
The Wildcats cut the gap to 19-18 before Addae-Wusu dropped in another 3-ball, this one from the left wing. It kicked off what became a difficult final nine minutes of the period for Nova.
 
Pirates Clamped Down
 
While Addae-Wusu did damage at one end, the Pirates' defense did not allow the Wildcats to get into the kind of flow they had in Friday night's 81-66 win over Marquette. Part of Seton Hall's success came from its ability to disrupt Villanova's offense as it forced six turnovers in the game's first 12:08. The Wildcats were held without a field goal for 5:13 while the Hall moved out to a 26-18 lead.
 
Addae-Wusu had 16 of the 26 Hall points, converting six of nine from the field. On the next Hall possession, the guard drew the Nova defenders to him and sent a lob that Emmanuel Okorafor slammed home to push the margin to 28-18 and a Coleman triple made it 31-18.
 
A pair of Dixon free throws ended the scoring drought after 8:19.
 
"We knew what kind of battle this would be," said Dixon. "We just had to keep going for the full 40 minutes."
 
The Pirates took a 33-21 lead into the locker room at intermission. They were 13-of-26 from the field while the 'Cats were just 7-of-22, misfiring on their final eight attempts from the floor. Villanova also finished with seven first period turnovers.
 
'Cats flipped the Script
 
The Pirates scored the first four points after halftime before Villanova was able to kick start its offense, igniting a 7-0 Nova burst. But Seton Hall answered with four more points and held a 41-28 lead after 4:56 of the second period.
 
Villanova was able to turn the defensive tables on the Pirates midway through the second half, holding them without a field goal for 6:10, which allowed it to narrow the deficit to 41-40 as part of a 12-0 run. One more Dixon basket – this one a triple from the top of the key – gave the Wildcats the lead back at 43-41 with 8:02 left, making it a 15-0 burst.
 
Dixon added two more free throws before the Pirates broke the spell, scoring to pull withini 45-43 at the 5:58 mark. The 'Cats moved it to a 50-43 lead before a 6-0 spurt got the Pirates to within 50-49.
 
Yet Villanova got enough stops and clutch free throw shooting to secure the win.
 
Up Next
 
The Wildcats return to Finneran Pavilion Saturday for a clash with Butler in the regular season home finale that tips at noon (Fox and the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart). Prior to the game Villanova will celebrate its senior class of student-athletes and student managers with a ceremony that is expected to get underway at approximately 11:35 a.m.