Final Score: Connecticut 73, Villanova 56
 
Overview
 
Villanova held the lead for much of the game's first 30 minutes but couldn't overcome a late Connecticut surge Thursday night in a BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep quarterfinal matchup. A 20-3 burst by the Huskies over a span of 6:15 in the second half snapped a 51-51 tie and gave the two-time defending NCAA champions control with 2:53 left on the clock.
 
The Wildcats' Wooga Poplar was outstanding, fueling much of the Wildcats' offense. The senior from Philadelphia finished the night with 25 points and four rebounds. The Huskies were able to hold the nation's leading scorer, Eric Dixon, in check, limiting him to a season low eight points.
 
"You've got probably a Hall of Fame coach over there," said Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They did a good job of running different guys at him. I also thought Eric missed some shots that he normally makes. That's going to happen. Thankfully, (Poplar and Jordan Longino) were able to make some plays for us."
 
Connecticut ended the night connecting on .578 of its field goal attempts while Nova was 15-of-47 from the field (.319), including 5-of-24 in the second half (.206).
 
"A lot of the credit goes to UConn," Neptune said. "I was proud of the way our guys competed. They made it tough on us, especially in the latter part of the second half. We just couldn't overcome it."
 
Wildcats Carried the Momentum Early
 
Connecticut scored the game's first four points, but a short jumper from Poplar followed by a pair of Jhamir Brickus free throws tied things at four over the first three minutes in a game that didn't tip until 10:15 p.m. due to the double overtime duel between Creighton and DePaul in the first game of the session.
 
A 10-0 spurt by the Wildcats, fueled in part by the scoring of Poplar, helped Villanova craft a 20-13 advantage with 10:05 to play in the first half. Villanova was 10-of-13 from the line at that point.
 
"I wasn't really thinking about myself," said Poplar. "I was thinking about playing for my teammates and trying to get the win. I was just playing basketball."
 
However, the Huskies connected on their next four field goal attempts, including their first 3-pointer of the contest, to shave the lead to 22-19 at the 7:38 mark of the first half. At that juncture Poplar (nine points) and Brickus (seven points) accounted for 16 points.
 
Pressure Point
 
The Wildcats extended their defensive pressure to UConn's perimeter and it paid dividends, helping to force six turnovers in the first 16:55 of action. But the Huskies converted seven of nine field goals in one stretch to keep in contact with Nova, trailing 29-26 with 3:05 to play in the first half.
 
When Aidan Mahaney forced a steal and scored at the other end, the lead was down to one, 29-28. Poplar answered with a Villanova basket before Liam McNeeley tied the game at 31 with a 3-pointer.
 
Over the final minute, Dixon drained his first triple of the night from the left side and after a defensive stop, Poplar sank a turnaround jumper to give the Wildcats at 36-31 lead at the break.
 
Poplar paced the Wildcats with 15 points over the first 20 minutes.
 
Second Act
 
Poplar drained a pair of triples early in the half to help Villanova maintain its lead at 43-40 when the whistle blew for the first official timeout of the second half (15:13 on the clock). But the Huskies had their offense in high gear, sinking of 4-of-5 in that stretch from the field.
 
Villanova held the lead at 46-44 with 11:46 on the second half clock. A Mahaney runner tied the score at 46. When Alex Karaban sank two free throws with just over nine minutes on the clock, the Huskies were back on top, 49-48. A McNeeley runner pushed the lead to 52-48 as the 'Cats struggled through a stretch where they were 1-of-9 from the field.
 
A Dixon drive and attempt was whistled for goaltending at the 7:58 mark. He added a free throw to tie the contest at 51. Bu
 
UConn then used a 7-0 surge, capped by a Karaban 3-pointer to grab a 58-51 lead. A Longino 3-pointer brought the Wildcats closer. But the Huskies scored the next eight points, including a 3-pointer by Karaban to push the lead to 63-54.
 
The final count was 73-56.
 
"We weren't able to get the outcome we wanted," Longino said. "It's really all I'm thinking about right now."