Sports

Villanova vanquishes undermanned Seton Hall

Ravaged by injury, an undermanned Seton Hall fought gamely for 30 minutes on Wednesday night against the eighth-ranked Villanova Wildcats, but it wasn’t enough.

Every time the Pirates tried to close the gap, the Wildcats were right there to answer with a basket, and in the end, Villanova was able pull away, posting an 83-67 victory in front of 8,546 fans at the Prudential Center.

“We cut it to five, cut it to seven, and they came down and hit some tough threes,” coach Kevin Willard said. “That’s kind of what they do — that’s what they’ve done all year, [make] tough plays.”

The Wildcats (14-1, 3-0 Big East), who face St. John’s on Saturday, made 12 of 23 3-pointers and were led by Darrun Hilliard, who scored a team-high 19 points. Ryan Arcidiacono added 14 points, and another guard, freshman Josh Hart, added 11 off the bench.

That was more than enough to defeat a Seton Hall team that only used seven players and was without Fuquan Edwin (knee), Aaron Geramipoor (ankle) and Eugene Teague (concussion).

“It is tough when you’re playing only seven guys,” said forward Brian Oliver, who scored a game-high 20 points. “They keep bringing in fresh bodies over and over again.”

The Pirates (10-6, 1-2) had a perfect opening possession, forcing a turnover on defense and making a 3-pointer on the other end — one of Oliver’s six 3s on the night.

Nevertheless, Arcidiacono answered with a 3-pointer, and Seton Hall would not lead for the rest of the game. Villanova would make six of its first eight 3-pointers en route to a double-digit lead less than eight minutes into the game.

Seton Hall slowly clawed back, closing to within 35-30 on a pair of Sterling Gibbs free throws with 2:20 left in the half.

That run awoke the crowd — which was silent for most of the half — but just when it looked as if Seton Hall would surge closer, Dylan Ennis sank a 3-pointer, and the Wildcats took a 38-32 lead at the half.

Villanova hit another 3-pointer 13 seconds into the second half, this one by James Bell, that extended the lead to nine.

The Pirates hung in, closing the deficit to 44-39 on a Gibbs 3-pointer a little more than four minutes into the second half, but Hilliard answered with a 3-pointer to keep Seton Hall at arm’s length.

After Hart hit a 3-pointer with 9:12 remaining to give Villanova a 12-point lead, the Pirates could get no closer than 10 points.

It doesn’t get any easier for Seton Hall, which has three consecutive road games — a daunting challenge for a team that has dropped two straight in Big East play.

Nevertheless, forward Brandon Mobley said he feels the fight the team displayed for most of the night can carry over to the road trip that will see the Pirates visit Marquette, Georgetown and St. John’s.

“We stuck together tonight, but we really have to stick together [now] because [we’ll be] on the road,” he said. “Last year, we went to Marquette with seven guys, and it was a close one. At the end of the day, we’re going to go [on the road] and bond.”