Villanova Ekes Out A Big East Win Over Pitt
VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Scottie Reynolds didn't score until 7:55 remained in regulation. He was 0-for-5 from 3-point territory. He had just three points.
Yet the Wildcats won.
Welcome to life in the Big East where anything can happen.
Reynolds entered the game averaging 16.5 points each time out, but No. 17 Villanova managed to win thanks to a sensational 22-point effort by freshman Malcolm Grant and two clutch free throws by Dante Cunningham with 15.9 seconds remaining.
Don't forget Antonio Pena, who chipped in with 12 points and four rebounds.
"These guys were awesome," Villanova coach Jay Wright said as he pointed to Cunningham and Pena in the postgame interview session.
The Wildcats (11-2, 1-1) won despite shooting 33.9 percent from the field and connecting on 6-of-22 of their 3-pointers.
But they played tremendous defense and forced the 13th-ranked Panthers (12-2, 0-1) into 22 costly turnovers.
"It was a great college basketball game," Wright said.
Maybe for Villanova.
But it had to be frustrating for short-handed Pitt, which was playing without the injured Mike Cook and Levance Fields.
Sam Young stepped up for Pitt with 16 points while Keith Benjamin added 15 and DeJuan Blair had 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
"We had opportunities," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "We were there. To their credit, they knocked down their free throws."
By the way, Grant appeared to be injured after a drive to the basket with 15.9 seconds remaining. But it turned out to be a cramp and that's great news for the Wildcats.
Villanova improved to 7-2 in games between ranked teams at the Pavilion. After their initial Big East loss at DePaul, the Wildcats were determined to change their fortune in their Big East home opener.
"We know we can't come out flat," Cunningham said. "We can't let other teams jump on us."
