VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Delaware coach Monté Ross told his team before the game that if the score was close with four minutes to go, the players would have done their job.
While the Blue Hens accomplished their goal, Villanova came away with the victory. With the game tied at 76 with less than three minutes to go, the Wildcats ended the game on an 8-4 run led by Darren Hilliard and JayVaughn Pinkston to win, 84-80 (see Instant Replay).
“They got an offensive rebound, went and got themselves a shot,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “They caught and shot, got somebody else a shot. They’re really valuable players in that way.”
The Wildcats (4-0) had won their previous three games by an average of 27 points, so this contest was the first true test of the season for Wright’s squad.
“It was good to have a game like that," Wright said.
Indeed. The Wildcats responded to the tension late.
After Delaware guard Davon Usher hit a three to tie it at 76, Villanova turned up the energy. Pinkston scored to go up two, Hilliard snagged two steals and the Wildcats made five free throws to seal the deal.
Pinkston scored 26 points on 10 for 11 shooting from the foul line, while Hilliard finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Though Pinkston and Hilliard have been in tough games before, this was the first battle of the season and Villanova responded well.
“It was a gut check,” Hilliard said.
Delaware’s scrappy performance carries that much more significance as the Blue Hens are still without Devon Saddler, who has missed the last three games after being suspended for a violation of team rules.
Saddler was averaging 23 points in two games before the suspension and is one of the best scorers in program history.
The two coaches had very different responses about how Saddler’s absence colored the contest.
Did it scare Wright that the game was as close as it was considering Saddler’s suspension?
“Yes,” he said.
As for Ross, he wasn’t shocked at all at his team’s performance.
“That was the first thing I told these guys when we met after Devon was suspended,” Ross said. “Take your cue from me. I’ll let you know when woe is me.
“And woe is not us, because we have enough in this room to be good, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to win.”
Delaware provided plenty of challenges for the Wildcats.
Usher drained five three-pointers on his way to lead all scorers with 27 points, while Jarvis Threatt added 17 points and eight assists.
Villanova went to halftime with a 43-40 lead, with Pinkston and James Bell pacing the Wildcats with 12 points each.
But Delaware kept it close, thanks to the Blue Hens’ ability beyond the arc.
Once Delaware hit a few threes early, Villanova went against the game plan and stopped helping when the Blue Hens threw it inside to Carl Baptiste. What resulted was a scoring surge from the big man, who was 6 of 7 from the floor in the first half.
“That wasn’t my call,” Wright said. “They kind of went against the game plan in there, which was smart basketball, but it wasn’t what their teammates expected them to do. So in the second half … the guards left their man to help on him.”
Once the Wildcats started sticking to Wright’s script, Baptiste was shut down. After his 13 points in the first, Baptiste was held scoreless in the second half.
While Villanova’s defensive pressure was strong to close out the game, its poor three-point shooting nearly cost them. The Wildcats were 5 of 25 beyond the arc.
In addition to it being Villanova’s first test, the game taught the Wildcats how to win without their best stuff.
“It’s early in the season,” Wright said. “You’re still thinking about your team. How good are you?”
And Friday, the Wildcats were just good enough to grab the victory.