VILLANOVA, PA ? The University of Hartford men's basketball team fell to 23rd-ranked Villanova University by a 103-75 final on Friday night at The Pavilion.
Head coach Dan Leibovitz had his team playing hard in his first visit back to Philadelphia, where he served as an assistant coach at Temple University for 10 seasons. Hartford (5-7 overall) hung tough for the first 30 minutes against the Wildcats and trailed by only three with 9:57 to play.
“I have to give credit to Hartford and Dan Leibovitz,” said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. “They really controlled the tempo of the game in the first half. We pressured them early, but they spread the floor, hit threes, hit some twos, and got to the foul line. We had a tough time guarding them off the dribble. I like that team, it's a tough team.”
Villanova opened up the game with a 14-1 run over the next 2:25 and led 80-64 with 7:32 remaining. Dwayne Anderson scored six of his eight points during the stretch, and the Wildcats poured it on late to extend the lead to 28 by the final buzzer.
“They were too much for us,” said Leibovitz. “They cleared it out defensively in the second half. Their depth?and probably our lack of depth?made the difference. They wore us down. We were disruptive in the first half, but then it was too much Scottie Reynolds. When he gets it going he's a real special player.”
Philadelphia native Joe Zeglinski scored 20 points to lead three Hawks in double figures. Junior Warren McLendon added 19 points and eight rebounds while classmate Michael Turner finished with 14 points and six boards before fouling out in the second half.
Villanova shot 56 percent for the contest and made 15 three-pointers, nine of which came in the second half. Scottie Reynolds ignited the Villanova offense in the second half, scoring 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second stanza. Dante Cunningham posted a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
“It's an excellent team that they have here,” said Leibovitz. “We've played some big teams this year?Louisville, BYU?but Villanova has more weapons offensively than any of them. Everyone who touches the ball is a threat.”
The first half featured five ties and seven lead changes as the Hawks matched the Wildcats' intensity in front of a sellout crowd of 6,500. Hartford led by three late in the first half before Villanova took control behind a 12-0 run. A three-pointer by Corey Stokes capped the run and gave the Wildcats a 40-31 lead with 3:00 to play in the half.
Hartford responded by scoring 10 of the final 14 points of the half to cut the deficit to three at 44-41 at the break. Zeglinski hit two three-pointers during the stretch while both Kevin Estes and Turner sunk a pair of free throws.
Reynolds heated up early in the second half, hitting four three-pointers in the first seven minutes. Hartford stayed in the game behind McLendon, who scored 14 of the Hawks first 23 points of the stanza.
Hartford shot 41 percent for the contest but committed 19 turnovers, 13 of which came in the second half. Villanova controlled the glass by a 37-33 margin.
Hartford returns to action against Brown University on Saturday, December 22 at Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. The game is the first of a doubleheader with the Hartford women's team, which hosts nationally-ranked Michigan State University at 2 p.m.
