What. A. Game. The first half was uncharacteristically sloppy and unfocused for Nova, and the Irish built an 11 point lead. The Cats were failing to knock down open looks, were careless with the basketball, and were having far to many defensive breakdowns. It appeared that it might be a long day for Villanova, and suffering a first loss was a very real threat.
Then Josh Hart happened. Hart led a spurt near the end of the first half to cut the lead to 5, and then absolutely took over the game in the second half and carried Nova to the victory. He scored in every conceivable way: slashing to the rim, in the mid-range, from three, and at the foul line. Josh finished with a career-high 37 points (10-14 FG, 3-4 3PT FG, 14-14 FT), 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. It was an absolutely beautiful all-around performance from Hart, and he made all the plays when his team needed him to.
Eric Paschall deserves a ton of credit as well. Eric scored 8 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting while demonstrating some beautiful footwork. He continued to bring his incredible energy, most noticeably by keeping a rebound alive to allow Brunson to grab it and head to the line to help seal the victory.
Brunson and Bridges each chipped in 8, Jenkins had 7, and Reynolds had 6 including two huge, clutch free throws down the stretch.
Nova managed to win the rebounding battle. They shot 50% from the floor, but just 25% from three. They were able to make up for the long-range struggles at the foul line, where they made 20 of 22 attempts. Notre Dame also struggled from three after a hot start, but unlike Nova they only got to the line 6 times. They shot 47% from the field and 27% from three.
To Nova's credit, they really stepped up the defense in the second half, and held a Notre Dame team that was averaging 89 points a game to just 66. Notre Dame scored just 25 points in the second half.
A couple areas of concern are Jenkins and DiVincezno. Jenkins had his second straight struggle form the floor, shooting just 2-9 and 1-5 from three. He did have a huge 3 point play late. Donte was 0-4 from the floor, all from three, despite getting several wide open looks. He also had two turnovers, both of which were poor. Hopefully we can just chalk this one up to inexperience and the learning curve. The absence of Booth and why Nova misses him was evident today. Luckily the overall experience of the roster, the culture coach Wright has built, and Josh Hart's talent and will were able to win the day.
It wasn't the most Nova-esque effort, but it was enough. They made the necessary adjustments at half, and really picked it up on the defensive end. It's always nice to have a player who can take the game over, and Nova let the country know that they have that in Josh Hart. Huge credit to the team for pushing through the struggles and gutting out the huge win. You have to love the character and attitude of this team.
Next up Temple on Tuesday night, where Nova will look to become the first team to win 4 straight Big 5 titles.
Then Josh Hart happened. Hart led a spurt near the end of the first half to cut the lead to 5, and then absolutely took over the game in the second half and carried Nova to the victory. He scored in every conceivable way: slashing to the rim, in the mid-range, from three, and at the foul line. Josh finished with a career-high 37 points (10-14 FG, 3-4 3PT FG, 14-14 FT), 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. It was an absolutely beautiful all-around performance from Hart, and he made all the plays when his team needed him to.
Eric Paschall deserves a ton of credit as well. Eric scored 8 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting while demonstrating some beautiful footwork. He continued to bring his incredible energy, most noticeably by keeping a rebound alive to allow Brunson to grab it and head to the line to help seal the victory.
Brunson and Bridges each chipped in 8, Jenkins had 7, and Reynolds had 6 including two huge, clutch free throws down the stretch.
Nova managed to win the rebounding battle. They shot 50% from the floor, but just 25% from three. They were able to make up for the long-range struggles at the foul line, where they made 20 of 22 attempts. Notre Dame also struggled from three after a hot start, but unlike Nova they only got to the line 6 times. They shot 47% from the field and 27% from three.
To Nova's credit, they really stepped up the defense in the second half, and held a Notre Dame team that was averaging 89 points a game to just 66. Notre Dame scored just 25 points in the second half.
A couple areas of concern are Jenkins and DiVincezno. Jenkins had his second straight struggle form the floor, shooting just 2-9 and 1-5 from three. He did have a huge 3 point play late. Donte was 0-4 from the floor, all from three, despite getting several wide open looks. He also had two turnovers, both of which were poor. Hopefully we can just chalk this one up to inexperience and the learning curve. The absence of Booth and why Nova misses him was evident today. Luckily the overall experience of the roster, the culture coach Wright has built, and Josh Hart's talent and will were able to win the day.
It wasn't the most Nova-esque effort, but it was enough. They made the necessary adjustments at half, and really picked it up on the defensive end. It's always nice to have a player who can take the game over, and Nova let the country know that they have that in Josh Hart. Huge credit to the team for pushing through the struggles and gutting out the huge win. You have to love the character and attitude of this team.
Next up Temple on Tuesday night, where Nova will look to become the first team to win 4 straight Big 5 titles.
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