Seton Hall Pirates vs Villanova Wildcats Box Score on Feb 08, 2020

No. 12 Seton Hall withstood a late-game scoring drought to earn its first win at Villanova in 26 years, 70-64, Saturday afternoon in a Big East clash in Philadelphia.

Seton Hall (18-5, 10-1) held a 46-42 lead with 9:31 left when leading scorer Myles Powell, who recorded a team-high 19 points, was whistled for his fourth personal foul. The Pirates didn't score a field goal in the final 2:50 of the game.

Sandro Mamukelashvili helped the Pirates keep No. 10-ranked Villanova at bay, scoring 17 points and pulling down eight rebounds in 36 minutes.

Mamukelashvili grabbed four of those rebounds on the offensive end. Led by Jared Rhoden, who pulled down 11 rebounds off the bench, Seton Hall was able to establish a critical 43-32 edge on the glass -- all despite a game-high 14 rebounds from Villanova's Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

Seton Hall's rebounding advantage compensated for the Pirates losing the turnover battle, 14-7. However, Villanova (17-6, 7-4) struggled to capitalize. The Wildcats shot just 22-of-61 (36.1 percent) from the floor, including 9-of-27 from beyond the 3-point line.

In contrast, Seton Hall shot 9-of-21 from outside. Mamukelashvili and Powell each hit three shots from deep, and Rhoden was 2-of-2 en route to nine points.

Saddiq Bey led all scorers with 22 points and shot 4-of-6 from outside for Villanova. Collin Gillespie and Robinson-Earl went a combined 0-of-8 from behind the arc, which hamstrung the Wildcats offense. Justin Moore, who scored eight points, did not make his first field-goal attempts until sinking a pair of 3-pointers in the final 20 seconds.

Gillespie scored 12 points despite his long-range struggles, while Jermaine Samuels added 10 points. Quincy McKnight scored 14 points for Seton Hall.

With the win, the Pirates extended their lead in the Big East to three games. Villanova faced the possibility of forcing a tie on Feb. 1 when Seton Hall lost to Xavier, but the Wildcats' defeat to Creighton left them a game back.

Saturday's loss was Villanova's third straight, following a 79-76 defeat on Wednesday at Butler.

--Field Level Media