Written by Joe Juliano at Philly.com
When Villanova ended the first half of Sunday’s game against Virginia shooting 4 of 22, and with Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins going a combined 0 for 13, the feeling that this would not be the Wildcats’ day went through many in the record crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.
But Hart and Jenkins never stopped playing, taking a major role in the Cats’ rally from a 13-point deficit. And when Hart was called upon the make the winning shot but couldn’t finish as the clock ran down, Donte DiVincenzo was there to pick him up.
DiVincenzo, a redshirt freshman who hadn’t taken a shot all day, tipped in Hart’s miss at the buzzer that, after a review by the officials, gave top-ranked ‘Nova a 61-59 victory over the 12th-ranked Cavaliers in a contest that had 20,907 screaming people on the edge of their seats.
“First half, I was frustrated, but I can’t focus on just scoring,” said Hart, who scored 12 points. “I’ve got to focus on different things, especially when you’re playing a great defensive team like Virginia that’s trying to stop you. It’s a growing experience for me.
“I can’t worry about making shots. This is a prime example. Not making shots, playing a great opponent, game comes down to the last possession, we just make a great play. So you just can’t focus on making and missing shots.”
The Cavaliers (16-4) led by 45-32 with 13 minutes, 46 seconds to play, and were up 12 with 9:58 left before Villanova (20-2) went on a 13-0 run to take its first lead since 2-0.
Hart sank his first field goal of the game, a three-pointer, early in the rally. Jenkins followed Hart with a trey, and hit another 29 seconds later. The rally ended with Jalen Brunson’s two free throws, giving the Cats a 50-49 advantage with 5:32 left.
Villanova coach Jay Wright said the Cavaliers forced Hart and Jenkins to “make plays for other people,” but was proud of the way they didn’t let their shooting affect their overall game.
“If you go after two great players like that and they can’t get their points, a lot of times they slip defensively and their leadership slips,” Wright said. “Those two just brought their leadership to another level, their defense to another level.”
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