March Madness: Villanova Wildcats gets past pesky Delaware in first-round game

Villanova goes on, Delaware goes home

Justin Moore scored 21 points and handed out six assists to lead Villanova to an 80-60 win the first-round of the tournament. The Wildcats will now play Ohio State on Sunday. Five Villanova players hit double figures in the game.

The Blue Hens got 17 points from Jayre Davis and 13 from Andrew Carr in the loss.

Calling off the cats

Both teams have emptied their bench so it looks like the only thing still in doubt is the final score. Villanova leads 76-57 with just over two minutes to go.

Balanced Wildcats

Villanova is a tough team to stop because it has a lot of guys who can hurt you. Today, five Wildcats have hit double figures against the Blue Hens. Justin Moore has 19 to lead Villanova, which leads 72-55 with a little over three minutes remaining in the game.

Blue Hens hanging tough

Villanova has played very well today, but Delaware won't go away. The Wildcats hold a 71-55 edge with just over five minutes left. It doesn't appear like the Blue Hens have enough to mount a comeback, but they're certainly not rolling over.

Three-party for Villanova

The Wildcats have now drained 11 from beyond the arc and enjoy a 63-42 lead with just over nine minutes remaining. The Blue Hens are just 2-for-16 for three, and those numbers are a big reason why the Wildcats appear headed to a game on Sunday.

Shooting stars

The Wildcats are enjoying a comfortable lead and the reason they jumped out in front is because of their shooting. They recently hit six straight shots and are now shooting nearly 55 percent from the field, as well as 55 percent from behind the arc. The Wildcats lead 57-39 with under 12 minutes to play in regulation.

Carr cruising

The Blue Hens haven't had a lot to cheer about, but Andrew Carr just drained a three and now has nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Villanova got a three by Justin Moore, who now has 13 points and Villanova holds a 51-35 lead with 15 minutes left in the second half.

Villanova stays hot

Justin Moore opened the second half with a trey, followed by a Collin Gillespie layup, giving the Wildcats a 40-15 edge. It extends their run to 20-2 going back to the first half. Delaware calls an early timeout, but Villanova looks to be pulling away with about 18 minutes to go in the game.

Halftime numbers

Jyare Davis leads the Blue Hens with seven points at intermission, and also has the most Delaware rebounds with four. Jameer Nelson Jr. has half of the Blue Hens' four assists.

For the Wildcats, Jermaine Samuels has a game-high nine points at the break, and with four rebounds, is tied for the team lead with Brandon Slater.

In the odd stat department, the two teams combined to go perfect at the line in the first half, but they only shot a total of two. Villanova's Eric Dixon and Slater each converted one free throw.

Bad end of half for Delaware

After hanging around for most of the first half, Villanova went on a 15-2 run and turned a deficit into a 10-point edge late in the first half. Villanova leads 35-25 at intermission. The Wildcats have hit their last five three-point attempts after missing the first five of the game.

Blue Hens struggle from beyond arc

Early in the game it was Villanova struggling from beyond, but now it's the Blue Hens. Villanova is on a 13-2 run and have opened up a 33-25 edge. Delaware is 1-10 from beyond the arc.

Tough down low

Delaware is going toe to toe with the big guys from Villanova and holding its own. The Blue Hens have scored 18 points from inside the paint. And while they trail on the boards, the Wildcats only have a one rebound lead on Delaware. Villanova leads 27-25 with 2:34 remaining in the first half.

Nova going on a run

Collin Gillespie just drained his second trey of the first half followed by an Eric Dixon layup, and the Wildcats are now up 27-23 with just over three minutes remaining before halftime. Dixon's seven points paces Villanova.

In the dunk tank

Villanova's Jermaine Samuels just brought down the house with a monster dunk. He now leads the Wildcats with six points. Delaware still leads, 23-22 with under five to play in the first half.

On the see saw

Villanova's Caleb Daniels hit a three-pointer to give Villanova the lead, but the Blue Hens answered back with a deuce to take a 21-20 edge at a TV timeout with just under seven minutes remaining. Kevin Anderson leads Delaware with seven points. Eric Dixon's five points leads a balanced Villanova attack.

Wildcats a runnin'

The Wildcats have cut the lead to 19-17 thanks to a three-pointer from Collin Gillespie and an old fashioned three-point play by Eric Dixon. Delaware still leads by two with eight minutes go to in the half.

Playing clean

Delaware has yet to commit a turnover during the first nine minutes of the game. They're also outrebounding Villanova by two, and enjoy a 15-8 edge with 11 minutes remaining before halftime.

Anderson heating up

Kevin Anderson has hit all three shots of his, including a trey, as Delaware has opened up a 13-8 edge over Villanova with 12 minutes left.

Cold cats

Villanova is shooting 25 percent from the field and have yet to hit a three. Delaware leads 9-4 with just under 15 minutes to play.

Blue Hens fighting early

At the first TV timeout, Delaware leads Villanova 6-4. So far it's a clean game, only one foul called in the first four minutes. Nobody has more than two points. The only turnover in the early going committed by the Wildcats. Villanova ball out of the timeout.

Blue Hens fighting early

At the first TV timeout, Delaware leads Villanova 6-4. So far it's a clean game, only one foul called in the first four minutes. Nobody has more than two points. The only turnover in the early going committed by the Wildcats. Villanova ball out of the timeout.

Layups working

Both teams have missed their first three-point attempts but each team has a pair of field goals. Two minutes into the game, we're tied at four.

Starting lineups

Delaware starting lineup will be Jameer Nelson Jr., Kevin Anderson, Andrew Carr, Ebby Asamoah and Jayre Davis. For the Wildcats, Wood grad Collin Gillespie, Abington grad Eric Dixon, Justin Moore, Brandon Slater and Jermaine Samuels.

Game at a glance

No. 15 seed Delaware (24-7) has a tough task in its opening game against 2 seed Villanova (26-7) in a South Region First Round game on Friday afternoon.

The Blue Hens caught fire at the end of the season to win three straight games to win the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title. This year, Delaware won a lot of games by shooting well, hitting 47 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. The Blue Hens are also good at preventing three points, and that will be key in this game because the Wildcats like to shoot from beyond.

A familiar name to Philly hoops fans leads Delaware. Jameer Nelson Jr., son of former St. Joe's Star, leads the team with 13.7 points per game. He also pulls down five rebounds.

The Blue Hens will need to stop an experienced Villanova team led by Archbishop Wood High School graduate Collin Gillespie, who was the Big East Player of the Year. The heady point guard averaged 14.3 points per game, four rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

Coaching connection

Today's game has a cool game inside the game storyline, according to Tedsilary.com. The coach of Delaware, Martin Ingelsby. is squaring off against Villanova, where Ingelsby father Tom played. Tom Ingelsby was picked in the first round of the 1972 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, where he played one season.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: March Madness: Delaware Blue Hens look to upset Villanova Wildcats