Panthers come undone, barely hang on against out-manned Villanova
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Even with only seven players, Villanova nearly pulled off an improbable upset. The suspension-strapped Wildcats had just half their roster in uniform Sunday and still gave No. 7 Pittsburgh a fight before losing 56-54.
It helped that the Panthers missed their last seven free throws, including five by senior point guard Brandin Knight.
Villanova suspended 12 players Saturday for allegedly making unauthorized telephone calls – the latest in a string of recent college basketball scandals, including ones at Georgia, Fresno State and St. Bonaventure.
“Everyone is disappointed, but all we had left was to play for pride,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “It was eerie. It really wasn’t until late in the second half that I forgot about everything and got into the game.”
The suspensions, ranging from three to eight games, were staggered, allowing Villanova to field a seven-man team.
Even with that, the Wildcats had the ball and a chance to take the lead on a 3-pointer in the final seconds against Pitt. However, after an errant inbounds pass by Randy Foye, Villanova couldn’t get a shot before the buzzer.
Leading scorers Gary Buchanan and Ricky Wright, along with Andreas Bloch, Chris Charles, Jason Fraser, Lou Ruskey and Andrew Sullivan, watched the game in street clothes from the bench. They stood with their teammates during the singing of the national anthem and joined in during huddles.
Foye, Marcus Austin, Allan Ray, Derrick Snowden and Curtis Sumpter suited up despite being among the 12 players affected.
“It was tough on all of us,” Snowden said. “A lot of teams go through adversity. Hopefully we can learn from this. We showed a lot of character.”
Foye and Ray each had 15 points and Sumpter added 14 for Villanova (15-14, 8-8 Big East), which has lost four in a row.
“I just wanted to play for the upperclassmen,” Sumpter said. “I felt bad for the way they had to end their careers.”
Knight had 15 points and Jaron Brown added 14 for Pitt (23-4, 13-3), which enters this week’s Big East tournament on a six-game winning streak.
The Wildcats trailed almost the entire game, but cut the deficit to 46-37 on a 3-pointer by Ray with 4:13 left. Following an offensive foul on Knight, Sumpter made a reverse layup to get Villanova within 46-39.
A driving layup by Brown and a free throw by Knight, who entered the game shooting 54 percent from the line, put Pitt ahead 55-45 with 1:15 left. But Ray made five straight free throws to cut it to 55-50 with 52 seconds left. After a free throw by Ontario Lett, Snowden was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made two free throws.
Carl Krauser then missed two free throws and Ray made two to cut it to 56-54. Knight missed two more free throws, and the Wildcats had a chance to take the lead on a 3-pointer.
However, in a wild sequence, Snowden’s pass was stolen by Julius Page, who passed to Brown. Foye blocked Brown’s driving layup, but Ray fouled Knight just before Snowden stole his pass. Knight again missed both free throws and Sumpter got the rebound with 2.4 seconds left.
Foye’s inbounds pass nearly forced Ray out of bounds. Ray caught it and threw wildly to Sumpter, who took a desperation shot after the buzzer.
I knew it would be tough,” Pitt coach Ben Howland said. “An adverse situation would probably inspire them. Everything they did we expected. We made some mistakes, got a little cute and it backfired.”
It was easily Pitt’s worst performance since the Panthers started last month with three losses in five games to fall from No. 2. Pitt was without second-leading scorer Chevy Troutman, out with a sprained right ankle.
The Panthers scored the game’s first seven points, but Villanova stayed close. The Wildcats held the ball on most of their possessions, waiting until between 15 and 20 seconds remained on the shot clock before running a play.
Villanova led 11-10 after Foye made a driving layup and hit a 3-pointer. But Pitt went on an 18-4 run, getting three 3-pointers from Page during the spurt, and took a 28-11 lead that it never relinquished.
“Nobody thought it would be easy,” said Lett, who had five points and five rebounds. “We knew they’d play hard.”
Villanova finished the regular season with nine losses in its last 12 games. The only players not involved in the violations and not affected by the suspensions were Mike Claxton, Tom Grace and Baker Dunleavy, who is red-shirting. Claxton and Grace dressed and each played briefly.