Recap: Villanova vs. St Marys-CA
Sports Network | March 20, 2010
Providence, RI (Sports Network) - Omar Samhan carried Saint Mary's with 32 points on 13-of-16 shooting, as the 10th-seeded Gaels upended the second- seeded Villanova Wildcats, 75-68, in the second round of the South Region.
Samhan added seven rebounds and recorded a big block in the final minute for Saint Mary's (28-5), which had little trouble getting past Richmond on Thursday for its first NCAA Tournament victory in 51 years.
Mickey McConnell chipped in 15 points, including a go-ahead, banked three- pointer down the stretch, as the Gaels earned back-to-back wins in the tourney for the first time in program history.
"Best win ever, quote it. Omar Samhan said best win ever. It was. It was," said the vocal Samhan when asked if this was the most significant win ever for the school.
Saint Mary's will next play Baylor, which defeated Old Dominion on Saturday.
Matthew Dellavedova ended with 14 points and helped shut down Villanova's Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher, who were both held out of the starting lineup for undisclosed reasons in the first round against Robert Morris.
The Wildcats (25-8) pulled out an overtime win in that one, but a third straight trip to the Sweet 16 wasn't in the cards after Reynolds hit 2-of-11 from the field to finish with a meager eight points in the loss.
"I thought we got great shots off ball screens for Scottie Reynolds. A lot of those he hits them. And he didn't hit them," Wildcats head coach Jay Wright said. "It's a sad day for me because this guy has really been the face of our program."
Fisher went 3-for-13 for nine points, while Corey Stokes led the way with 15. Maalik Wayns and Antonio Pena came off the bench to provide 10 and nine, respectively, for 'Nova, which shot 36.2 percent from the floor to end its chance at a second consecutive Final Four appearance.
It was a one-possession game at the Dunkin' Donuts Center from the 10-minute mark of the second half to the final minute of the game.
Dellavedova broke a 61-all tie with 4 1/2 minutes left on a three-pointer from the right wing after somehow keeping his dribble when he went to the ground.
Wayns cut the deficit to one with a nifty driving layup, and Saint Mary's turned the ball over with a shot clock violation on its next touch.
Reynolds and Dellavedova exchanged misses, and Corey Stokes fouled Clint Steindl going after yet another errant attempt by Reynolds.
Steindl made 1-of-2 from the foul line, and Fisher tied the game, 65-65, on a pair from the stripe with 1:35 showing.
McConnell then came off a screen and pulled up from five feet beyond the arc, banking in the go-ahead three 20 seconds later.
"I just kind of threw it up there and it was a little left, but the backboard was there, so we'll take it," McConnell said.
After the make, Samhan kept his ground and blocked Reggie Redding's driving shot, and 'Nova was forced to put McConnell on the line with 40 seconds remaining.
McConnell's two makes followed by a Wayns turnover and two more freebies from Dellavedova gave the Gaels a 72-65 lead the West Coast Conference champions never relinquished.
The first 10 minutes of the contest was essentially back-and-forth, and Saint Mary's scored 16 of 20 points over the next six minutes to take control.
Samhan's bucket just past the midway point broke a 17-all tie, and McConnell followed with a deep three the next time down.
Several possessions later the margin reached double digits, as Ben Allen connected on a straightaway three and dished to a streaking McConnell for an easy lay-in, the latter capping the run for a 33-21 score.
Stokes stemmed the momentum with a pair of makes from behind the arc, and Pena's dunk made it a four-point game with a minute left.
Samhan, who had 15 first-half points, answered with a three-point play prior a pair of free throws from both sides, giving the Gaels a 38-31 halftime edge.
The margin reach double-digits again, 45-35, following two Samhan free throws four minutes into the second half, but the Big East-tested Wildcats used their speed and depth to get back in it.
Wayns sparked the rally, as his layup near the 12-minute mark began a string nine straight Villanova points. A little later, Wayns' no-look dish to Pena in transition led to a three-point play and a tie game with 10 minutes to play. Fisher's reverse layup the next time down gave 'Nova a 53-51 advantage.
It was back-and-forth the rest of the way.
The Gaels, who improved to 3-5 all-time in the tourney, broke the school's single-season record of 2,569 points set in 2008-09...Villanova is now 49-31 all-time in the NCAA's...Reynolds, a senior, shot 2-for-15 from the floor in Thursday's win over Robert Morris...Villanova made all 11 of its free throws, but Saint Mary's got to the line 26 times, making 20...The Gaels shot 50.0 percent from the field.
