Bookends
At 2:00 pm the Nova Nation again turned to twitter to follow the action in Almere, Netherlands as Villanova faced off against the Netherlands National Team. Like Friday, the fans hung on to every tweet but listened glumly as Villanova fell to the Dutch, 75-63. NovaAthletics (kudos to SID Mike Sheridan) again provided capsules on action and scoring updates. Despite "winning" the first (21-20) and fourth (20-13) quarters, Villanova could not cope with a tall Dutch front court and their 2-3 zone in the middle quarters, and wound up on the short end of a 73-58 score. Bringing a one point lead out of the first quarter, the Dutch front court asserted it's presence at both ends of the court. A 5-0 second quarter run broke a 29-all tie and put Team Netherlands on top for the balance of the game. Consecutive possessions ended in turnovers stymied a potential 'Cat comeback in the second quarter's waning minutes, securing the Netherland's a six point advantage going into half-time. A 13-3 Dutch run to open the third quarter virtually sealed Villanova's fate, assuring the 'Cats would enter the fourth quarter tasked with climbing out of a 19 point hole. Though Villanova did cut into the Dutch lead, they were unable to come all of the way back, closing out with a 12 point loss, 75-63. Scoring by each quarter...
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Gm | |
| Netherlands | 20 | 21 | 21 | 13 | 75 |
| Villanova | 21 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 63 |
Rising juniors Maalik Wayns and Mouphtaou Yarou shared team scoring honors with 15 points apiece. Yarou also led the 'Cats on the boards, grabbing nine caroms, missing his second consecutive double-double by a single rebound.
Next
The Wildcats will play the Georgia National Team Sunday around 9 am Eastern time..
Look for Mike Sheridan's recap at Villanova's Athletic Department official website.
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