Villanova Wildcats vs Texas Longhorns Match Player Stats On Dec 06, 2020

Justin Moore and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl scored 19 points each, and Collin Gillespie hit four crucial free throws in the final 15 seconds as No. 12 Villanova did just enough to outlast No. 17 Texas 68-64 on Sunday afternoon in a Big 12/Big East Battle contest in Austin, Texas.

Gillespie finished with 12 points for Villanova (4-1) while Jermaine Samuels and Robinson-Earl pulled down 12 and eight rebounds, respectively, to lead the Wildcats.

Matt Coleman III and Courtney Ramey poured in 17 points apiece to lead the Longhorns (4-1).

The Wildcats led throughout the second half before Ramey hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 57 with 2:33 to play. Villanova answered with a 3-pointer by Cole Swider and a dunk off the break by Robinson-Earl after a Longhorns turnover to go up 62-57.

After Gillespie later nailed two from the charity stripe, Texas clawed back to 66-64 on Coleman's layup with eight seconds remaining. But Gillespie put the game on ice with another pair of free throws with 6.4 seconds left, allowing the Wildcats to escape with the clutch road win.

Both teams had highlight moments in a back-and-forth first half that ended with the Wildcats up 32-30. Villanova built a 16-9 lead seven minutes into the game before the Longhorns swept to the front via an 18-4 run over the next six minutes, with Coleman scoring 11 straight points during the stretch that staked Texas to a 27-20 advantage.

Villanova ended the half with a 12-3 run of its own, doing the majority of the work in the paint and on the free-throw line. Texas missed nine of its final 10 shots in the half and went the final 2:36 without a point.

Coleman led all scorers in the half with his 11 points. Moore and Samuels paced the Wildcats with 10 points and six rebounds, respectively.

Villanova stretched its lead to 51-43, after a layup by Moore with 12:24 left in the second half. The Longhorns roared back, pulling to within 53-51 on Ramey's layup with 6:43 to play.

--Field Level Media