Villanova falls in final of Myrtle Beach Invitational, 87-78, to Baylor
The Wildcats were ahead, 57-51, with a little over 12 minutes to go. Two minutes later, things were tied.
CONWAY, S.C. -- If it’s November, then Villanova’s basketball team must be playing in yet another championship game of one more in-season tournament. By now, it’s probably been mandated somewhere in the rules.
The only difference this time was, for the first time in what was their seventh straight final appearance, the 17th-ranked Wildcats (4-2) went back home without a trophy.
They lost to No. 24 Baylor (5-1) at Coastal Carolina’s HTC Center, 87-78, for the Myrtle Beach Invitational title.
Yet for a senior-less team that’s only two years removed from a second national title and starts two freshmen, the three games in four days here was still a bonding/growth experience. As coach Jay Wright is quick to point out, everything for his many talented young guys is a first.
So this was one of those learning moments. There figures to be a bunch more before the journey hits the homestretch some three months down the road.
“We got better,” Wright emphasized. “We improved every game. But against a really good team, we saw how much better we still have to get. That’s what’s good about these [early] tournaments. There’s a lot of room [to move forward], a lot of work to do.”
This one was played at what felt like more of a March kind of level. The teams traded punches. And the Bears did just enough when it counted most.
“They did a good job of taking us out of what we wanted to do,” said Collin Gillespie, who scored 27 points, three off his career high. “I think they just made a couple of more plays, and hit some tough shots.”
The Bears did go 11-for-19 from the arc. Tourney MVP Jared Butler and Macio Teague were a combined 8-of-14 from three and 40 points.
“They couldn’t go by us, but they got the matchups they wanted,” Wright said. “They were making them off the dribble, step backs. They were tough looks.”
The Wildcats, who led by three at the half and by six with 12 minutes remaining, went down despite shooting 51.9% from the field. But they were 8-of-25 from deep, which basically became the difference.
Saddiq Bey finished with 16 points. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who joined Gillespie on the all-tourney team, had a dozen to go with 11 rebounds. Cole Swider had 11 on just seven shots.
Things were tied at 67 with 51/2 minutes to go. Baylor scored 13 of the next 19, and Villanova could not get any closer than five. The Cats got their last five points at the foul line. They didn’t have a basket in the closing 21/2 minutes.
“We see how tough you have to play to win just one game,” said Bey, who also had five assists. “We’re trying to get better. Be around each other every day like this and [developing] that camaraderie will help speed up the process.”
And this year, for a change, that will have to suffice.
The Wildcats are now off until Dec. 1, when they host La Salle. Penn, which beat them last season (by one), visits the Finneran Pavilion three days later. Then, three days after that, they’re at St. Joseph’s. They’ve won 16 of 17 (including six straight) against the Explorers, and nine of 10 (six in a row) versus the Hawks.