VILLANOVA, Pa. – Sophomores Tyreek Duren and Sam Mills each set career-highs as La Salle fell to Big 5 rival Villanova, 76-69, in overtime on Tuesday night at the Pavilion. Duren had 24 points and five assists, while Mills scored 19. Senior Earl Pettis added 12 points and nine rebounds.
“We really played hard, we defended,” head coach Dr. John Giannini said. “We were up against an outstanding opponent on their home court where they rarely lose. It’s incredibly difficult and painful not to win that game.”
The Explorers led by as many as ten points in the first half as Mills carried the offense, scoring 13 points in the first 20 minutes on four three’s. La Salle’s improved commitment to defense especially showed before half time, forcing 14 Villanova turnovers and holding the hosts to 0-for-12 from behind the arc.
The second half was tight, featuring seven ties and eight lead changes but La Salle took a 55-50 lead with 4:15 to play on junior Taylor Dunn‘s three-pointer. The Explorers would lead by five three more times down the stretch, including 61-56 with 1:22 to play on senior Devon White‘s putback slam.
Villanova’s Maalik Wayns, held to four points in the first half all on free throws, scored 18 points in the second half and overtime, including a big three with 1:10 to play to cut the deficit to two. He finished with 22 points and nine rebounds.
The Wildcats converted a steal and layup on their next possession to tie the score and neither team broke the tie during their final chance at a regulation win.
Wayns scored five points as part of a 7-2 run to start the overtime period and VU never looked back. Duren scored six points in overtime but it was too late for the Blue and Gold.
“Maalik Wayns made huge plays,” Giannini said. “I have some guys that I love that are outstanding players, but I thought that they deferred a little bit late. They’re too good to defer.”
Dominic Cheek added 18 points, including 12-for-14 from the foul line, and Mouphtaou Yarou had 10 points and 14 rebounds for Villanova (2-0, 1-0 Big 5).
Duren broke his career-high of 19 set last year versus Towson and played a hard-fought 44 minutes. He added five boards and three steals.
Mills, whose previous career-high was 14 points against Villanova last season, played 41 minutes and did not commit a turnover.
Defensively, La Salle forced 20 Villanova turnovers and held VU to 35% shooting from the field. Thirty-four of Nova’s 76 points came from the foul line.
The Explorers played without junior guard Ramon Galloway, who suffered a concussion in Friday’s 79-53 win over Lafayette.
LU (1-1, 0-1 Big 5) is back in action on Saturday against James Madison at Tom Gola Arena. Tip-off is set for 3 PM and the game is part of the University’s homecoming celebration.
Notes: The game was the second earliest in Big 5 history and the earliest in the La Salle-Villanova series…The Explorers were 5-4 at the Pavilion all-time heading into the game.
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