Overview
With a limited roster of healthy bodies, Villanova's young roster held its own in a 75-72 exhibition loss to Virginia at John Paul Arena Friday night. The Wildcats had a chance to tie the game on the final possession but a 3-point bid by Acaden Lewis was short.
 
"I thought we got everything out of it we could have wanted," said William B. Finneran Endowed Head Coach Kevin Willard. "We had three freshmen playing their first road game in what was a great atmosphere here.
 
"It's why I think these exhibitions are more valuable than closed scrimmages. You get to learn a lot about your team."
 
Lewis led the Wildcats with 16 points while Matt Hodge and Malachi Palmer added 13 points apiece.
 
Missing Four Once Again
Villanova entered this tilt down a few men. Four Wildcats were unavailable tonight due to injury: Devin Askew (right knee sprain); Malcolm Flaggs (right achilles strain); and Zion Stanford (left ankle sprain) missed their second straight exhibition contest. Guard Bryce Lindsay, who started for the 'Cats in Sunday's 70-51 win over VCU at Finneran Pavilion, was out due to illness.
 
Senior forward Tafara Gapare, who missed the game with VCU with a right foot injury, returned to action in this one.
 
New look
 
William B. Finneran Endowed Head Coach Kevin Willard altered his starting lineup from Sunday, inserting Gapare and Malachi Palmer in place of Lindsay and Matt Hodge. Virginia scored eight of the game's first 12 points with three Villanova turnovers playing a part in that. A basket by freshman guard Chris Jeffrey narrowed the gap to 8-6 at the 15:14 mark of the first half.
 
Virginia applied full court pressure whenever it could against the Wildcats' youthful backcourt in the early going and it produced results. The Cavaliers forced six Nova turnovers in the game's first 8:40 that led to a 12-0 edge in points off of turnovers. The UVA lead was 17-10.
 
"I thought their physicality got us on our heels early," said Willard. "They were really aggressive and it kind of caught us off guard. I was happy with how we adjusted to the physicality. We didn't turn the ball over in the second half. We gave up 40 in the first half but I think that was a good growing phase for us."
 
Triple Trouble
 
When these two teams last met last November in Baltimore, the Cavaliers' 3-point prowess helped carry them past Villanova, 75-60.
 
A similar theme unfolded in the first half. Virginia sank 5-of-10 from beyond the arc over the contest's first 14 minutes while holding the Wildcats without a triple (0-of-5).
 
As fate would have it, a 3-pointer by Palmer gave Villanova its first lead, 33-31. The Wildcats would end the half 3-of-11 from distance (.273) while the Cavaliers were 8-of-16 (.500), draining two in the final minutes of the period to reclaim the lead at intermission, 40-35.
 
Palmer paced the Wildcats with 11 points over the first 20 minutes. Malik Thomas led Virginia with nine points.
 
Second Act
 
Virginia pushed its lead to double digits in the early minutes of the second half, capitalizing on an efficient offense that hurt Nova inside and out. Each time Villanova drew closer, the Cavaliers had an answer.
 
When two Chris Jeffrey free throws narrowed the deficit to 55-49, Virginia responded with a dunk and two free throws to re-establish a double-digit advantage with 10:48 to play. A Matt Hodge drive for two, cut the gap to 59-56 and the Cavaliers immediately answered with an old school 3-point play from Jonah Gruenloh to double the lead as the clock approached the eight minute mark.
 
Nova hung in there, though, and a pair of Tyler Perkins free throws with 5:13 on the clock shaved the lead to 62-60. Virginia sank another long ball to push the margin to 65-60. It stayed tight the rest of the way.
 
"I'm proud of my two freshmen guards (Jeffrey and Lewis)," said Willard. "They made plays. Chris and Acaden are growing up in front of my eyes."
 
Villanova opens regular season play on Monday, Nov. 3 when it meets No. 8 BYU at T-Mobile Arena at the Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas
 
"We've just got to get healthy," Willard stated. "That's the biggest thing for us over the next 10 days."