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Villanova Men's Basketball

Villanova Falls Short vs. Terps Despite 38 points From Eric Dixon

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Villanova Wildcats forward Eric Dixon (43) March 20, 2022 David Hague/PSN

They have talent and they’ve shown they have potential. They just haven’t put it all together yet.

Villanova Men’s Basketball blew a 12 point halftime lead in the Empire Classic on Sunday, November 24, eventually falling behind 76-75 on a pair of Derik Queen free throws with 19 seconds to play. With one final possession and a chance to take the lead, three-point shots from Tyler Perkins and Eric Dixon—the latter of whom scored a career high 38 points in a Herculean effort—clanged away harmlessly, and the Wildcats came up just one point short.

Dixon scored 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting in the first half, including 4-of-6 from three. Jhamir Brickus was the only other Villanova player to crack double digits.

An 11-0 run gave the Wildcats an early 15-5 lead, but the Terrapins responded with six points in 26 seconds from sophomore guard Rodney Rice. Villanova maintained at least a possession’s lead through halftime, ending a stretch of back-and-forth play with an 11-2 run that took up most of the rest of the first half.

Wildcats’ Luck Runs Cold

The Wildcats’ shooting dried up in the second half, weighed down by a 3-of-14 clip from beyond the arc. Maryland, inversely, went from making just 40.74 percent of their shots to 58.62 percent. Malachi Palmer and Jhamir Brickus traded threes just after the 12 minute mark to make it 55-50 in Villanova’s favor, then the Terrapins reeled off the next nine points to take their first lead in more than 27 minutes of game time. The last ten minutes saw six ties and 11 lead changes.

Dixon did his best to put the team on his back, scoring 14 of the Wildcats’ last 18 points, giving Villanova the lead on five separate occasions, including a three-pointer with 75 seconds to play and a layup on the ensuing possession. Josiah Moseley fouled Queen with 19 seconds left to ensure the Wildcats would get one final possession, but their luck ran out with a chance to win it.

Villanova Men’s Basketball falls to 3-4 on the season. Next on their schedule is a Wednesday, Nov. 27 home date with the Rider Broncs.

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