BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Villanova overcame another night of horrible long-range shooting and a hot early start by heavy underdog Milwaukee to advance to the NCAA tournament Round of 32 with a 73-53 win over the Panthers at the First Niagara Center.
Villanova led by 10 with four minutes left and scored the game’s last 10 points.
Villanova missed its first 16 three-pointers and fell behind the No. 15 seed by as many as five points before finally putting the Horizon League tournament champions away.
Villanova shot just 4 for 23 from three and is 6 for 39 from long range in two postseason games. Freshman Kris Jenkins made three of four threes. His teammates were 1 for 19.
Darrun Hilliard led ‘Nova with 16 points on 6 for 11 shooting, JayVaughn Pinkston added 13 and eight rebounds, James Bell had 12 points and eight boards, and freshmen Josh Hart and Jenkins added 11 points each.
Bell, a first-team all-Big East pick, missed all eight of his threes, extending his personal streak of missed threes to 17.
What it means
The win was the first for Villanova in the NCAA tournament since 2010 and the 13th in 21 games for coach Jay Wright. This is Villanova’s sixth trip to the Round of 32 in nine trips to the NCAA tournament under Wright.
Villanova is now 50-32 all-time in the tournament, although four wins from 1971 were later voided by the NCAA, so officially ‘Nova is 46-36 in tournament play.
Milwaukee fell to 3-4 in NCAA history. The Panthers won at least one tournament game in their last two trips to the tournament -- in 2005 and 2006.
Turning point
Milwaukee extended its lead to five at 23-18 with three minutes left in the first half before Hilliard started a 9-0 run to end the half with two foul shots, a jumper and another free throw.
By the numbers
No. 15 seeds are now 7-115 against No. 2 seeds since the NCAA bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985. … Guard Jordan Aaron, Milwaukee’s leading scorer down the stretch, shot 1 for 11 and 0 for 6 from three. … Forward Austin Arians led Milwaukee with 17 points. … Villanova blocked nine shots.
What’s next
Villanova faces former Big East rival Connecticut Saturday with a berth in the Sweet 16 at stake. Connecticut, the No. 7 seed in the East, beat Villanova’s Big 5 rival St. Joe’s 89-81 Thursday night in overtime.
Although UConn and Villanova are no longer in the same conference, they met 59 times in Big East play between 1979 and last year, with the Wildcats holding a 31-28 edge.
Overall, ‘Nova owns a 33-30 lead in the all-time series. Wright is 7-11 all-time vs. UConn.