Redding Carries Nova Over Pitt

Final Score: #21 Villanova 67, #3 Pittsburgh 57

Player of the Game: Reggie Redding - 18 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 10-10 FT

Recap: Nova trailed by 5 at the half, but came back to beat #3 Pitt by 10 for their first win of the year over a ranked opponent.

All Aboard the Reggie Redding Bandwagon...

("Redding" the font in honor of Reggie) Redding played his best game as a Wildcat, offensively at least, scoring a career-high 18 points. He did a bit of everything, grabbing 7 boards, dishing a couple assists, steals, and bringing it on the defensive end. We've come to expect that from Redding, but he had a breakout night offensively, excelling at driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line, where he was a perfect 10 for 10. Jay Wright has called Reggie his smartest player and best defender, and if he can continue to score like this he could become one of Jay's best all-around players.

"Drop Down and Give Me 15"...

... Points that is. Dante once again delivered the type of game Nova fans have come to expect from him this season. Cunningham avoided the fouls that plagued him the last two games to score 15 and grab 5. Does Nova have a legit shot-blocking presence? Dante has blocked 2+ shots for 4 straight games, and has had at least 1 for 8 straight.

Rebound Machine - "Target in Sight"...

Shane Clark may not have scored, but he was a beast on the boards, grabbing 7, including a game-high 4 offensive rebounds. He helped Nova out-rebound one of the best rebounding teams in the country 19-16 in the second half.

Two Coreys, One Goal...

The Coreys provided some valuable energy and scoring off the bench. Fisher had 9 points and Stokes added 6.


"You Shall Not Score"

Dwayne Anderson flat out brings it every night, on both ends of the floor. His stats usually aren't eye-popping (7 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), but he'll do anything to help the team win... even if it means pulling a guy's arm off and closelining him in the neck.

"Will Somebody Get on #1"

Scottie Reynolds had a rough first half, going 0-5 from the field, but he bounced back in the 2nd to score 10 points and hit two big 3-pointers. As Dickie V would say, he's a PTP'er, a prime-time player; he steps up when it matters most.

"Not only are we beating Pitt... We're beating Cincinnati, and Providence, and Syracuse, and Marquette, and we're beating West Virginia, and Rutgers, and DePaul, and Georgetown, and Notre Dame, and then we're going back to Detroit to take back the National Title! Yeeeeaaahhhh!!!!"