No. 12 Men's Basketball Rolls Over Villanova, 65-56
Feb 5, 2002
By ROB MAADDI
AP Sports Writer
VILLANOVA, Pa. – John Salmons gave his family and friends something to cheer about – in the second half.
Salmons scored all 13 of his points in the final 16 minutes, and James Jones scored 16 points, including the first 11 of the game, leading No. 12 Miami to a 65-56 victory over Villanova on Tuesday night.
“It seems every time I come here, the first half is bad,” said Salmons, who went to nearby Plymouth Whitemarsh High School and needed 24 tickets for the game. “It’s like a family affair.”
Miami (20-3, 7-3 Big East) has won six of seven since losing two straight a month ago.
The Wildcats (12-8, 4-6) have lost four of five, including a 76-58 loss in Miami last month. It was their second straight loss to a ranked opponent, and they play No. 15 UCLA on Saturday.
“I would’ve hoped that by this point, we’d be ready to beat teams like this, but we’re not,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. I’m very impressed with their team and their poise. They’re outstanding on defense, very disciplined and well-coached.”
Gary Buchanan had 16 and Derrick Snowden added 15 for the Wildcats.
After Villanova got within a point at 52-51 with 4:02 left, Salmons hit two free throws, Elton Tyler made a layup off a nice pass from Salmons and Salmons iced it with two more free throws that made it 58-51 with 1:05 left.
Miami’s leading scorer Darius Rice scored seven points and didn’t get his first basket until 1:57 remained in the first half. But Rice had 10 rebounds and Salmons added six assists.
“He didn’t get frustrated,” Hurricanes coach Perry Clark said of Rice. “We’re fortunate we’re unselfish and everybody picks each other up.”
Villanova, which trailed by 12 at halftime, took its first lead since early in the first half on a pair of free throws by Ricky Wright that made it 40-39 6:27 into the second half. Buchanan added two free throws after a technical foul on Clark for a 42-39 lead.
But a 3-pointer by Marcus Barnes tied it at 44, and Tyler made a layup and hit a 5-footer to give Miami a 48-44 lead. After a jumper by Snowden, Tyler made two more free throws and Barnes had a dunk off a steal to make it 52-46 with 6:24 left.
“Any win on the road in this conference is huge, especially with the way their fans are enthusiastic at this place,” Clark said.
Villanova went on a 12-2 run to start the second half, closing to 34-32 on a 3-pointer by Snowden.
Buchanan, who had just two points on free throws in the first half, hit three consecutive 3-pointers before Snowden made one.
Villanova scored just six points off its first 14 possessions, but only trailed by seven. A 13-0 run by the Wildcats gave them a 17-13 lead with 8:38 left in the first half.
But the Hurricanes outscored Villanova 19-3 to close the first half, taking a 32-20 lead.
Buchanan, who made 72 of 78 free throws entering the game, missed two for the first time this season. He shot 3-of-14 from the floor.
“They created a lot of matchup problems for us,” Buchanan said. “They have real good size and they’re strong. They’re long and wiry.”
