Villanova got 19 points from junior Darrun Hilliard and three other 'Cats scored in double digits as #14 'Nova defeated Big 5 rival Penn, 77-54.
Here are the video highlights and quotes provided from the University...
Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright
Opening statement:
"We certainly didn't play a pretty game, but when that happens, it's always the other team who plays well. We were a little bit off our game, but they were really good. They executed, they played harder than us so we don't look good. I think they played harder than us, I thought they executed better. I think we had bigger players and made some shots and some plays. But I give them credit. We're going to learn from this - that's what the season is. We've got to keep moving on and learning from every experience."On overcoming the slow start:
"I think we have certain players who can just take over. Darrun [Hilliard] at points, JayVaughn [Pinkston] at points, [James Bell] at points. They've got some younger guys. We've got some older guys that when they want to turn it on, can go turn it on. I think that's what happened. That's not a good plan for success."
On Villanova's play:
"I was so confident in the way we played consistently and the depth we had in the Bahamas. [Mouphataou Yarou] was on the court before the game, and I shook Mouph's hand and said, `This is your team. Watch these guys play.' I was so confident we were going to come out and play with great aggressiveness, great intensity, and we didn't. There are no sandwich games for us. This is a big game for us. Every time we get a chance to play, it's a big game for us. You have to give Penn credit. They start [Tony] Bagtas - I never even saw that guy on film. He did a hell of a job. He controlled the ball, he controlled the tempo. We couldn't get anything with him. We went where he wanted to go. It's not just us - they did a really good job. We didn't get the ball inside, we just settled for jump shots every time. Again, just attention to detail."On defense:
"We did a decent job defensively, I didn't think we were horrible. We had a lot of good possessions defensively but you put up three possessions and then give up an easy basket. Put up three possessions and they get an offensive rebound. It just wasn't consistent every possession.On being ranked:
"I like being ranked. I really do. I think it's great for the school, our conference; it's great for the fans, Philadelphia basketball. There's nothing bad about it. This doesn't have anything to do with it, just the commitment to play every game, every possession the same way. We could've lost; I'd be saying the same thing. We could've won by 30, if they played that way. It's not the score or anything - you saw it. We had 15 turnovers. It was just sloppy. If we would've come in sloppy and they didn't play well, it wouldn't have been anything. They played well."
Junior Guard Darrun Hilliard
On the game:
"I don't think the Bahamas gave us a big head, but you can't look past anyone. Penn is a good team. It's a good learning experience. We're going to get back to work tomorrow and get ready to play Saturday."