To read reactions from disappointed Villanova fans, head on over to The Nova Blog.
Saint Mary’s 75, Villanova 68: Samhan’s 32 Points Vault Gaels Into Sweet 16
Providence, RI (Sports Network) - Omar Samhan carried Saint Mary’s with 32 points on 13-of-16 shooting, as the 10th-seeded Gaels upended the second- seeded Villanova Wildcats, 75-68, in the second round of the South Region.
Samhan added seven rebounds and recorded a big block in the final minute for Saint Mary’s (28-5), which had little trouble getting past Richmond on Thursday for its first NCAA Tournament victory in 51 years.
Mickey McConnell chipped in 15 points, including a go-ahead, banked three- pointer down the stretch, as the Gaels earned back-to-back wins in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
Saint Mary’s will next play either Old Dominion or Baylor.
Matthew Dellavedova ended with 14 points and helped shut down Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher, who were both held out of the starting lineup in the first round against Robert Morris.
The Wildcats (25-8) pulled out an overtime win in that one, but a third straight trip to the Sweet 16 wasn’t in the cards after Reynolds hit 2-of-11 from the field to finish with a meager eight points in the loss.
Fisher went 3-for-13 for nine points, while Corey Stokes led the way with 15 points. Maalik Wayns and Antonio Pena came off the bench to provide 10 and nine, respectively.
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