Richmond scores 20 as Seton Hall beats Villanova, ending 8-game losing streak against Wildcats

Updated Mar. 6, 2024 10:03 p.m. ET

Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Seton Hall finally found a way to beat Villanova and may have punched a ticket to the NCAA tournament in the process.

Kadary Richmond had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists and Seton Hall rebounded from poor performances against nationally ranked Creighton and UConn by posting a 66-56 victory over the Wildcats Wednesday night, snapping an eight-game losing streak against their long-time Big East rival.

“We are just taking it game by game, not looking ahead,” Richmond said when asked if the win will get the Pirates (19-11, 12-7) into the show. "We just plan on winning and just being the best team we could be every night.”

Disappointing big losses in their last two games, Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway made sure practices leading up to the game were “chippy" and the players didn't need much encouragement to make it that way.

“We understand who we are as a team,” said forward Dre Davis, who added 18 points and 7 rebounds as Seton Hall avenged an 80-54 loss at Villanova last month. “You know, we put a big emphasis on our defense, being one of the best defenses in the country, I think that’s gonna take us long way regardless of the game we are in.”

Jaden Bediako added 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Pirates who will be no worse than the No. 4 seed in next week's conference tournament at Madison Square Garden.

Eric Dixon led Villanova with 14 points and six rebounds. TJ Bamba added 11 points for the Wildcats, who were limited to 35.2% shooting from the field and were outrebounded 39-29.

“Lot of credit goes to Seton Hall,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “Sha had them ready. They played really, really hard. They did what they needed to.”

Seton Hall didn't take the lead until Al-Amir Dawes hit a 3-pointer with 2:59 left in the first half to put the Pirartes ahead 23-22. It triggered a 10-0 run that featured another Dawes 3-pointer and four points from Bediako.

The Pirates added on in the opening minutes of the second half as Dylan Addae-Wusu hit two 3-pointers in an 11-5 run that pushed the 41-29. Seton Hall pushed its lead to 50-37 on a 3-pointer by Richmond with nine minutes left.

Villanova made a run, outscoring the Pirates 11-2 to cut the gap to 52-48 on two free throws by Brandan Hausen with 5:05 to play but Davis hit two free throws and Bediako hit a layup off a Richmond pass and Seton Hall was never threatened again.

UP NEXT

Villanova: Plays host to No. 10 Creighton on Saturday

Seton Hall: Plays host to DePaul on Saturday

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll