WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) – Josh Hart scored 24 points and Darryl Reynolds added 12 to lead No. 3 Villanova to a 79-76 victory over No. 15 Purdue on Monday night.
The Wildcats (2-0) have won eight straight games, including the six NCAA Tournament victories that gave them the national title last season. They also snapped the Boilermakers’ nine-game home winning streak and became only the second team to beat Matt Painter in November since he became Purdue’s coach in 2006-07.
Isaac Haas scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half for the Boilermakers (1-1). Caleb Swanigan had 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Villanova scored seven straight baskets to start the second half, charging out to a 56-45 lead. Swanigan and Haas combined for five consecutive Boilermakers buckets in a run that pulled Purdue to 61-60.
But the Boilermakers never tied the score or took the lead even though they got within one three times in the final minute. Swanigan badly missed a 3-pointer from the top of the arc in the closing seconds, and Carsen Edwards’ 3 off the rebound from the corner hit the side of the backboard as the buzzer sounded.