Last night's Big 5 matchup between Saint Joseph's and No. 22 Villanova provided the perfect stage for Hawks sharpshooter Pat Carroll to have a career night and lead his team to an upset victory.
Playing in front of a nationaltelevision audience and a sold out Palestra crowd in a rivalry known simply as the "Holy War", Carroll entered the game a mere 16 points shy of becoming the 42nd player in St. Joe's history to score 1,000 career points.
The Hawks senior forward achieved that feat with just under five minutes to play, but Villanova's stifling, swarming defense stole the show, en route to a 67-52 victory.
The Wildcats improved to 14-5 overall, finishing 3-1 in the Big 5, while the Hawks dropped to 11-9 overall and 1-2 in the Big 5.
Carroll finished the night with a game-high 16 points, but he made just four of 19 shots. He missed all eight shot attempts in the first half, largely due to Villanova contesting every one.
The Wildcats' impressive defensive display came as no surprise to St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli.
"I knew the challenge here would be on our offense," he said. "I thought we did a really nice job defensively, but we had guys play like their hair was on fire in the first half."
Villanova entered the game averaging more than 86 points in its last three contests, but it was the Wildcats' defense that propelled the team to a convincing victory last night.
"They did a great job on usdefensively, and I think we did a great job defensively," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "I told Pat [Carroll] that [he and Chet Stachitas] work without the ball through screens as good as anyone we've played against, which shows how much effort our guys displayed chasing them around."
On the offensive end, Villanova guard Randy Foye had an off night, shooting just 3-of-15. But he put forth a gutsy defensive effort against Carroll, chasing him through screen after screen.
Most of Carroll's shots in the first half were off-balance and had to be released literally the second he caught the ball. Carroll was blocked on three consecutive shot attempts early in the game, and Martelli put him on the bench soon after.
"On some of his shots in the first half, he didn't even have the ball," Martelli said.
Wright used a number of players to keep the rock out of Carroll's hands, but he singled out Foye for his effectiveness on defense.
"We put a few guys on [Carroll], but we kept putting Randy [Foye] back on him," Wright said. "Carroll wore Randy out, but in the end I think Randy did an incredible job."
For Martelli, the defeat was simply a result of the numbers: 10 St. Joe's turnovers in the first half, 16 turnovers in the game, 9-for-19 shooting from the charity stripe in the second half, and 29 percent shooting in the game.
"It's all in the numbers, nothing more than a mathematical game," he said.
"The number one key [was] to have that toughness to make that next pass in this game," he added. "And we didn't have that."
Villanova's Jason Fraser certainly overpowered St. Joe's, scoring 14 points, and pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds.
His biggest baskets came late in the second half, as Carroll and the Hawks went on a 15-6 run. Just as the St. Joe's crowd erupted in response to Carroll's three trifectas, Fraser responded with two big baskets on the inside.
Curtis Sumpter chipped in with a team-high 15 points, to go along with seven rebounds, Allan Ray scored 14, and Mike Nardi pitched in with nine points for Villanova.
