After a quiet first half, Villanova snaps skid with back-and-forth win over UCLA

The game bordered on desperation at times. Villanova, 6-4 and losers of three straight, faced a young UCLA team that hadn’t beaten a high-major opponent.

Neither team found much offense. At one point, the two combined for a 3-for-20 shooting stretch. Who would’ve thought the spark would be the shooter who had missed 14 consecutive threes?

After going cold in Villanova’s last three games, all losses, sophomore guard Brendan Hausen hit consecutive threes to cap an 11-0 run. The Wildcats went on to beat UCLA, 65-56, to snap their skid.

“Those of us who’ve been around Brendan Hausen know what he is,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “We’ve all seen him shoot the ball, so we never worry about him.”

With the win, Villanova ends its non-conference slate with a confusing, 7-4 record. The Wildcats beat UCLA, North Carolina, Memphis, Texas Tech, and Maryland, but lost to Penn and Drexel.

“As a coach, at this point, you expect the unexpected,” Neptune said. “I’m not surprised by anything. You could have a leprechaun walk through here right now and I’d be like, ‘All right.’ … Whatever happens, happens. We’ll deal with it and move on to the next situation.”

Through a combination of good defense, missed open shots, and low confidence, Villanova struggled to make shots in the first half.

Through a combination of good defense, missed open shots, and low confidence, UCLA struggled to make shots in the first half.

Midway through the half, Villanova missed 13 consecutive shots. At the end of the stretch, UCLA only led by two. Villanova’s defense was solid but was not solely responsible for the Bruins’ struggles.

The Wildcats were 4-for-19 in the first half from the three-point line. Graduate guard Hakim Hart was the only Wildcat to make multiple threes in the half, going 2-for-3.

Villanova’s second half scoring came courtesy of two bursts: an 11-7 run with four consecutive baskets and the Hausen-fueled 11-0 run.

The first was bizarre. After a first half with one instance of consecutive made shots, Mark Armstrong, Eric Dixon, and Tyler Burton made threes on three straight trips down the court. TJ Bamba punctuated the run with a two-handed slam to reclaim the lead for Villanova.

Still, as has been the story for much of the season, the Wildcats could not maintain that shooting. They then bricked eight consecutive shots, yet made enough free throws to be even with the Bruins, 45-45, after a Hart three broke the ice.

Then Hausen caught fire. Even with the slump, Neptune brought Hausen off the bench whenever the Wildcats went against a zone defense, hoping the added space would lead to open looks for Hausen. The guard got two and made no mistake, giving Villanova a lead it never relinquished.

“If you don’t think we told them No. 1 [Hausen] can shoot, you’re crazy,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “... We got exactly what we deserved.”

UCLA never fully went away, but the Wildcats made their free throws to clinch the win. Burton was the leading scorer with 18, though 11 came from the charity stripe. Hart was the only other Wildcat in double figures, adding 10. The Wildcats were plus-17 in Hart’s 27 minutes.

Though it proved enough to win, it still was not a good shooting night for Villanova. The Wildcats shot 19 of 58 (32.8%) from the field, 11 for 35 (31.4%) from three.

» READ MORE: Behind Villanova’s struggles: A three-point shooting slump and troubles against the zone

Faced with defending a UCLA team that starts 6-foot-10 Adem Bona and 7-3 Aday Mara, Neptune got creative with his lineups. The second-half stretch with eight consecutive misses started when Neptune paired 6-9 Lance Ware with 6-9 Nnanna Njoku. While the two brought little offensively, they helped shut down Bona and Mara. Bona had 11 points, while Mara was held to eight.

Njoku in particular was impressive. Villanova was plus-7 in his seven minutes of play. The big man grabbed three rebounds and added two blocks.

“He’s a defensive juggernaut,” Neptune said. “These guys have all experienced it in practice. I was glad that he got out there and got to contribute. He was big time for us.”

Villanova gets 10 days off before traveling to Omaha, Neb., to take on No. 10 Creighton (8-1) in both teams’ Big East opener (9 p.m., FS1). The Wildcats will face DePaul (2-7) on the same road trip. The Wildcats hope their leader, graduate guard Justin Moore, will have recovered enough from a right knee sprain to be available for both games.