Darrun Hilliard Lifts No. 6 Nova Over Butler With Late Dagger
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Darrun Hilliard rallied No. 6 Villanova in the second half and hit a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left Saturday to give the Wildcats a 68-65 victory over No. 18 Butler.
The Bulldogs could have forced overtime, but Kelan Martin's 3 from the left wing came up short at the buzzer.
Hilliard finished with a career-high 31 points, 20 in the second half when he knocked down five 3-pointers. JayVaughn Pinkston added 12 as Villanova (23-2, 10-2 Big East) won its sixth in a row.
Butler (18-7, 8-4) sure made things difficult, though. Kellen Dunham and Alex Barlow each had 19 points, and Barlow's 3 with 2:41 to go gave the Bulldogs a 63-62 lead.
Hilliard answered with three free throws with 1:24 left to make it 65-63 and, after Roosevelt Jones tied the score on an acrobatic layup with 17.3 seconds left, Hilliard made the last of his 3s.
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