The Villanova University Wildcats were firing on all cylinders Saturday when they defeated St. Joe’s, 81-52, while the usually reliable sharpshooters for the Hawks misfired badly, shooting 22% from three. Redshirt senior forward Taylor Funk and junior guard Jack Forrest combined to go 0-for-8 from deep.
If that doesn’t change by the time Atlantic 10 play starts, the Hawks are in trouble.
Billy Lange served on Jay Wright’s staff as an assistant coach from 2001-2004 and as associate head coach from 2011-2013.
The bright spot for the Hawks continues to be graduate student forward/center Ejike Obinna, who continued his impressive streak of efficiency, shooting 5-for-6 from the field. No matter who was guarding him down low, Obinna made his presence felt in the post.
Funk went scoreless for the first time in his college career.
Junior guard Cam Brown posts up against Villanova guard Colin Gillespie.
When asked about why Funk struggled, Head Coach Billy Lange pointed to the team play of Villanova.
“Every single guy in a Villanova basketball jersey, they make you take challenged shots, and then all of a sudden you get open ones, and they feel a little bit more rushed than they probably are,” Lange said.
Fith-year forward/center Ejike Obinna slams home a dunk.
Another player who did well for the Hawks was sophomore guard/forward Jordan Hall, who scored 22 points on Saturday. However, the Hawks’ star will continue to look to be more efficient. Some garbage-time buckets led to an average day shooting for Hall, as he went 8-for-20 from the field.
“Where I’ve seen great growth in Jordan overall, and what I did feel tonight is he’s becoming more stable emotionally, mentally, psychologically,” Lange said. “He’s turning into a better leader and a better competitor which is encouraging for us.”
Sophomore guard/forward Jordan Hall shoots a jumper.
Along with Funk, junior guard Dahmir Bishop and first year guard/forward Kacper Klaczek couldn’t find a way to score on Saturday, adding to the Hawks’ woes. Bishop and Klaczek are usually important contributors off the bench.
The Hawks defended the perimeter poorly. Villanova shot 52% from downtown, with Villanova graduate student guard Collin Gillespie as the cornerstone of their three-point attack, knocking down five of them.
Junior guard Jack Forrest drives to the basket with Gillespie close behind.
“That is a great Villanova basketball team. I believe it’s the best team [Jay Wright] has had in 20 years,” said Lange of the sixth-ranked team in the country.
Up next for the Hawks, the University of Pennsylvania comes to Hagan Arena on Dec. 8 for another Big 5 matchup.
This article was first published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on December 5th as part of the Inquirer’s college correspondent program.
