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VILLANOVA, Pa. Kirby Puckett Grey Jersey . -- Patrick Farrell missed his first free throw, and was off on his second. With only 19 seconds left in the game, the pressure was on for Farrell to make the third. The Villanova fans stood and cheered, and his teammates were stoked, yelling from the bench at the sophomore forward that the final one would be good. Farrell practiced his motion, took a breath, released, and watched as the basketball bounced twice around the rim before it plopped through the net. The eighth-ranked Wildcats went wild, celebrating Farrells first point of the season like a game-winner, and not just the finishing touches of a 67-48 victory over Butler on Wednesday night. For a team that played about 30 minutes of basketball to forget, that moment of team bonding for the deepest of deep reserves was one to remember. "I love that," coach Jay Wright said. "Thats whats special about this team." The Wildcats (25-3, 13-2 Big East) survived one of their worst halves of the season to win for the ninth time in 10 games. They needed almost the first 10 minutes of the game to score 10 points, missed eight of their first nine 3-point attempts, and didnt have a player reach double digits in scoring until midway through the second half. "Youve got to find a way to grind against them," Wright said. "Ill take that." Darrun Hilliard and James Bell led them with only 11 points each and the Wildcats put up the kind of numbers that usually lead to a loss. Not against the lowly Bulldogs (12-16, 2-14). Butler was even worse, shooting only 26 per cent in the first half, and the Bulldogs lost their seventh straight game. The Wildcats had a small hot streak at the end of the first half, making 5 of 6 shots, to build enough of a cushion and slowly pull away. The Wildcats fell shy of their 79.9 points per game average and played for about 35 minutes looking nothing like the team that has become one of the best in the Big East. Each team took turns trading clunkers and clangers in the first 10 minutes, one reason the Wildcats only led 10-4. With 6 minutes left in the half, the Bulldogs and Wildcats combined for only 26 points. And no, Bo Ryan wasnt coaching either of the teams. The Pavilion had all the atmosphere of an art museum on a sleepy Sunday morning, making this one feel more like a bad NBA preseason game than the final on-campus home game of the season. Wright did let senior reserves Nick McMahon and Tony Chennault start -- though McMahon played only 20 seconds before he was benched for Ryan Arcidiacono. McMahon couldnt have been worse than the rest of the offence. Villanova missed 12 of its first 15 shots, most from 3-point range. The Wildcats were determined to keep shooting 3s until they fell. Bell and Arcidiacono did hit two straight near the end of the first half for a 28-15 lead. Butlers Kellen Dunham buried the shot of the game with a high banker for 3 that cut it to 34-20 at halftime. He led Butler with 12 points. Hard to believe these teams needed overtime before Villanova pulled out the win in their first matchup. "We didnt have it tonight," coach Brandon Miller said. "When you keep getting the results you dont want, it weighs on you a little bit." Bell was the lone senior regular for the Wildcats and exchanged an emotional hug with Wright after he checked out for the final time. "It was tough," Bell said. "I dont see my mom that much. My dad works a lot, doesnt really get the chance to get down that much. That was probably the toughest part, seeing my mom crying. Other than that, it was time to play." Pick a stat in the first half and both teams probably wish the number could be wiped from the record book. Butler missed 8 of 10 3s; Nova missed 12 of 16. Butler had two starters who went scoreless in the half. The Wildcats shot 38 per cent from the field. But theres a reason the Wildcats have spent most of the season in the Top 25, and they showed why in the second half, going more than 25 minutes without a turnover during a 16-3 run that stretched the lead to 24 points. Butler scored six baskets in the first half, and didnt reach seven for a second-half total until there was 1:51 left. While the Wildcats are in the hunt for a top-three seed in the NCAA tournament, the Bulldogs need a shocking conference tournament championship to have any shot at returning for some March Madness. "This is a really good group to coach," Wright said. "Its been a pleasure all year. But it cant let that prevent us from driving them and them driving themselves to get better." Kent Hrbek Jersey .The sixth-ranked Mount Allison Mounties and No. 3 Marauders will bring very similar styles to McMasters Ron Joyce Stadium on Saturday for the Vanier Cup semifinal. Kent Hrbek Twins Jersey . The halftime video session worked. The Rockets didnt make another 3, and were held to a franchise-low in points in the second half of the Thunders 104-92 win. Napoli failed to mathematically secure third spot in Serie A as it was held to an entertaining 0-0 draw at Inter Milan on Saturday. Ealier, Fiorentina crushed relegation-threatened Bologna 3-0 to keep alive its faint hopes of snatching the final Champions League berth from Napoli. Fiorentina moved to eight points behind Napoli with three rounds remaining. The two meet in the Italian Cup final next Saturday. Napoli star striker Gonzalo Higuain faces a race to be fit in time after being taken off on a stretcher four minutes from time following a tackle on Marco Andreolli. The Argentina forward, who has 20 goals in all competitions this season, has heavy bruising on his ankle but his World Cup hope is not at risk. "Its a good result, but we could have won this match," Napoli coach Rafael Benitez said. "Higuain has heavy bruising and we have to evaluate his injury. We still dont know, the doctor isnt saying anything more, at least not for now." Both managers were facing former teams at San Siro as Walter Mazzarri coached Napoli for four years before moving to Inter last summer. It was Benitezs first match at Inter since his dismissal in December 2010 following a brief tenure. "In the first half we played a great gamme," Mazzarri said. Trevor Plouffe Cream Jersey. "We suffered a bit with their counterattacks, but we would have deserved a goal. In the second half we lacked strength. Its a pity, we could have won if we had managed to score in the first half." Both teams enjoyed numerous opportunities but couldnt score. Gokhan Inler went closest with an effort which crashed off the right post eight minutes from time for Napoli. There was controversy in the first half as Palacio fell under a tackle from Miguel Britos as he was about to burst into the box but the referee flashed only a yellow card with Inter players and fans calling for a red. Inter remained fifth, four points behind Fiorentina, which is all but mathematically sure of a Europa League spot next season after Juan Cuadrados brace. Bologna started brightly but Fiorentina began to get into the game and broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute when Cuadrado volleyed home Joaquins low cross at the far post. Josip Ilicic doubled Fiorentinas lead 12 minutes later with a 25-meter effort, which took a deflection off Michele Pazienza to loop over Gianluca Curci. Cuadrado sealed the result three minutes from time as he raced past his marker before unleashing a rocket from outside the area. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
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