Recap: Connecticut vs. Villanova

Hartford, CT (Sports Network) - Freshman Ryan Arcidiacono buried 5-of-8 3- pointers en route to a game-high 25 points, as the Villanova Wildcats topped the Connecticut Huskies, 70-61, in Big East Conference action from the XL Center.

Mouphtaou Yarou scored 11 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to help the Wildcats (16-10, 7-6 Big East) end a four-game slide in the head-to-head series with UConn. JayVaughn Pinkston tallied 14 points and nine rebounds, and James Bell scored 11 points, all in the second half.

Omar Calhoun led the way with 16 points for the Huskies (17-7, 7-5), who lost at home for only the second time this season. Deandre Daniels and Niels Giffey added 13 and 11 points, respectively. However, UConn's top two scorers, Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatwright, combined for only six points on 3-of-15 shooting.

Villanova shot just 32 percent from the floor in the first half while UConn shot 52 percent. But the Wildcats atoned for their misses by crashing the offensive glass, as they trailed by only a 33-30 margin at the break. The half featured an early 11-0 run by Villanova, as well as a 14-3 spurt by the Huskies.

After the Huskies went up, 43-36, on a followup by Giffey with 14:27 to play, Villanova went on a decisive 14-2 run to go up by seven with 9:35 to play. Arcidiacono scored eight points during the run, highlighted by a pair of 3- pointers. The Wildcats held on for the victory by limiting UConn to one field goal in a span of six minutes down the stretch.

Villanova forced 19 turnovers for the game and also held a 41-25 rebounding advantage, which included a pivotal 20-5 edge on the offensive boards.