BOSTON _ To advance to its second Final Four in the last three years, Villanova had to withstand the grinder that was the Texas Tech defense, needing to work for every point it could get.
The Wildcats took a 15-point lead early in the second half and watched it gradually diminish during a horrendous 3-for-20 shooting stretch over a span of more than 12 minutes. But they increased their own defensive intensity and hit their free throws down the stretch to defeat the Red Raiders, 71-59, and move on to San Antonio.
Villanova (34-4), the top seed in the East Regional and the 2016 national champion, will be playing the winner of Sunday's other regional final game between Kansas and Duke in its third Final Four in the last 10 years.
The Wildcats shot a season-low 33.3 percent from the floor. After knocking down a record 44 three-point baskets in their first three NCAA tournament games, they managed just four on Sunday and shot their lowest percentage (16.7) of the season.
But they outrebounded the Red Raiders 51-33 and pulled down 20 offensive boards.
Texas Tech (27-10), the third seed, was limited to 33.3 percent shooting. Keenan Evans, its leading scorer with a 17.7-point average, shot just 3 of 14 from the field and scored a team-high 12 points.
Jalen Brunson, who shot just 4 of 14, led 'Nova with 15 points and was named Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional. Eric Paschall added 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while Donte DiVincenzo and Mikal Bridges chipped in with 12 points apiece.
Leading 36-23 at the half, Villanova made three of its first four shots in the second half to take its largest lead at 15, 43-28, with 17:23 to play. But the Red Raiders dug in on defense from that point and every trip down the floor was a struggle for the Wildcats.
After their 3-for-4 start, the Cats made just 2 of their next 15 until Bridges hit a running bank shot with 7:08 remaining, scoring just nine points in a 10-minute span. Texas Tech scored on its next two possessions, including a three-pointer by Brandone Francis that reduced the 'Nova lead to 52-47 with 6:04 left.
The Wildcats scored on their next two possessions to help maintain the five-point advantage. One free throw by Paschall and two by Bridges boosted their lead to 59-51 with 2:57 to play. After Tech hit two free throws, Brunson hit a tough turnaround shot to make it 61-53.
After that, the Wildcats knocked down 10 consecutive free throws to finish out the scoring. When the buzzer sounded, players on the Villanova bench emptied out to the court to jubilantly hug their teammates.
The Wildcats scored the last seven points of the first half, holding the Red Raiders without a point for the final 3:01, and took a 36-23 lead into the locker room. In holding Texas Tech to its lowest first half point total of the season, they limited the Red Raiders to 33.3 percent shooting.
Bridges was limited to 12 minutes and Omari Spellman 14 because of foul trouble. Paschall helped make up for their production with nine points and six rebounds, while freshman Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree contributed four points and seven rebounds in nine minutes.
The Wildcats rebounded from a slow start. They trailed 7-0 in the opening 2 { minutes before coming back to take their first lead, 15-13, on a three-point basket by DiVincenzo with 12:08 remaining, and Villanova would never trail the rest of the way.
DiVincenzo's basket sparked an 11-2 run that included four free throws by Paschall and gave 'Nova a 21-15 lead with 9:41 left in the period. During the spurt, Texas Tech made just one of eight shots from the floor. Evans broke a 3-minute dry spell with a short jumper with 8:27 to play but the Red Raiders would make just two more field goals the rest of the half.
