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Defending National Champion Villanova lost his second straight game on Saturday. It was the first time the No. 8 Wildcats had lost their consecutive games since the end of the 2012-13 season.
Three days after being eliminated by Michigan No. 18 73-46 in a rematch of the April national championship game, Villanova (2-2) was inclined at home against Furman 76-68 in extension.
Before Saturday, Nova was the only team not to lose consecutive games since the start of the 2013-14 season.
According to research by Elias Sports Bureau, the last defending national champion to start the draw 2-2 or less in four games the following season was UCLA in 1995-96 (2-2). Villanova also started 2-2 in 1985-86, the season after his first national title.
The Wildcats have not lost two of their first four games since 1997-1998, before the arrival of coach Jay Wright.
After losing four players to the national championship team last season at the NBA draft, Wright continues to look for his best rotation. Saturday, freshman Jahvon Quinerly, a five-star rookie, did not enter the match after playing significant minutes in Villanova's first three games.
The Wildcats' depth took a hit Friday, when the team announced that the second-year redshirt, Dylan Painter, would be transferred.
It was an early start for Furman, who had already beaten two teams in the Final Four of the previous season (Loyola Chicago and Villanova). Junior guard Jordan Lyons also tied the Division I record with 15-3 points on Wednesday against North Greenville.
Lyons had a lot of big pits against Nova on Saturday, including one that allowed Furman to beat 48-46 with just over 8 minutes to play. In the company of senior striker Matt Rafferty, he concocted huge baskets in overtime to give the Paladins a 7-0 lead, which beat the Paladins 69-63 at the last minute. crowd at Finneran Pavilion recently renovated.
Villanova will then face Canisius at the Advocare Invitational in Orlando, Florida on Thanksgiving Day.
ESPN Stats & Information and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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