Villanova sets record for 3s

SAN ANTONIO » One by one, Villanova keeps winning games and getting closer to another national title.

Three by three, the Wildcats kept knocking down shots, making sure Kansas wouldn’t get in their way.

Villanova made a Final Four-record 18 3-pointers March 31 and also became the most prolific 3-point shooting team in collegehoops history, playing long ball to snuff out the Jayhawks early in a 95-79 victory.

Junior wingman Eric Paschall led the barrage, going 4-for-5 from 3, 10-for-11 overall, and finishing with a career-high 24 points.

But the hoop was as wide as the Alamodome for pretty much everyone in a Wildcats jersey. Seven ‘Nova players made 3s. Villanova shot 50 percent from behind the arc in the first half to put things out of reach — and 45 percent for the game.

“That happens sometimes when you’re a goodshooting team and when you start that way,” Villanova

coach Jay Wright said. “It’s hard for Kansas, it’s hard to come back. That doesn’t happen often. We’re lucky it happened tonight.”

Next up is Michigan, which will try to guard the perimeter April 2 when Villanova (35-5) goes for its second title in three seasons. Good luck with that. Nobody has had much success this season, and in what turned out to be an unexpectedly lopsided matchup between top seeds, Kansas (31-8) certainly didn’t Saturday night. Player of the Year Jalen Brunson made three 3s and finished with 18 points. Omari Spellman made three, as well, in a 15-point, 13-rebound monster game.

About 1 minute into the second half, Paschall drained a 3 for Villanova’s 14th of the game, breaking a Final Four record first set by UNLV in 1987.