The Wildcats (11-16, 4-11 Big East) led, 26-8, with 8 minutes, 26 seconds remaining in the first half, but the Huskies (17-10, 7-8) had the game tied by halftime. Villanova had a two-point lead - and the ball - with 32.6 seconds to play in regulation, but Dominic Cheek's poor decision on an inbounds pass led to a turnover and the tying basket for UConn.
Then, in overtime, as the Wildcats tied the game on Ty Johnson's driving layup with 5.4 seconds to play, all that scrapping and hustling wasn't good enough as Napier drained the game-winner.
"Right after the game, it's painful," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "I feel more for the players. Being a coach, you've been through this and you know this is part of the process to being successful. You've got to earn it.
"With this group, our juniors haven't been in a leadership position to earn this yet. Our young guys haven't been here. So we're earning this. You've got to go through these situations. You've got to take the heat and stay strong through this and make sure it pulls you together."
Counting a Jan. 28 game against Marquette at the Wells Fargo Center, when they led by 18 in the first half and lost, the Wildcats have blown big leads and lost three times in their last six games.
Villanova played for the second straight game without two starters - Maalik Wayns (sprained left knee), their leading scorer, and James Bell (sprained left ankle). Wright said Wayns, who told his coach before the game he couldn't go, went up to him at halftime and offered to play.
"He came to me and said, 'I want to try it,' " Wright said. "I knew he was very frustrated before the game. So I knew nothing changed in-between except for the fact that he couldn't stand sitting there watching his team. At halftime, he wanted to go in and play."
