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But he sure did finish.

After getting benched to start the game because of what Villanova coach Jay Wright called a "teaching moment," Reynolds hit a clutch 3-pointer and then two foul shots with 9.1 seconds left in overtime to help No. 2 Villanova escape with a 73-70 victory over No. 15 Robert Morris in a first-round South Regional game at the Dunkin Donuts Center.

"In the latter half of the game and into overtime we were able to get to the rim, get to the line and I think that was the biggest difference in the game," said Reynolds, who finished with a team-best 20 points despite finishing just 2-for-15 from the field.

Both Reynolds and Jay Wright, whose team reached the Final Four a year ago, declined to say exactly why Reynolds and junior guard Corey Fisher didn't start, other than to say it was a teaching moment.

"I don't think we're going to share that," Reynolds said. "I don't think Coach Wright will share that, either. I learned from it, move on from it."

Instead of becoming the fifth No. 2 seed to fall to a No. 15, and the first since Hampton downed Iowa State in 2001, the Wildcats (25-7) survived and advanced to face No. 10 St. Mary's on Saturday. The Gaels downed No. 7 Richmond, 80-71.

Leading up to the game, Robert Morris coach Mike Rice handed out material to his team reminding the players of the other upsets by No. 15 seeds, including the 1993 game in which a young, short-haired Steve Nash led Santa Clara over Arizona. Rice said Wednesday he would've cut down the nets had his team won.

"I would've loved to have been on that list," Rice said.. "Being the fifth team on that list would've been something to remember."

Reynolds' performance overshadowed a brilliant performance by Robert Morris freshman guard Karon Abraham. Abraham, a Paterson, N.J., native, scored a game-high 23 points and was 5 of 11 from deep.

Abraham, the Northeast Conference rookie of the year, is listed at 5-9, 150, but Rice joked that he's probably closer to 5-6, 135. Rice landed him out of Paterson Eastside High and the Playaz Basketball Club AAU program when no one else was really recruiting him.

Abraham wowed the fans all game with his 3-point range and his athleticism. His baseline drive and reverse layup that hung on the rim and then fell in during the second half was one of the game's highlight.

It was Abraham's long 3-pointer with 10.2 seconds left that cut the Villanova lead to 71-70 in the OT.

"He is gutsy," Rice said of Abraham. "God, I love him.

After Reynolds hit two foul shots to give Villanova a 73-70 lead, Mezie Nwigwe (13 points) missed a potential game 3-pointer off the rim at the buzzer.

Abraham was double-teamed away from the ball but he said he wished he had taken the shot.

"I felt if I got my hands on the ball I had a good chance on making that last shot," Abraham said. "We got the short end of the stick but we'll look ahead."

For the third straight year, Villanova struggled in a first-round game.

Two years ago, Villanova trailed Clemson by 18 in the first round and last year were down to American by 14 in Philadelphia. The biggest deficit against the Colonials was nine points in the first half.

"As bad as this seemed, we were in the game more than we normally are," Wright joked.

Reynolds scored six straight from the line during an 8-0 run that tied it at 55 after Villanova trailed by eight with 4:19 remaining.

Playing without point guard Velton Jones, who fouled out with 3:57 minutes remaining, Robert Morris had four consecutive unproductive possessions that allowed the lead to fritter away and Villanova to tie it.

"At that point in time, you can't come away with nothing," Rice said. "I know we didn't get what we wanted."

Villanova scored the first six points of the overtime to take a 64-58 lead, getting four points from 6-10 freshman Mouphtaou Yarou, who finished with 13.

After making just 1 of his first 14 shots, Reynolds hit a huge 3-pointer to extend the lead to 67-61 with 1:14 remaining.

With Robert Morris trailing 68-63, Rice went apoplectic on the sideline when the officials called a foul on Dallas Green instead of calling for a jump ball when Green and Corey Stokes both had a hand on the ball. One official initially called for a jump ball, but was overruled.

Rice, 41, may well have coach his last game at Robert Morris.

A rising star who has taken Robert Morris to back-to-back NCAA tournaments, he is a Fordham alum who will interview for that job sometime soon.

He could also be a good fit at Seton Hall, which on Wednesday fired Bobby Gonzalez after four seasons.

"I think Mike Rice would be a good candidate for any job," Wright said. "He's got great passion. He's an excellent leader. He's a very good recruiter. And I would recommend him for any job."