By Andy Walter

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — On a stage that is often too big for the underdogs that get here, Delaware actually found out its footing quickly this afternoon.

Nine minutes into its NCAA Tournament matchup with heavily-favored Villanova, the Blue Hens held a seven-point lead.

But it was too good to last.

The Wildcats, ranked sixth nationally, took control late in the first half and eventually put away a 80-60 victory over Delaware in the first round of the South Region at PPG Arena.

The CAA champion Hens (22-13) were trying to become just the 11th No. 15 seed to topple a No. 2 seed in the tourney’s history. Instead, they fell to 0-16 all-time vs. Villanova, 0-35 against Top-25 teams and 0-6 in the NCAAs.

Delaware's young players led the way on Friday with freshman Jyare Davis netting a team-high 17 points and second-year player Andrew Carr adding 13.

Big East champion Villanova got 21 from Justin Moore and double-figure scoring from a total of five players. Wildcats ended up sinking 13-of-28 free throws.

Still, Delaware played one of its more competitive games in its six NCAA tourney appearances. The Hens were in the Big Dance for the first time since 2014.

Unlike in some of the Hens’ other NCAA tourney losses, Delaware made this a competitive game for the entire first half.

When Dylan Painter drove across the lane to score inside, the Hens owned a 15-8 advantage midway through the first half. That might be as big a lead as Delaware has held in a NCAA Tournament game.

The Hens were still in front, 23-20, when Davis scored inside with 6:02 left before intermission.

But Villanova asserted itself in the final five minutes of the half. The Wildcats ended the half on a 15-2 run, hitting three three-pointers in the spree, to take a 35-25 lead into intermission.

Delaware, on the other hand, made only one of its final 10 shots in the last five minutes as the Wildcats opened up their double-digit lead.

Follow Andy Walter on Twitter @DSNSport