PHILADELPHIA >> Go ahead, advance the basket. Villanova dares you.
On a night aback the fifth-ranked Wildcats denticulate added credibility than they accept in about 15 years, abundant of the focus was on aegis afterward Tuesday’s 113-77 abolition of Nicholls at the Wells Fargo Center.
That’s what happens aback you set a affairs almanac for blocked shots with 13, force 17 turnovers and annoy the activity into 38.6 percent cutting from the field. And the alarming affair is the Wildcats are not abutting to actuality area they appetite to be on the arresting end.
“We accept to get bigger with our technique,” inferior swingman Mikal Bridges said. “Technique is a big affair with us and we accept a accomplished year to get bigger at it.”
Jay Wright seconded that sentiment.
“We’re a aggregation that needs a lot of work,” the Villanova drillmaster said. “This is a adolescent aggregation for us. Usually we accept added juniors and seniors. We accept no seniors and we’re arena a lot of freshmen so we accept a lot of assignment to do, but I anticipate we accept the abeyant to be a acceptable arresting aggregation and I anticipate you saw some of that tonight. It was added athleticism than it was arresting technique.”
That address will come, Wright and his agents will accomplish abiding of that. Villanova’s athleticism was abundant to authority a Nicholls aggregation to 35 beneath credibility than it denticulate in its opener and alone a backward billow in the additional bisected fabricated the cutting percentages respectable.
Leading that arresting allegation for the Wildcats (2-0) were Bridges and redshirt apprentice Omari Spellman. They blocked four shots apiece, both career highs, and teamed up on an eight-second arrangement in the aboriginal bisected that set the arresting accent for the evening.
Bridges blocked a jumper by Roddy Peters, who affective the backlash and approved again, alone to be alone by Bridges a additional time. Tevon Saddler pulled bottomward the backlash alone to accept his put-back attack beatific abroad by Spellman.
“I bethink that,” Bridges said. “We didn’t let up. They got the abhorrent rebound, cipher chock-full and (Spellman) got addition block. There was a lot of acceptable activity and we were all accursed up off of that and that’s what we should be accursed up over, arresting things, not offensive.”
There was a lot to be aflame about on the abhorrent end, too. The 113 credibility were the best the Wildcats denticulate in a bold at the Wells Fargo Center and the best aback they put up 114 on Redland Nov. 22, 2003.
Bridges led the way with a career-high 23 credibility and was 7-for-11 from the field, which included a 4-for-7 night from three-point land. Yet he was added appreciative of the four blocks, bristles steals and four assists he had than the points.
“I don’t try to anticipate about it,” Bridges said. “I aloof go out there and comedy as adamantine as I can and defend. That’s what I’ve been accomplishing aback a got actuality … I booty pride in defending, accepting into casual lanes, pressuring people, things like that. As drillmaster says, if you avert and rebound, acceptable things appear to you.”
Defense translated into credibility on the abhorrent end for the Wildcats. Everyone got in on the action. Once afresh Donte DiVincenzo was a atom off the bench, cutting 6-for-8 overall, 2-for-3 from above the arc and finishing with 20 points. He’s averaging 16.5 points, which agency he has best up area he larboard off. The 6-5 green bouncer averaged 18 credibility a bold in the NCAA clash aftermost year.
“A lot of it was aloof aplomb from the earlier guys that we had. Josh (Hart), Kris (Jenkins), and Darrell (Reynolds),” DiVincenzo said. “They did an amazing job architecture me up, abnormally aback I was bottomward and activity agitated about some performances. They brought me aback up and with those three leaders actuality gone and jumping from year one to year two, my administration cycle has been expanding. We accept a lot of weapons on this aggregation and a lot of able-bodied guys so the better change would be demography that administration role.”
Jalen Brunson (17 points), Phil Booth (12), Eric Paschall (11) and Collin Gillespie (10) additionally accomplished bifold figures. Spellman had nine credibility and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree added eight. Those were career highs for Gillespie and Cosby-Roundtree, who are both freshmen.
As a team, Villanova affiliated on 57.5 percent of its attempts from the field, the additional best cutting day the Wildcats accept had at the Wells Fargo Center. And it all started on the arresting end.
“We had abundant activity and we about did it for 40 minutes,” Wright said. “It’s adamantine to do it for 40 account at this point of the season, but we did a appealing acceptable job.”
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NOTES >> The Wildcats accept won eight beeline at the Wells Fargo Center, to tie their longest acceptable band in the building. Villanova has won 16 of 17 and 19 of 21 in South Philly aback the alpha of the 2012-13 season. … Villanova topped the aeon mark for the 65th time in affairs history and the 15th time beneath Wright. … Up abutting for the Wildcats is a doubleheader Friday night at the PPL Center. The women booty on Lehigh in the opener at 5 p.m. The men face Lafayette, accomplished by above Villanova great, Fran O’Hanlon, in the nightcap at 8.
