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Following a devastating loss against Columbia on Wednesday, Villanova needed to come out punching. And that they did, taking care of business against the 332 KenPom-ranked NJIT Highlanders on Friday in a 91-54 victory.
Photo: Villanova Men's Basketball (@NovaMBB on Twitter)
“I thought our guys came out and played extremely hard from the tip to the last buzzer," Coach Kyle Neptune said. "I thought we were locked in, [and showed] attention to detail with [NJIT’s] personnel.” Coach Neptune thought Nova didn’t “set the tone” against Columbia, and although Villanova started the game down 11-6, they took a 12-11 lead at the 14:13 mark in the 1st half and never looked back, ending the first half up 41-25.
Asked what changed from the last game, Neptune said Villanova “came out, we knew we had to play a full forty minutes just for the people in our locker room.” And that they did, as Villanova was phenomenal on both ends of the floor. The Wildcats were much better with the ball this game, with 16 assists to just 5 turnovers. They ended the day shooting 47.8% from beyond the arc, 57.1% from the floor, hauled in 38 rebounds, forced 12 TO, and ultimately led the game for over 35 minutes. Eric Dixon led the charge here, scoring 22 with 10 rebounds and two assists, followed by Wooga Poplar, Enoch Boakye, and Tyler Perkins who all had 12 points.
Kris Parker played the best game in his young career as a Wildcat, scoring 11 in just 18 minutes of play. The former 4 star showed the promise that had him as the 41st-ranked SF in the country, and Villanova hopes they can tap into that moving forward in what will be a crucial role off of their bench.
The Cats will have a long weekend ahead of the Holy War matchup against a hungry St. Joseph’s team on Tuesday. The Hawks lost to Central Connecticut on Friday and will look to bounce back against their BIG 5 rival.
Jhamir Brickus, a transfer from La Salle, had 9 points and 3 assists tonight. Speaking on his early time here on the Main Line, Brickus discussed the love so far at Villanova, with the fans being “like nothing else…everyone has welcomed me with open arms.” Jhamir is very familiar with his former A-10 foe St. Joe’s. “[The Big 5 games] are definitely intense, everyone competing for one thing, they are definitely more intense.”
The Cats will be out for revenge against the Hawks after a demoralizing 13-point loss last season. In order to overcome St. Joe’s, Villanova will have to contain the three Hawks stars of Rasheer Fleming, Xzayvier Brown, and Eric Reynolds, who combined for 52 points in their matchup last year. Central Connecticut was able to hold Fleming, who is projected to be a pro come April, to just 5 points and 1 for 11 shooting from three-point range. The Holy War will take place at 5 PM in Hagan Arena on Tuesday, November 12th.
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