On Monday, Nov. 4, the seats and student sections of basketball arenas nationwide neared maximum capacity, and the Finneran Pavilion was no exception. 

In front of its home crowd, Villanova men’s basketball began its 2024-2025 season, defeating Lafayette 75-63. 

Head coach Kyle Neptune noted the team’s slow start but the strong finish. For much of the game, the deficit between the Wildcats and the Leopards was single digits. 

“I thought we got some stops when we needed them,” Neptune said. “I thought we rebounded the ball pretty well. Obviously we turned the ball over a lot more than we normally want to, but I’m proud our guys came out and competed.” 

Senior guard Wooga Poplar led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 8-13 from the field. A Philadelphia native, Poplar said he had over 15 family and friends at the game, and returned to his hometown with a strong opening night performance.

“I try to do everything across the board,” Poplar said. “Even if it’s rebounding or defending, I just try to do what my team needs.” 

Neptune had high praise for the new addition of Poplar. 

“Wooga Poplar is arguably one of the best shooters we’ve had here,” Neptune said.

The Wildcats were without graduate forward Eric Dixon, who is serving a one-game NCAA suspension for participating in an unauthorized pre-draft event this summer. The Wildcats were also missing freshman forward Matthew Hodge, who is in the process of meeting NCAA eligibility requirements. Redshirt freshman Jordan Dummont was also not in uniform due to an injury.

“I don’t think we even addressed [Dixon’s absence] as a team,” Neptune said. “We literally didn’t even address it. We knew he was going to be out and we knew all the guys were gonna have to step up.” 

Perkins started in place of Dixon and recorded 13 points, going 5-11 from the field. 

Perkins was a member of the Penn team who beat Villanova last season, but is now a Wildcat, and was excited about the atmosphere. 

“It’s amazing,” Perkins said. “It just shows what kind of place this is and I’m just glad to be here and be a part of the team.”

Graduate guard Jhamir Brickus and senior forward Enoch Boakye also reached double figures. Boakye scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Brickus scored 11 points and dished out three assists. 

Senior guard Jordan Longino struggled from beyond the arc. In the first half, Longino went 1-9 from field goal and recorded just two points leading up to the intermission. Longino finished the game with just eight points. 

The game was fast-paced, with early action on both ends of the court. The Wildcats held a 10-5 lead at the 15-minute mark as a result of several Lafayette turnovers and Wildcat possession. 

Following the timeout, several other starters were taken out and replaced by the likes of redshirt junior forward Nnanna Njoku and freshman forward Josiah Moseley.

Despite having several good spells of possession Lafayette continued to stay in the game. With a 1:25 left in the first half, the Wildcats lead by just one point. 

Coming out of halftime, the Wildcats continued to get good looks but initially struggled to knock them down. The Wildcats started to make some shots, leading 43-37 with 15 minutes left in the second half. 

This run, followed by an emphatic dunk by Boakye, sprung the Wildcats to a 11-point lead. 

Neptune returned for year three on Monday night with a team that showed flashes of improvement but also some of the same inconsistencies as the past two seasons. 

Despite the defensive presence of Boakye and the court vision of Brickus, the Wildcats struggled to knock down shots and defend Lafayette’s primary scorers. 

Nevertheless, the Wildcats eventually pulled away and secured a double-digit victory. 

Although the Wildcats were missing their best player, the performance demonstrated just how important Dixon is to this team’s ability to perform to its own standards. 

With Monday’s game completed, the Wildcats will have just 48 hours before a Wednesday night matchup with Columbia. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Finneran Pavilion.