Villanova (1-1) struggled in its second game of the season, falling 90-80 to Columbia on Wednesday. The loss is Villanova’s first to Columbia since 1969.
“Credit goes to [Columbia],” Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune said. “They came in and executed their game plan. They got into us. They were scrappy. They switched their defenses. They turned us over. And then on the other end when we were making our runs, they had answers.”
Graduate forward Eric Dixon led the Villanova offense with 33 points. Dixon found his offensive rhythm quickly in his first game back from a one-game NCAA suspension. He scored 19 of Villanova’s 37 first-half points. Dixon crossed the 1,500-point mark for his career with his first basket of the game, and was just one point shy of tying his career high of 34 points.
“It’s a great honor,” Dixon said. “My coaches and my teammates throughout my six years here all contributed to this. Obviously it’s not the main focus tonight, but it’s something I’m going to look back on a couple of years down the line.”
After leading the team’s offense against Lafayette, senior guard Wooga Poplar finished with 16 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Jordan Longino provided 14 points. In his second game as a Wildcat, senior forward Enoch Boakye recorded six rebounds.
The Wildcats started off strong with defensive stops and consistent contributions from Dixon and Poplar on the offensive end. On the boards, Boakye continued his strong performance from last week while Longino built momentum with back-to-back three pointers.
However, the momentum shifted in the Lions’ favor towards the end of the half, as they forced seven Wildcat turnovers that resulted in 11 points.
Villanova was unable to stop Columbia’s offense late in the first half. The Lions shot 50% from the field in the first half. After watching senior guard Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa drain a three to beat the first-half buzzer, the ‘Cats went into the locker room down, 39-37.
“We have to get more solid,” Neptune said. “Our habits aren’t where they need to be right now. It seems like it’s just simple things: taking the ball in bounds, coming back, being strong with the ball, making entry passes. We just got to get way more solid and pay attention to detail.”
Going into the second half, the offensive intensity of Columbia remained the same as Dixon took it upon himself to keep Villanova in the game using his skills in the paint and behind the arc to try to lift the momentum.
For a while, Dixon’s work paid off as Poplar and Longino assisted him in bringing energy back to the team. The ‘Cats turnovers would continue to hurt them, as they allowed the Lions to keep their lead and prevented the Wildcats from ever surging out front.
“We have to be more in sync defensively,” Longino said. “[Columbia] got a few quick and easy ones, especially in the second half. Just not getting back, just not communicating. We’ll get back, watch film. We’ll figure that out for the next game.”
Columbia’s lead grew from five points near the 10 minute mark of the second to 13 with 1:40 to play. The Lions held the lead for the final 13 minutes of the game.
“Honestly, I think I could have done a better job defending everybody and setting the tone in that manner,” Dixon said. “You know a few dives here, keeping the guys into it.”
Overall, the ‘Cats went 45% on field goals and 34.4% on three-pointers and ended the game with 12 turnovers which equated to 21 points for the Lions.
“We’re human beings,” Neptune said. “You don’t want to come in and lose. Everybody wants to win. So we got to think about that and accept the fact that it happened and now we have to move on from it. We have to go get ready for the next game.”
Finishing off its three-game stretch at home, Villanova will face NJIT on Friday, Nov. 8. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on Fox Sports 2.
