Villanova (2-1) responded from a surprising mid-week loss to Columbia, beating New Jersey Institute of Technology (0-2), 91-54, on Friday, Nov. 8 in the Finneran Pavilion.
Graduate forward Eric Dixon’s 22-point, 10-rebound double-double performance led Villanova’s offense in the win over. The 37-point win is Villanova’s first victory by more than 30 points since it defeated DePaul, 84-48, in Chicago last December.
The Wildcats brought back the physical play they are known for, diving for loose balls, boxing out and getting rebounds. It was true ‘Villanova basketball.’
The Wildcats looked much better than they did in their Wednesday loss to Columbia at the Pavilion, albeit against an inferior opponent in the Highlanders. Four Wildcats closed in double-figures, with senior guard Wooga Poplar, senior forward Enoch Boakye and sophomore guard Tyler Perkins all recording 12 points.
“I thought our guys came out and played extremely hard, from the tip to the last buzzer,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “I thought we were locked in. Attention to detail, personnel, we gave just great energy from beginning to end.”
The ‘Cats were able to pull away from the Highlanders early, utilizing a seven-minute 15-2 extended run that shot the ‘Cats from down three to up 10.
Dixon led the team, but the Wildcat lineup contributed early. Some of the big contributors in the early run included Perkins and redshirt freshman forward Kris Parker.
Parker contributed 11 points in 18 minutes, shooting 4-for-7 from the field. Perkins was 4-for-7 on his shot attempts, finishing with 12 points.
“We got guys that are extremely athletic and great size,” Neptune said. “Those young guys are pretty much carbon copies of each other. They bring a lot of the same things, and when they’re locked in like that defensively, it brings a different dynamic to our team.”
NJIT led the game for more than four minutes in the early part of the first half. However, after the ‘Cats claimed a 26-16 lead on a Poplar three-pointer with 7:47 remaining in the first half, Villanova’s lead remained in the double-digits for the remainder of play.
Villanova held NJIT’s leading scorers, sophomore guards Tariq Francis and Sebastian Robinson to 16 combined points. Francis and Robinson contributed 12 and four points respectively. Neptune understood the team needed to come out strong after its early stumble against Columbia.
“Tonight I thought we came out, set the tone and played hard,” Neptune said. “I thought we were extremely connected. I thought we played for each other.”
Senior guard Jhamir Brickus found a way to put the ball in the net, scoring nine points on 50% shooting and recording three assists.
“Today’s game felt great,” Brickus said. “I feel like we all went out there. We played our hearts out, and we played for one another. So once you do that, you always like to come out with a win.”
Villanova’s bench contributed, providing 29 of the Wildcats’ 91 points. In Wednesday’s 90-80 loss against Columbia, Villanova’s bench did not score for the first 35 minutes of the game. It was a complete turnaround for the rotation.
“We have extreme confidence in whoever goes in [to the game],” Neptune said. “I think up and down our roster, we have extremely talented guys. Also, we got a lot of guys whose first and second college games [were tonight]. We’re extremely proud of those guys and how they played tonight.”
The Wildcats scored 21 points off of 12 forced turnovers. Villanova only gave up five turnovers of its own, improving on its turnover struggles last game.
“I thought we were just way more intentional, knowing what we’re doing while we’re out there,” Neptune said. Overall, I think our mindset was at an extremely high level coming into the game, and I thought our guys were focused throughout.”
Villanova finished the game with season-highs of 57.1% on field goals and 47.8% on three-pointers.
Villanova takes on its first road game of the season, traveling to Hawk Hill to face Big 5 rival St. Joseph’s (1-1) in the Holy War on Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Hagan Arena. In their last matchup, the Hawks recorded a 73-67 loss to Central Connecticut State.
The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, with tipoff set for 5 p.m.
