In the opening game of the 2018 AdvoCare Invitational, Villanova ended their two game skid with a much needed victory of the Canisius Golden Griffins, 83-56. 

With captains Phil Booth, Collin Gillespie and Eric Paschall all dealing with foul trouble early, the first half belonged to Wildcat forward, Dhamir Cosby Roundtree. By the halftime break, the sophomore had already compiled his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 redounds. Roundtree would finish the game with 15 points and 13 rebounds, both career highs.

The ‘Cats foul trouble in the first half also allowed freshman Jahvon Quinerly to accumulate some minutes after the five-star recruit did not appear at all in the Wildcats’ last contest. Quinerly showed flashes of brilliance, notching nine points, three rebounds and two assists, but struggled to take care of the rock, finishing the game with four turnovers.  

The Cat’s lead was built to as much as 20 in the first half before Canisius was able to cut the deficit to 12 before the half. 

In the second half, Villanova got significant contributions from Phil Booth (15 points), as well as freshman Cole Swider, who was able to break out of his shooting slump by knocking down three shots from beyond the arc on his way to a season high 11 points. Canisius would never get closer to the ‘Cats than nine points in the second half, as ‘Nova found their way to the finish line and secured the win. 

The Wildcats were able to use their superior size to out-rebound the Golden Griffins 51-24 , including a resounding 18-7 margin on the offensive glass. One area in which the ‘Cats struggled however was with ball security, as the team committed 17 turnovers in the game. 

With the victory, Villanova is set to play the winner of Memphis and Oklahoma St. in the semifinals tomorrow. Tip-off will be at 11:30 a.m.