Cats maul Lions 75-60 as the Front-court shines
Patrick Zeng
The day we've all been waiting for is finally here. Villanova basketball is back. The Wildcats returned to action with a 75-60 victory over the Columbia Lions of the Ivy League on Friday night. Villanova played their first of twelve games at the Wells Fargo Center, their home for the season until the Finneran Pavilion is completed on campus. And just like the student turnout, the play from the Wildcats did not disappoint.
This is a different Villanova team. Gone are the familiar faces of Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins and Darryl Reynolds, but the new additions should be more than enough to replace those three icons. Jay Wright likes to play small ball, often using four guards on the court at the same time. But this Nova team allows a different style of play and it was fun to watch.
Wright set the tone with a starting five that included Mikal Bridges, Eric Paschall and Omari Spellman. The Dobbs Ferry, New York product in Paschall thrived in his expanded roll and made himself a real handful for the Columbia defenders. Paschall bullied his way to a team leading 15 points and pitched in 9 rebounds with some thunderous dunks as well. Bridges had a quieter game, but the redshirt junior played intense defense leading to 2 steals while also adding in 7 rebounds of his own. And then there's redshirt freshman Omari Spellman who made his long awaited debut last night. Spellman registered a double double with 11 points and 11 rebounds which is even more promising when considering that it was not a great game from the big man. Spellman struggled early, but grew into the game in the second half, especially on the glass. Spellman gave Nova exactly what they needed with an inside presence that was able to grab 6 offensive rebounds.
Big East pre-season player of the year Jalen Brunson had a solid start to his season. The air apparent to the throne of Villanova basketball contributed 14 points on 5-12 shooting along with three assists. Brunson also led the team in minutes with 34 as he grows more and more into coach Wright's court general. Phil Booth made his return to action after his injury riddled 2016-17 season and looked understandably rusty shooting 3-9 from the field. And the spark-plug from Wilmington, Delaware Donte DiVincenzo showed why he can be both incredibly exciting and a runaway train. DiVincenzo started the season with 2 quick turnovers along with a charging foul that had him seated on the bench for most of the first half. But in the second half, the DiVincenzo that is so talented emerged. Donte displayed his slashing and finishing ability to go with his 2 three pointers which led to his 13 points off the bench. DiVincenzo also had 5 rebounds off the bench playing as a guard.
And then there was the true freshmen. Collin Gillespie, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and Jermaine Samuels all made their debuts last night. Gillespie checked in early and led the group logging 19 minutes. He showed poise on the ball in his first game as a Wildcat racking up 6 points and an assist to go with 0 turnovers. Cosby-Roundtree and Samuels struggled in their first collegiate game, but that is to be expected as the young Cats try and find their footing. Jay Wright however did show his trust in the them, playing the trio for a combined 35 minutes on Friday night.
The worrying aspect of last night's victory was that the Cats shot a combined 27-67 from the field(40%) and a horrific 7-32 from three(21.9%). The Nova marksmen were unable to get in any type of groove shooting the basketball and missed a load of open looks. On another night this team would have put 85+ points on the board, but the ice cold shooting kept them far from that mark.
For Columbia, Sophomore guard Mike Smith impressed with his quickness and at times really gave the Villanova defense some issues. Smith started hot, but was eventually held to just 7-21 shooting on his way to a team high 19 points. Senior guard Kyle Castlin also had a strong game for the Lions slashing to the basket for 10 points while hauling in 6 rebounds.
Last year this game may have gone differently due to the poor shooting, but the dominance in the Villanova front-court was too much for the Lions to handle.
The Villanova Wildcats will be back in action on Tuesday, November 14th when they take on the Nicholls State Colonels(1-0) at the Wells Fargo Center.
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| NBC Sports |
This is a different Villanova team. Gone are the familiar faces of Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins and Darryl Reynolds, but the new additions should be more than enough to replace those three icons. Jay Wright likes to play small ball, often using four guards on the court at the same time. But this Nova team allows a different style of play and it was fun to watch.
Wright set the tone with a starting five that included Mikal Bridges, Eric Paschall and Omari Spellman. The Dobbs Ferry, New York product in Paschall thrived in his expanded roll and made himself a real handful for the Columbia defenders. Paschall bullied his way to a team leading 15 points and pitched in 9 rebounds with some thunderous dunks as well. Bridges had a quieter game, but the redshirt junior played intense defense leading to 2 steals while also adding in 7 rebounds of his own. And then there's redshirt freshman Omari Spellman who made his long awaited debut last night. Spellman registered a double double with 11 points and 11 rebounds which is even more promising when considering that it was not a great game from the big man. Spellman struggled early, but grew into the game in the second half, especially on the glass. Spellman gave Nova exactly what they needed with an inside presence that was able to grab 6 offensive rebounds.
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| 247 Sports |
And then there was the true freshmen. Collin Gillespie, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and Jermaine Samuels all made their debuts last night. Gillespie checked in early and led the group logging 19 minutes. He showed poise on the ball in his first game as a Wildcat racking up 6 points and an assist to go with 0 turnovers. Cosby-Roundtree and Samuels struggled in their first collegiate game, but that is to be expected as the young Cats try and find their footing. Jay Wright however did show his trust in the them, playing the trio for a combined 35 minutes on Friday night.
 |
| 247 Sports |
For Columbia, Sophomore guard Mike Smith impressed with his quickness and at times really gave the Villanova defense some issues. Smith started hot, but was eventually held to just 7-21 shooting on his way to a team high 19 points. Senior guard Kyle Castlin also had a strong game for the Lions slashing to the basket for 10 points while hauling in 6 rebounds.
Last year this game may have gone differently due to the poor shooting, but the dominance in the Villanova front-court was too much for the Lions to handle.
The Villanova Wildcats will be back in action on Tuesday, November 14th when they take on the Nicholls State Colonels(1-0) at the Wells Fargo Center.
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