Villanova Dominates the Paint in Road Win at Butler

Villanova picked up their second Quadrant 1 win of the season on Saturday, Jan. 3, defeating the Butler Bulldogs 85-67 on the road. 55 of those points came in the second half.

The Wildcats (12-2, 3-0 Big East) made 25 of 37 shots from two-point range, dominating at the rim and scoring 46 points in the paint. Most of their success came after the break: in the first twenty minutes, Villanova made just 41.94 percent of shots from the field, weighed down because of a 1-of-12 freeze from three-point range. They rebounded to make 70.37 percent of their shots in the second half, including six of nine threes.

The Bulldogs, for their part, made just six of 27 threes and, despite winning 36-30 on the glass, couldn’t keep up with the Wildcats’ high-percentage onslaught.

Butler led for nearly all of the first half, pushing in front with a 9-0 run that included seven points from Finley Bizjack. Villanova closed the gap to 16-15 but the Bulldogs maintained the upper hand. A late 7-0 Wildcats run made it 31-30, setting the table for them to take the lead as they opened the second half with 10 straight points, including a deep Bryce Lindsay (18 points) triple.

Starters Star

As they have since Tafara Gapare and Chris Jeffrey got injured, the Wildcats went with a three man bench: 162 of 200 minutes played went to their starters, all of whom finished in double figures. Duke Brennan logged a 15 point, 10 rebound double-double, Acaden Lewis picked up six assists and five steals, and Matt Hodge (17 points) enjoyed a career day from beyond the arc, making four of six threes.

Devin Askew contributed 23 of those bench minutes, adding eight points.

Butler closed within double digits twice in the second half, but quick Villanova bursts kept the Wildcats comfortably in front.

Up next, Villanova will return home to host Creighton at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7.