Villanova Drops George Mason While Negotiating Foul Trouble

Villanova Men’s Basketball hosted George Mason in their second of three exhibition games on Saturday, Oct. 17, experimenting with different lineups as 7-foot-3 center Luigi Suigo dealt with foul trouble throughout a 84-67 win.

Suigo recorded a block and a steal in the first 29 seconds, then committed a pair of fouls that forced him to check out of the game with 18:44 to play in the first half. He went on to play just 20 minutes, fouling out with 3:23 to play; his backup, Nico Onyekwere, played 12 minutes as head coach Kevin Willard tinkered with small-ball lineups, turning to 6-foot-6 Devin Royal or 6-foot-8 journeyman Abdou Samb as the Wildcats’ tallest player for stretches of the first half.

Royal Leads the Way

Royal once again lead the way in scoring, putting up 25 points and eight rebounds on 8-of-14 shooting. Tyler Perkins (20 points, 4-of-8 from three) finished hot on his heels, while true freshman Adam Oumiddoch contributed 12 points. After making three of their first five three-point shots on the way to an 11-7 lead, the Wildcats made just seven of 26 triples the rest of the way, an uncharacteristic 1-of-8 clip from wing Jake Fiegen weighing down their final line.

Villanova made just one shot over a nearly seven-minute span in the first half, a 21-12 lead eroding to just one possession. Royal scored on consecutive possessions to help snap the slump, and expected reserve point guard Buddy Simmons II (10 points, two assists, two steals) added four points in the final three minutes of the half. Willard rotated Suigo and Onyekwere in the second half until Suigo fouled out; while the Wildcats made just five of 19 threes, they steadily built their lead with the help of nine turnovers and ten fouls from George Mason.

Villanova made 18 of 22 free throws on the day — a marked change from last season’s struggles at the charity stripe — helping them close out the win. The Wildcats will conclude their preseason slate at home against Virginia at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22.