Villanova Men’s Basketball Dominates VCU 70-51 Behind Strong Defense

Villanova Men’s Basketball opened their 2025-26 preseason slate with a 70-51 win over the VCU Rams at the Finneran Pavilion, led by a breakout performance from true freshman point guard Acaden Lewis.

Even playing short-handed without three potential starters, the Wildcats’ defense put on a dominant performance, forcing 15 turnovers, though big men Braden Pierce (fouled out) and Duke Brennan (four fouls) both racked up whistles early and often as a result. Of the 51 points the Rams managed, 14 came as a result of trips to the line.

On the other end of the court, four Wildcats finished in double figures. Lewis led the team with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting, adding three assists, three turnovers and a steal. Brennan went a perfect 5-for-5 down low, while Tyler Perkins and Bryce Lindsay scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. On the day, Villanova made 25 of 56 shots from the field, weighed down by an ugly six of 21 clip from three. Even with a double digit lead for much of the game, the Wildcats took 69 offensive possessions in their bid to play with a fast tempo.

All Gas, All the Way

The Wildcats began the game on a 7-0 run in front of their home crowd. VCU trimmed the deficit to three points on two separate occasions midway through the first half, but an 11-3 run capped with a three-pointer from redshirt freshman forward Matt Hodge, who missed all of last season due to a transcript issue, put the game out of reach for the Rams.

Leading 38-24 at the half, Villanova’s defense took over, limiting the Rams to a 7-of-34 clip from the field and just one made basket in the last eight minutes, a layup with 14 seconds to play. Of VCU’s 27 second half points, ten came from the charity stripe.

Up next, Villanova will travel to Charlottesville to take on the Virginia Cavaliers at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24.