Former Battle 4 Atlantis Champ Villanova Tops Wesern Kentucky 66-58 In Tourney Return

Wed, Nov 22nd 2017, 09:55 PM

PARADISE ISLAND, THE BAHAMAS (November 22, 2017) – The Villanova Wildcats have returned to the scene where they began their climb, and they are picking up right where they left off.

 Villanova, which won Battle 4 Atlantis in 2013, got off to another good start in 2017 by pulling away from Western Kentucky in the second half and posting a 66-58 victory in Wednesday’s opening round.

 The Wildcats (4-0) led by only a single point, 34-33, five minutes into the second half. Then they went on a 14-2 run over the next five minutes to make the score 48-35, and the margin remained in double digits until the final seconds.

 “They find ways to have spurts and make runs, and that’s what they did there in the second half,” WKU coach Rick Stansbury said.

 Four years ago, the Wildcats were an unranked team coming off a 20-14 season when they arrived in Atlantis for the 2013 tournament. They proceeded to beat No. 2 Kansas, No. 23 Iowa and USC to claim the tournament title. That was the beginning of a four-season run during which Villanova posted a combined record of 129-17, winning the 2016 national championship along the way.

 This season’s team is led by the Killer Bs of Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges. Brunson poured in 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Bridges had 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists. The duo kick-started Villanova’s key run in the second half by combining for seven points in 97 seconds.

 The Wildcats made 62.5 percent of their shots (15-of-24) in the second half, with sophomore reserve Donte DiVincenzo scoring 12 of his 14 points after intermission.

 “He’s really an unselfish guy,” Wright said of DiVincenzo. “We really have six starters. He’s a guy who just said, ‘I don't care. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.’ So he comes in off the bench and he’s incredible, and brings great energy. He was awesome in the second half.”

 Darius Thompson led the way for WKU (2-2) with 16 points, while Dwight Coleby contributed 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. But with only seven healthy scholarship players on the team and eight total, the Hilltoppers appeared to wear down as the second half progressed.

 “I’m really proud of our team’s effort,” Stansbury said. “But I’m disappointed with the way we kind of let the game get away from us in the second half.”

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