Villanova (12-2) wins its fifth-straight game behind a convincing second half against the Bulldogs. The Wildcats were 1/12 from deep in the first half and very loose with the ball, but they came out of halftime ablaze, finishing the game by hitting 6 of their last 9 from range.
The catalysts behind the massive 55-point half were Matt Hodge and Bryce Lindsay, the team’s two leading scorers on the night. Hodge and Lindsay combined to go 7/13 from three, almost all of it coming in the last 20 minutes. Acaden Lewis was also sensational, tallying 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and a season-high 5 steals. He was hounding Butler all afternoon long.
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Duke Brennan did his thing as usual, recording his fifth double-double on the year. Villanova is 5-0 in those games. Glue-guy Tyler Perkins scored 10 of his 12 points in the half as well, along with amassing 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. It was a complete effort from the starting lineup.
Butler was led by its two leading scorers, Finley Bizjack and Michael Ajayi. While they scored 18 and 12 points respectively, the Wildcats were able to hold them to a combined 10/26 shooting. Bizjack specifically got off to a hot start.
The win was Villanova’s second Quad-1 win on the season. Next up on the schedule is the Creighton Blue Jays, who fly to Villanova for a battle on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 7:30. Creighton is coming off of a heartbreaking 56-54 loss at Seton Hall.
