Friday night’s game against NJIT came with much more importance, and trepidation, than was expected when the schedule first came out thanks to Wednesday’s stunning loss to Columbia. Suddenly, the NJIT matchup became about as close to a must-win as a third game of the season can possibly be and carried implications far beyond the win-loss record. On this the, the Wildcats responded, throttling the Highlanders for a 91-54 win.
“I thought our guys came out and played extremely hard from tip til the last buzzer,” Kyle Neptune said. “I thought we were locked in, attention to detail, personnel. I thought we gave great energy from beginning to end.”
“Tonight I thought we came out, set the tone, played hard,” Neptune continued. “I thought we were extremely connected, I thought we played for each other.”
There was a bit of uneasiness early in the game, as the visitors opened a five-point lead just over four minutes into the game. NJIT, who entered the game shooting 29.2% from three this season, knocked down each of their first three attempts. The feeling of “not again” was palpable inside the Pavilion.
But Villanova quickly eased those nerves, going on a 9-0 run to flip the five-point deficit into a four-point lead. The Wildcats didn’t stop there. They would extend the push to 17-2 to open a 10-point lead, and 33-10 to build the advantage to 18. After going down five, the Wildcats outscored NJIT 35-14 the rest of the half, taking a 16-point lead into the break.
“They made some tough shots to start,” Neptune said. “This is division 1 basketball, you’re going against high-level players, high-level coaches, guys make runs. You could see there was a different look in our guys’ eyes, we were extremely intense.”
The second half was more of the same, with ‘Nova opening the half on an 18-4 spurt to blow the game open. That would be all she wrote. The Highlanders wouldn’t get closer than 28 the rest of the game, while the Wildcats continued to pour it on, building the lead right to the very end as the final 37-point margin matched Villanova’s largest of the game.
There was a lot to like about Villanova’s performance. Nine Wildcats scored, including five in double figures. Eight ‘Cats grabbed at least one rebound, and seven dished out at least one assist.
“We have extreme confidence in whoever goes in,” Neptune said. “Up and down our roster we have extremely talented guys. We’re a work in progress in terms of having nine, 10 new guys, they’re coming together, trying to gel, trying to figure out each other. Extremely proud of those guys, how they played tonight, how they competed.”
Perhaps most encouraging was the 180 the team managed in the areas that haunted it in the loss to Columbia. In that game, Columbia scored 21 points off Villanova turnovers, 27 points on the fast break and 36 points in the paint. NJIT, in contrast, did not score a single point off a ‘Nova turnover, scored only four points on the fast break and managed just 18 points in the paint (to 36 for ‘Nova).
“I thought we were way stronger with the ball,” Neptune said regarding the improvement in the turnover department. “I thought we were way more intentional knowing what we were doing. I just think our mindset was at an extremely high level coming into the game and I thought our guys were focused throughout.”
Villanova desperately needed a strong performance Friday night, and it got one. Just as important as the notch in the win column, the Wildcats restored some confidence and now have an opportunity to reset as they prepare for the rest of the schedule. We may still not know exactly what this Villanova team is or what its ceiling is, but the Wildcats delivered exactly what was needed on Friday, and the importance of doing so can’t be understated.
