Jhamir Brickus’ five threes push Villanova to blowout win on Thanksgiving Eve over Rider | Villanova vs. Rider Recap

VILLANOVA, PA—When asked about Villanova’s Thanksgiving Plans, Head Coach Kyle Neptune said the team would celebrate Thanksgiving with dinner and practice.

“Yeah, we got some local guys, so I’m sure it will be great for them to get home,” Neptune said. “But the guys that are a little farther away, we’ll definitely have a Thanksgiving dinner. And other than that, we got practice.”

Happy Thanksgiving, Nova Nation!

Before Villanova could officially celebrate Thanksgiving, the Wildcats had to take care of business against Rider on Wednesday night at the Finneran Pavilion.

Villanova convincingly defeated Rider, 72-48, to win their fourth game of the season. Eric Dixon did not score at least 20 points for the first time this season. However, Dixon still scored 16 points and was a team-high +30 on the court. The Broncs applied constant pressure on Dixon with double teams and did not provide him with many good looks and shot opportunities.

Villanova defeated Rider on Wednesday evening at the Finneran Pavilion.

Brickus’ Five Threes

Jhamir Brickus, a graduate transfer from La Salle, was lights out from behind the arc against Rider. He knocked down five threes, including three in the second half, for 15 points.

After the game, Brickus spoke about his 15-point performance and great shooting night from behind the arc.

“It felt great,” Brickus said. “Yeah, just my teammates allowing me to get them extra shots up and get me feeling good.”

Coach Neptune also addressed Brickus’ strong play and ability to control Villanova’s offense.

“Jhamir is a high-level operator, just handling the ball, using ball screens, making decisions, and I think he makes great reads and decisions,” Neptune said.

Jordan Longino and Tyler Perkins joined Dixon and Brickus in double-digits. Longino and Perkins both accumulated 10 points in this Thanksgiving Eve battle. Longino appeared to suffer an injury in the second half, but Coach Neptune said Longino “seems fine.” Longino played only six minutes in the second half, but Villanova’s lead was also enormous. Therefore, the Wildcats were more likely to rest him for the rest of the game.

Villanova shot 41% from the field and 39.5% from behind the arc. The Wildcats were 15-for-38 from three against Rider. Villanova committed just eight turnovers. They won the assist battle, 12-9, with good ball movement, especially near the perimeter.

Villanova in the huddle during a timeout in Wednesday’s non-conference contest against Rider.

Rider did win the rebounding battle over Villanova, 33-32. The Broncs entered the game averaging about one more rebound than the Wildcats in their first six contests. However, the Wildcats won the offensive rebounding contest, 12-10.

Villanova’s Outstanding Defense

Villanova’s defense smothered Rider on Wednesday evening. Rider converted 44% of their field goal attempts but just 23.5% of their three-point attempts. The Broncs only made four of their 17 three-point attempts. In a season where Villanova’s three-point defense had struggled, the Wildcats forced Rider into many bad looks from behind the arc.

Coach Neptune provided his thoughts on Villanova’s defensive performance against Rider in his postgame press conference.

“I thought our guys came out and really played well defensively,” Neptune said. “Got some stops. I thought we started a little slow shooting the ball, but if we defend like that, we’re gonna be in a good spot.”

Flash Burton led Rider with 15 points on seven made field goals. Burton, a freshman guard from Philadelphia, PA, also grabbed four rebounds and two assists. Jay Alvarez, a senior transfer from Houston Christian, played the best game out of Rider’s starters. He accumulated 11 points and five rebounds.

T.J. Weeks Jr., Rider’s leading scorer this season, was held to just four points on one-for-eight shooting from the field. He also missed five of his six three-point attempts.

Rider committed 17 turnovers as Villanova’s defense forced 10 steals. Villanova also scored 26 points off turnovers on Wednesday.

Villanova’s Aleksandar Gavalyugov, a freshman from Sofia, Bulgaria, scored his first collegiate points on a mid-range jumper from the elbow in the second half. He played seven minutes and made one of three field goal attempts.

#16 Cincinnati Comes to the Main Line on Tuesday

With the win over Rider, Villanova improved to 4-4. The Wildcats have scored at least 70 points in seven of eight games this season. They will have six days off before taking on #16 Cincinnati at the Finn on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Coach Neptune discussed the work ahead for Villanova before Cincinnati comes to the Main Line on Tuesday.

“We’re a work in progress,” Neptune said. “We’re a work in progress, trying to get better. We got a couple days off here to really get into practice. I think on both sides of the ball, we got a lot that we can get better at.”

WXVU’s Coverage of Villanova vs. Cincinnati

WXVU’s Pregame Coverage of Villanova vs. Cincinnati begins at 6pm on Tuesday, December 3^rd.